| Re: Bianchi Eros Donna vs. Specialized Dolce? another girly bike thread
Joanne (from Cape Cod) wrote:
> I am writing to ask for input in selecting my next bike. I am a 5'2"
> female. I want a bike that is comfortable for a 50 mile ride and
> nimble enough so I can keep up with my riding partners. I rode a
> Bianchi Eros Donna for one season until it was destroyed in the crash.
> I found the "women specific" geometry to be comfortable. I am
> considering another Donna but am also looking at a more expensive
> women-specific bike, the Specialized Dolce Comp. The Dolce Comp has an
> aluminum frame and the Donna is steel. I have always ridden steel
> frames (in fact, I have always ridden Bianchis) and have no idea if
> I'd like an aluminum frame. What I am trying to figure out is why the
> Dolce Comp is $500 more than the Donna (MSRP: $1790 vs $1250) and what
> I'd be getting for the extra money. Any input, especially from someone
> who has experience with both bikes, would be appreciated. Thanks in
> advance.
Cannondales seem to be popular with the faster small women. Cannondales are
lighter than the other woman-specific offerings -- which may start to matter
with small riders, as the bike is a larger percentage of the total weight they
have to haul up hills. I could never understand Terry building 24 LB bikes for
100 LB women. That's like a 40 LB bike for a typical male rider, which a
performance oriented cyclist would never consider. If anyone deserves a 2 LB
carbon fiber frame, it's a pixie-sized woman.
Of course, fit still trumps everything.
Matt O.
|