Today womens and mens bikes are becoming more similar when looking at spec quality and overall bike performance. There was a time when womens bikes were unfortunately less spec’ed out then mens bikes. Meaning lesser quality and potentially not as versatile. While also looking much more feminine.
While womens bikes are obviously more suited to the “average” women body type, therefore the bikes geometry is match to this stereotype. But it is no always essential for a women to only ride a womens bike. While you also have the option for more and more bikes that are unisex. Womens bike are becoming a thing of the past.
But if you take a quick look at some gravel womens bikes for example some bike brands are still offering women specific models which is a good thing.
Bike Fit
While womens specific bikes do offer some benefits for women specific body proportions. You also have to understand that at the end of the day this is marketing in most cases. And some women can get the same bike fit or better on mens bikes. There is no black or white.
However most womens bikes take into account the average of the large amounts of data they have access to about womens body proportions and with these averages they are able to offer bike geometries more suited.
These variables include models that will have generally shorter stack heights and sometimes standover heights. As women in general are shorter then men. While also offering shorter reach lengths which assist for the generally shorter torso women also have compared to men.
If a smaller women rides a bigger mens bike the reach and stack heights can be too much and cause you to stretch out too much. Which is not ideal and if you plan to ride for days on end this is going to cause ling term pain and injury that could be avoided with the right bike fit.
Other Differences Between Mens and Womens Bikes
Furthermore womens bikes generally have narrower handlebars compared to mens. Due to a womens bike being generally smaller this means the bike might potentially be lighter. which is great for bikepacking when you need to lift it over fallen trees when facing hike a bike sections.
Again generally womens hands are smaller and so the grips and brakes are designed to be easier for you to reach. Not always but some womens bikes have 650B wheels. While mens bike also do. A smaller framed bike will work better with 650c or 26” wheels as a 700c wheel might be just to big, and cause toe overlap.
Over history womens bikes had a step through frame allowing women to get their legs over the bike much easier if they chose to wear a dress or skirt. Now days this is very uncommon for adventure type bikes which is what this blog is all about. But still can be found with step through “townie” style bikes today. However bike brands are taking this a step further in some of today builds. Offering slight bends in frames on top tubes for example.
The only real gender specific item on a bike is the saddle. And this is the one part on a bike that can change for either a man or women due to obvious reasons like private parts, and women also generally have wider hips then men, which means womens saddles are in most cases wider for comfort. But more on the differences between men and womens saddles below.
Womens Bike Seat vs Mens
Maybe you are in the market for a nice new comfortable saddle for your bike. But there are so many types and then you have gender specific models to. But what really is the difference? If you want some ideas for some of the best and comfortable bicycle saddles for touring and bikepacking. This article has is helpful and shows you what to look for.
Why Do Womens Bike Seats Have Holes
A centre cutout in a saddle offers some great comfort benefits. They are designed to protect your perineum, which is the part of the body between your sit bones. Which houses nerves and artiest that are very sensitive. These saddles remove the material that would otherwise be in the position of your perineum. Resulting in the elimination of pressure on the perineum and providing airflow and comfort during long rides.
Can A Man Use A Women’s bike Seat (and vice versa)
Yes it is definitely possible to use either type of bike saddle. But it is not recommended if you plan to go on extended bike adventures for weeks on end. If the saddle is not right for your body it is going to cause issues. If you want some more information you should check out the best bike saddles article I wrote as it includes tips and information about measuring your sit bones. This will ensure the saddle you get is suited to your body.
Men Vs Women’s Bike Geometry With Similar Bikes
I did a little bike geometry comparison and I am super surprised at what I found. It seems that yes there is a difference with some mens and womens bikes when it comes to aesthetics, like more feminine colours and smaller frame sizes then a ‘mens’ version would offer. It is essentially marketing. I compared two mens and womens bike models from the same brand and the geometries for the same frame bikes are identical!
These two bikes are the 2020 Norco Section C3 and Norco Section C3 Women. And I go into detail and compare these bikes side by side to see what exact differences Norco implement between their womens and mens bike for a clear cut example.
Mens 
Womens
Therefore if you are a male and ride a size small on a mens bike there is no difference if you were to get the same small sized bike in the womens model. Which proves that it is not about gender more then it is about body size and proportions. And this is not always centred on gender but trends.
But again generally womens have smaller body proportions which still means a smaller bike sizes is going to have smaller reach and stand over height lengths.
But on closer inspection for these two bikes I noticed there are also some other slight differences in components and parts on the bikes. So I did this investigative work, and discovered only two differences with these bikes.
Shifters: the shifters are slightly different on these bikes. The mens version comes with a rear, Shimano 105 ST-R7020 11 speed. And a front, Shimano 105 ST-R7020 2 speed. The womens bike has the same type but are a “short reach” option.
Rims: The womens Norco Section C3 comes with the Alex ATD500 Tubeless Ready rims and the mens bike comes with the Alex ATD560 rims. The main difference between these rims is the weight. The number after ATD is the weight in grams. So essentially with this womens bike you get a total of 120 grams less weight from using lighter weight rims.
Saddle: For another womens vs mens bike comparison I had a look at all of the specs for the Cannondale Topstone Women’s 105 and the Cannondale Topstone 105. And the only difference was the saddle. The womens bike features the Fabric Scoop Women’s Sport saddle and the mens a Fabric Scoop Radius Sport. The difference here is the womens saddle is a 155mm width for women’s specific comfort while the mens is 142mm wide. And the womens saddle is 280g and the mens 350g.
So as you can see from some of these example comparing mens and womens bike models there can be some very slight differences. But I hope this article made things a little clearer.
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