Women’s Bicycles

"Everyone Loves Women's Bicycles..."

  ...Some people say that women's bicycles have made emancipation possible-they may be right.  Bicycles gave women a way to get to their destinations without help.  At first, they rode men's bicycles, but soon, manufacturers made bicycles just for women.

The bicycle forced women to find better clothes to wear.  In the late 1800s, women riders stopped wearing tight corsets and long, heavy skirts.  Instead, bloomers (loose pants that reached the knees) came in to style that let women be comfortable on bicycles.

Arnold Schwinn is one of the oldest companies to manufacture women's bicycles.  In 1895, the year the company came into existence, Schwinn sold the New World bicycle.  Then, in 1896, Americans saw the first six-day bicycle race for women in Madison Square Garden, New York.

Women's Bicycles and Racing

Now, women love to race bicycles more than ever.  And they have plenty of bicycles to choose from.  For instance, Rodriguez Stellar bicycles by Rod Cycle are based on about 5,000 women's measurements.  The bicycle frames come in 15 sizes, so they fit most women.  As an alternative, you can have a custom-made frame.

Just like with men's bicycles, women's bicycles are for different riding styles.  For instance, you could rider Terry's Symmetry, in a fundraising or charity race and on paved roads.  Plus, Symmetry only weights 18.3 pounds.

But, for touring on dirt roads, Terry's Madeline works well.  This bicycle has an aluminum alloy frame and dropped handlebars that you can easily reach.  You may want to know that Terry, the manufacturer, is a woman who first designed a bicycle for a college project.

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Then Schwinn continues to succeed in the women's bicycle market.  Their Hollywood Women's Cruiser Bike has a soft, cushiony saddle and a lightweight, steel tube frame.  Ladies can use this bicycle for easy riding or sightseeing.

Most women's bicycles have a shorter tube length than men's versions because of torso length.  Women's bicycles also have more clearance-two to five inches of clearance-from the top tube.  Trying out different levels of clearance and tube length can tell you what measurements your bicycle should have.

One more kind of bicycle that you might take a look at is the mountain bicycle, which is for rugged terrain.  Women can choose Schwinn's High Timber bicycle that gives protection form bumps with a front shock fork and reliability with huge, durable tires.  If you want to use the same bicycle on paved roads, just change the tires and you're good to go.

Comfort Bike

Meanwhile, Huffy Innsbruck's Comfort Bike has twist shifters on the handle grips that you simply twist to change gears.  This bicycle has a six-speed rear derailer for smooth shifting, as well as linear-pull brakes.

The linear-pull brakes, also called "V-brakes," are more common than cantilever brakes.  While the cantilever brakes use a cable connection like the center pull brakes, the newer linear brakes have cable attached just like side pull brakes.  These brakes work well with modern bicycles' shifting systems.

A factor that you should remember is that the bicycle's stand over height should be right for your.  For example, Luna's Eclipse has a 73.5 stand over height, for women who are between 5'2" and 5'3" tall. 

As you can tell, women's bicycles have brakes, gears, and other features that work as well as men's bicycles.  How's that for equality? 

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Ride for Life...
Chip Clark
Famous Bike Guy

        Womens bicycles