Utah MTB

Posts Tagged ‘Women’

Mountain biking is a blast and enjoyable at a whole range of different levels. Regretfully the sport is geared more towards men than women. But it’s actually very easy to choose and fine tune your bike so it works equally well for you as a woman cyclist.

Selecting the Right Bike
Bikes are sized according to the length (height) of the seat tube, eg. 15″, 17″, etc. Use the “stand over” method to zero in on the right frame for you: when standing astride the bike there should be 7 to 10cm clearance between your crotch and the top tube (be wary when comparing different brands as they all seem to measure their frames differently).

Equally important is the top tube length. You need to be able to stretch out comfortably when riding. Often women have shorter upper bodies and longer legs than men. If this applies to you then go for a design with a relatively short top tube.

Women tend to be lighter and ride with more finesse than men so can safely use a lighter frame, wheels and componentry. Lightweight bikes cause less puff on those interminable hill climbs and are easier to lift over gates, but you may have to mortgage several limbs to own one.

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By Jim Langley

Pity the poor bicycle seat. Few products in the history of sports have taken such a bum rap. Prostate problems. Numbness. Boils. Infections. Chafing. Even impotency! You name the malady and it’s likely been blamed on the pedaler’s perch, the bike saddle.

Some criticism is justified because any reasonable person might assume that if you buy a good bike, you get a good seat. In fact, you might not even give the seat a second thought and start logging big miles immediately. And, if you develop pain and discomfort, you might cling to the notion that it can’t be the seat and simply keep riding, figuring that if you pedal enough, the aches and pains will disappear. If you’re lucky, that might happen. But, it could also be a bad mistake — the type of oversight that could cause many of the problems mentioned above.
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Question: Do I need a women’s bicycle seat?

Answer: For some women, a women’s bicycle seat is quite possibly the most important component on their bike. If you have serious comfort issues with your bike saddle a women’s bicycle seat may be the answer, but don’t just get any women’s bicycle seat, you will want to make sure it fits you properly.

While sitting on your bike for hours at a time is never particularly pleasant on the bottom side, mountain biking doesn’t need test your ability to endure pain.

It is important to note that male or female, your body does need some time to adjust to riding a bike. If you haven’t ridden a bike for some time it may take two or three rides within a couple weeks for your body to adjust to sitting on a bike seat. However, once this adjustment period is over, a little soreness from sitting on the seat for a long ride may be normal but you shouldn’t have any significant pain during or after a ride.
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