What kind of bike is this, and is it for girls?

Casey T · 12-15-2007, 09:06 AM

i have found a bianchi backstreet but do not know the year noir the sexual prefernce for the bike. is it made for males, and were any made for anyone else but males?

mgm531 · 12-15-2007, 09:06 AM

Christian_Cyclist: While I'll give you credit for your everybody's free to what they want attitude, your answer is not entirely correct. It is true that many women can and do ride mens bicycles, but it has to be said that mens frames were and for most part still are made with mens deminsions in mind. Where this most makes a difference is in the top tube and stem length. Body proportions vary widely in both men and women of course, but in my many years of sizing people to bicycles I've noticed that most women have longer legs and shorter torsos, whereas men have longer torsos and shorter legs. So trying to fit a woman onto a frame that has been designed with a mans deminsions in mind can be a challenge. Often this can be compensated with a shorter stem, but then that can sometimes dramatically change the dynamics of how the bicycle rides or handles. For this reason the 'womens' bicycle frame was designed which has a shorter top tube and more compact design. The traditional sloped top tube or 'mixte' frame design is still around, but more for athstetic preference for some women. Increasingly more women that cannot fit comfortably onto a traditional mens designed frame are looking at alternative bikes that are more specifically designed for their deminsions. One of the pioneers of this approach was Georgena Terry (Terry Bicycles) and eventually other more mainstream bicycle manufactures followed. Trek in particular has a very well designed line of bicycles called the Womens Specific Design (WSD) line.

A bit off the subject, but I did want to make the point nonetheless.