Are Ladies Bicycles a Sneaky Marketing Ploy?

The ladies bicycle market is one that is growing rapidly, as women increasingly have more expendable income to spend on hobbies and leisure. This had led to marketers trying to capture larger numbers of female cycle enthusiasts, by creating campaigns singing the praises of the women specific design (WSD) bike. But is a WSD bike really a bicycle for ladies, or is it all just smoke and mirrors? Are they truly ladies bicycles or are they really nothing more than smaller versions of the bikes made for men?

The truth is that some companies will try to exploit people through clever marketing, whereas other companies were set up purely to cater for the female marketplace. There are several ways you can tell whether the bike is designed for a woman, or simply a shrunken down men's bike. If you are in a big store, and find a ladies bicycle that piques your interest, have a look around the shop for the corresponding men's model; very often the manufacturers will make versions for both sexes. If the small, men's version has an identical frame shape to the large size ladies bike, then the chances are that this is not specifically designed for women - avoid it!

The best ladies bicycle will have a shorter top tube. This results in a shorter reach distance from the saddle to the handlebars, and is often a dead giveaway that the cycle was intended for female riders, since women tend to have a shorter torso than a man of similar height.

Other things to look out for will be narrower handlebars, made from tubing of a smaller diameter than on a men's bike. The reach distance for the brake levers will also be shorter to accommodate a woman's smaller hands. Often the pedals and crankarm are smaller too to make for a more comfortable ride. The final thing to look for is a proper ladies bicycle saddle. These are wider to suit women's sitting bones, and they generally have a cutout in the center. If you want a leisure bike such as a cruiser or hybrid, then a lot of these tend to have extra comfort features built in, such as saddle shock absorbers, or shocks built into the rear and front forks.

So to answer the question, is it all just a cynical marketing ploy, sometimes it can be, so you need to be on your guard. But the most important thing is not that you get a bike specifically for women; you should aim to shop around and get a bike specifically for you.

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