# Does a men's and women's frame really make a difference?



## skabeds (Sep 13, 2011)

So I'm a short guy, 5'5". I was recommended two sizes, the 15.5 and 13. Now for the most part the sizing charts I've looked at from individual companies list the 15.5 as the smallest men's size. Aside from Trek, the 13 falls under the women's frame sizing chart. Does it really make a difference? I've ridden the 13 and did the stand over test and it seems to be the right fit. Although I haven't tried the stand over test on a 15.5. Anyway, what is the difference between them? Does a woman's frame have a different look than that men's frame? Are there any advantages or disadvantages between them? I just don't want to be the joke of the trail because everyone knows I have a woman's bike except for me.


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## jkrout (Sep 7, 2009)

A lot of women's bikes have a shorter reach and narrower handlebars to accommodate a woman's arm length and shoulder width. Sometimes they have women's specific seats but that can easily be changed. You need to get a good measurement of your inseam because leg length is an important factor in bike sizing. Personally, I think a 15.5 would be a better fit unless you have very short legs. Pick what is more comfortable and just enjoy riding!


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## BEEB (Jul 16, 2010)

at 5'5" im very sure you need a 15.5. i know a girl riding a 15.5 XC bike and is the same height as you. and shes not even close to being a pro so she feels ok just when both feet touch the ground while being on the saddle. 
and now imagine if she can do this on a 15.5 bike.. the 13 one would fit like a BMX for her









is that bike in the background. she rides with the saddle at that height


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## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

Specialized also has a mens 13 inch bike, Rockhopper/Hardrock, the womens bikes have a shorter top tube, smaller grips, womans spacific saddle, and narrower bars. I'd test ride the 15.5, and the 13, the 15.5 opens more options in bike selection, but get the one that fits the best, IF it fits and the top tube is too high, you could wear a cup, always best to listen to yourself when deciding what works for you. Happy Trails


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## miatagal96 (Jul 5, 2005)

The standover test is not a good way to choose a bike size. Standover has to be adequate of course, but the really important measurements are between the points where your body touches the bike. The distance between pedals and saddle can be adjusted easily as it's easy to raise the saddle, so this frame measurement isn't the most critical as long as you have adequate standover because you can't change that. The distance between saddle and handlebars is much harder to adjust, so this is the one that is most important to get right on your frame. You can adjust the saddle back and forward a bit, and you can adjust the stem length, but adjusting the stem changes handling, so you can't go too far there.

I recommend that you test ride as many bikes as you can and look at the 'effective top tube' length of the bikes you feel are most comfortable, then pick a bike size that's in your comfortable range.

As for women's bikes, some companies just add pink accents, call it 'women's' and charge more. Others (like Specialized) change the geometry. Often the effective top tube measurement (which controls reach) is shorter for a woman's bike than a man's bike of equivalent size. So if you have longer legs and shorter torso than average, a woman's bike will probably fit better. This also means that on a woman's bike with a shorter top tube, you'll have less standover than on a unisex bike with the same effective top tube measurement. I'm a woman, but I have a relatively long torso, so I generally find that unisex bikes fit me better. I often end up cutting the bars.

If you can, test bikes and go to a bike shop where staff have lots of experience mountain biking to get some good advice.


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## skabeds (Sep 13, 2011)

Awesome. Thanks everyone.


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## Triaxtremec (May 21, 2011)

I'm the same height but rather stocky and I ride a 16" Kona Kahuna and fits great. Try the 15.5" I think you'll be happy with it.


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## skabeds (Sep 13, 2011)

BEEB said:


> at 5'5" im very sure you need a 15.5. i know a girl riding a 15.5 XC bike and is the same height as you. and shes not even close to being a pro so she feels ok just when both feet touch the ground while being on the saddle.
> and now imagine if she can do this on a 15.5 bike.. the 13 one would fit like a BMX for her
> 
> 
> ...


It's funny that you mention that because after test riding the 13 that was my exact thought, "this kind of feels like I'm riding a BMX." It was comfortable and felt like it would be fun to ride, but the more I think about it I don't think it would hold me over on longer street rides. I gotta get back and test ride the 15.5.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

You need to decide what you'll be doing the most with the bike. I'm 5'10'' almost 5'11'', I fall right in between medium and large for most frames, I always go medium because I like the BMX feel when ride technical trails.

I do some pavement riding, but that's with the kids so nothing that a medium frame affects.


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## glint (Sep 14, 2011)

skabeds said:


> It's funny that you mention that because after test riding the 13 that was my exact thought, "this kind of feels like I'm riding a BMX." It was comfortable and felt like it would be fun to ride, but the more I think about it I don't think it would hold me over on longer street rides. I gotta get back and test ride the 15.5.


Hi, you didn't really say what kind of riding you'll be doing, but your statement sounds like you're on the right track. I'm (technically) not much taller than you, at 5'8"-ish. After riding a youth bike with 20" wheels for far too long, I had a similar question when deciding on my first adult-sized bike. The model I wanted seemed to fit me best in the 15" and 17" frames, and I went with the smaller one for what I believed to be the same reasons TwoTone mentioned above. Looking back, however, I think it may have just been that it was more immediately comfortable because I was more upright in the saddle. I didn't have it for very long as it got stolen a month or two later, but even doing mostly flat trails I started regretting my choice: while pedaling through turns in a standing/forward leaning position my knees were hitting the crown of the front fork. After that bike was gone I replaced it with the same model in a 17" frame, and I think I'm a lot happier with it. I do have to be careful of the boys when I need to do an emergency step-off, but that possibility of pain probably boosts my reaction time... :madmax:

So just to say. try to test ride the candidates in conditions that are as close to your intended usage as possible! Also sorry, I guess this didn't touch on your original question at all.


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## skabeds (Sep 13, 2011)

glint said:


> Hi, you didn't really say what kind of riding you'll be doing, but your statement sounds like you're on the right track. I'm (technically) not much taller than you, at 5'8"-ish. After riding a youth bike with 20" wheels for far too long, I had a similar question when deciding on my first adult-sized bike. The model I wanted seemed to fit me best in the 15" and 17" frames, and I went with the smaller one for what I believed to be the same reasons TwoTone mentioned above. Looking back, however, I think it may have just been that it was more immediately comfortable because I was more upright in the saddle. I didn't have it for very long as it got stolen a month or two later, but even doing mostly flat trails I started regretting my choice: while pedaling through turns in a standing/forward leaning position my knees were hitting the crown of the front fork. After that bike was gone I replaced it with the same model in a 17" frame, and I think I'm a lot happier with it. I do have to be careful of the boys when I need to do an emergency step-off, but that possibility of pain probably boosts my reaction time... :madmax:
> 
> So just to say. try to test ride the candidates in conditions that are as close to your intended usage as possible! Also sorry, I guess this didn't touch on your original question at all.


No worrys. Actually, you didn't touch on the question itself but you did help me with the question that resulted in this question. Geez is that confusing or what? Basically I'm buying my first bike and didn't know what size to get. I've been recommended both the 13 and the 15.5. From what I could gather the 13 fell under the "women's sizing" and I was wondering if there was any differences. So thanks for your input. It was very helpful.


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## fireball_jones (Mar 29, 2009)

In general, companies base the medium around the average male height (5'8'' or 5'9''), and most people will be comfortable with a size that's about 2'' either way (that is, a medium for most companies would be good for someone 5'7'' - 5'11''). So a small aims for people about 5'5'', and an XS would be about 5'1'', which is around the average height for a woman. 

Test rides are best, but it is worth taking a look at the specs for sizing on the manufacturer's site as well. Sometimes certain dimensions are drastically different between the XS and S, but only incrementally different between the S and M.


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## crossup (May 13, 2009)

as said by others..test ride. My wife and I ride different sized mountain bikes but our road bikes are both 50 cm size yet hers is much smaller as its a woman specific design(Trek Lexa S) so the only true measure is to test ride. Also even within a manufactor sizing may vary- I found a small Specialized Pitch is the same size as the Enduro medium(older style).


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## anekin007 (May 23, 2011)

Im 5'6" and I ride a 16". When I do the standing test the frame is 2" from my crotch. When I ride my girlfriend's 14" Jamis it feels too small like I was riding a bmx.


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## chilly79 (Jul 27, 2010)

I am 5'5" and went with a 14" On-one 456 frame. 13"s always seemed to short for me and 15"s were too tall. I had a 16 dirt jumping frame once, top tubes are low on these, that fit great but the geo was bad for XC riding. Just test ride a lot of bikes and get what feels right.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

anekin007 said:


> Im 5'6" and I ride a 16". When I do the standing test the frame is 2" from my crotch. When I ride my girlfriend's 14" Jamis it feels too small like I was riding a bmx.


Stand over means nothing any more. I still wonder how this won't die.:madman:


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## Will Goes Boing (Jan 25, 2008)

I've always wondered about the same thing, from the specs I can't see too much of a difference. The only thing I noticed are the colors/designs tend to be more "feminine".


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