View Single Post
  #3  
Old September 27th 03, 05:24 PM
Mike Jacoubowsky
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Klein vs. Trek (crossposted)

My wife is 5'-11" and has a 34" inseam, and was told that she needs a 60cm
bike. The WSF models are all too small for her, and thus she's confined

to
the men's models. I guess my question is a difficult one to answer, since
both bikes are targeted to the same market.

Regards,
Lester


Lester: The Klein & TREK product ride very differently; subtle changes in
geometry product not-so-subtle changes in ride. With a Klein she'd go for a
58cm (the 61cm would have too-long a top tube), while TREK it very well
might be a 60cm. Keep in mind that a 60cm TREK has a slightly-shorter top
tube than a 58cm Klein (comparing a 60cm 2300 to a 58cm Klein Aura in this
case)... yet the Klein has a slightly-longer wheelbase. There are a number
of little things that add up to a significantly different ride. One isn't
really better than the other, with the exception of fit considerations, and
Kleins tend to be, ahem, female hostile for many. That's unfortunate, since
there's something about the visual presentation of the Klein that draws
women to them.

You are correct that there are no WSD (Women Specific Design) bikes in a
large enough size for her; they generally fit up to about 5'7" or so.

Your best bet is to have her ride each bike, making sure they're set up
similarly. It wouldn't be a fair comparison to test-ride a Klein with a
super-short stem and a TREK with a super-long one, and vice versa. Cockpit
dimensions (distance from seat to bars, drop in height from seat to bars,
distance from pedals to seat and setback of seat from bottom bracket) should
all be set the same on each bike. That way she'll be evaluating the bike,
not some random aspect of fit. And it will also show if one bike simply
can't quite be made to fit right.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home