Woman-specific bike design and other bike thoughts

I've heard people say the whole "women-specific design" thing is a gimmick. "Shrink it and pink it" is a phrase some believe is the reality behind women's running shoes, and perhaps even women's bicycles. After all, the difference between a women-specific bike and the equivalent men's bike is just a couple of centimeters here and there.

Well, as someone who experimented with moving a bike seat just millimeters each ride, I can say for sure that for me, even seemingly small measurements make a significant difference in fit.

Before I chose my bicycle, I spent a significant amount of time with four other bikes: two woman-specific, two non-gender specific. The bikes were:

-- Trek Equinox 7 (WSD)
-- Elite T-Class (WSD)
-- Quintana Roo Caliente
-- Cervelo P2C

No matter what the fit expert at Sammamish Valley Cycle did, I could not get comfortable on the QR. I know one of my favorite female triathlete-bloggers just got that bike; I also know it's a fab bike, which is why I wanted to ride it, but it absolutely did not fit. I tried different sizes, flipping the stem, shortening the aero bars, and probably a few other things I can't recall now, but no matter what, my lower back ached the minute I got on the bike and I couldn't stay in the aero position for anything.

I rode both a 48 cm and 51 cm P2C. Neither fit - honestly, both felt too big. I felt like no matter what, even on the 48, I had to reach too far forward. It was slightly better than the Caliente, but not enough to make me want to buy it.

However, both the Trek Equinox 7 and the Elite T-Class fit me like a dream. I got on both those bikes and rode comfortably in the aero position. But both of those bikes had another problem: they're made of aluminum.

My Specialized Ruby road bike is full carbon. I didn't realize until I test-rode aluminum bikes how sweet a carbon ride really is. It dampens nastiness from the road, yet feels so light and airy. It's also a dream to climb hills on a carbon bike.

Trek has a bunch of bikes in the Equinox series, but only the lowest-end - the 7 - comes in women-specific geometry. Higher-end Trek Equinox bikes do come in carbon. (Yes, I wrote to Trek to complain that their only women's tri bike was their lowest-end model. How rude to assume women triathletes are beginners and only want an entry-level bike!)

And Elite makes aluminum bikes, period. I don't think they do carbon fiber.

So I was unsurprisingly quite nervous about the Scott Contessa Plasma. But I had high hopes for it.

Why are women's bikes different? Conventional wisdom says it's because women have longer legs and shorter torsos, but that's not actually true. The biggest difference when it comes to bike fit is the length of our arms and hands. However, the only difference between the 49 cm Contessa Plasma and the Plasma Pro - the men's bike equivalent - is 20 mm in the stem (the men's bike is bigger). I worried that my bike really was just the pink version of a men's bike and not something made for women. And maybe it is - I haven't ridden the Plasma Pro to see whether it would be comfortable. My guess is that it would be.

The variances in geometry between my bike and the QR and Cervelo are a centimeter here, 5 millimeters there. But it makes all the difference in the world for my particular body.

All my fears, though, disappeared from the moment I first rode the bike. Right there in the parking lot, it felt great. I rode it that first day on a variety of pavement types to see how it would feel; it actually felt even better than my Ruby (probably better construction?). And today, on the trainer, I was able to stay in the aero position for nearly the entire hour I rode.

It's a little hard to believe this bike is so right for me. After all, I fell in love with it before I even saw it - it would be so easy to believe I'm swayed by how pretty the bike is and that it's not about the bike's performance.

But it really really is. And I can't wait to really ride it on Sunday!

Other bike thoughts:

-- The Scott Contessa Plasma was one of the very few bike models that I could get in my size that has 700c wheels. Nearly every other bike I found in my size has 650s - which I didn't want, just because everyone I know and ride with uses 700s, so we can share tubes if necessary.

-- It's got a 53/39 crankset on it. I'm afraid of that crankset. I know the bike weighs nothing, which will help on hills, but still - don't I need a compact double for riding around here? (Then again, if I learn to ride with this crankset, I'm going to get STRONG.)

-- I need pink bottle holders for it. Sammamish Valley Cycle didn't have any, but I know a bike store that does.

-- I'm not sold on the saddle yet - so far, it still hurts. I think I can train my bottom to like it, or at least tolerate it.

-- I stuck with Look KEO pedals. Danielle ordered some pedals entirely because they are pink. I think they're SPDs. I was unwilling to sacrifice the pedals I like for color.

-- I'm so glad I figured out how to set up the spinning bikes to simulate the body position I thought I would be in on a tri bike, because I've really made my abdominal muscles stronger and ready to be in the aero position for long periods of time.

-- Why are the roads so awful still? They don't use salt to melt snow and ice here - they use sand - and the bike lanes on all my favorite roads to ride on are MESSED UP. But I did see sweepers out today - hopefully remembering us cyclists, too!

-- Riding a bike on a trainer - even my gorgeous wonderful bike - is still, unfortunately, riding a bike on a trainer. A teensy bit better, but not enough to make me love the trainer.

I just love looking at my bike. I imagine all the fun we're going to have this year and in the future, and it just makes me so happy!