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Womens Specific History

I ran into a woman a few years ago who was riding on Rodriguez. She boasted that it was basically the first Womens Specific bike ever made. Ever! I took her word for it but did some extra research on my own. I think she is probably right. I was showing off the picture I took of her bike to one of my racing buddies, Joel. When he asked me what made it WS this is what I told him.



Angel Rodriguez was a US Team Mechanic who, by 1976, had begun building custom frames. In 1993 Angel sold his frame building business to Dan and Estelle who both worked at R+E Cycles and Dan's wife, Marcia. Marcia saw a little opportunity to focus on the Womens Specific frame geometry. Between all the fits they had taken over the years and Marcia's R & D they decided that the investment a Womens Specific line was well worth the effort.

The Stellar was 20 years and 6000 womens fittings in the making.* What makes the Stellar a Women's Specific bike is, in general, what makes other bikes WS bikes. The top tube and seat tube dimensions favor a body that has a shorter torso and longer legs. The current Womens Specific Stellar Rodriguez frame now comes in 18 standard sizes.

Whether or not you are into custom and semi custom steel bike is personal preference. The really cool part about all of this is that the foundation for WS geometry was laid and the Rodriguez Bikes is part of that foundation.

www.rodcycle.com

* The first mainstream Womens Specific model was the Trek 1000 and 1000c and didn't show up until 2003.

The Chalk Board Talk

ANATOMY OF A BICYCLE

In the interest of the full disclosure, here is the best picture I have found so far showing the basic anatomy of a bicycle. If the picture is too small to study, it's also a link. Click to see it bigger.

This next one is not a link and highlights a few things on an MTB that are different from road.

The Glossary

There was a special about George Carlin on PBS last night. That guy was a really good entertainer. A majority of the stand-up PBS played was about his hatred for euphemisms. When I came to work this morning, I was snickering to myself. The bike industry is full of convoluted acronyms. Sometimes it happens because someone is really trying to make things simpler to recognize. Sometimes even with all the right intentions, the acronyms take the fun out of researching and buying you bike.

So, We are going to start a dictionary of bike terminology. If there is anything you want to add feel free. If there is anything you want me to look up and post, let me know.

The Glossary

ISP -- Integrated Seat Post. When the seat post is the same as the seat tube, the result is a stiffer joint.

BSC -- Bonded Skeleton Concept. An improvement on the way that aluminum and carbon used to be joined. BSC is essentially a larger and tapered "lug" that improves ridigity and is designed to be a safer joint.

TCC -- Tuned Compliance Concept. This is an explanation for how carbon fiber sheets are stacked and pressed together in varying directions and thicknesses to specifically be lighter in places that can afford to be light and stiffer in places that need to be stiff.

105 -- Shimano makes bike components and 105 (one oh five) is the best entry level group of components. Shimano makes cheaper stuff and more expensive stuff and 105 is the best middle ground for price and quality.

MTB -- Mountain Bike

SPD -- Shimano Pedaling Dynamics. A very common pedal/cleat system. Because they are very common they are inexpensive. This is an excellent entry level pedal cleat system, an excellent MTB cleat system and found on Spin bikes.

NOS -- New Old Stock. This means that something is "New" as in it has never been installed or other wise used but "Old Stock" in that it may be an outdated part.

OCLV -- Optimum Compaction Low Void. In reference to how carbon fibers sheets are pressed together. Sheets are laid multi-directionally, sheets are pressed to squeeze as many air bubbles out as possible (it is virtually impossible to get them all but you can get them smaller), and carbon is placed in specific ways to take stress.

OEM -- Original Equiptment Maunfacturer. OEM parts are the parts that come on the complete bike at the time of purchase. A parts manufacturer that sells thousands of handlebars to a bike manufacturer for installation on the bikes has made their handlebar an OEM handlebar.

CPSC -- Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC stamps a logo on every helmet deemed safe. Helmets from department stores might not have this logo. Check.

CE -- Committee European. The European Committee for Standardization typically has higher standards for helmet safety than the US. When a CE logo is stamped on your helmet you'll know your head is as safe as it can be.

UST -- Universal System Tubeless. A standard for tubeless mtb wheel design (or tire and rim combinations) that is compatible with itself regardless of the brand of tire or rim you choose.

iSC -- Integrated Skeleton Concept. Tubing at juncture points are reinforced.

WSD -- Women's Specific Design. Term coined to denote the design of products that work best with a woman's physicality.

HM carbon -- High Modulus Carbon Fiber. This means that the carbon is better at taking impact. It's cooked at a higher temperature and as a result has a slightly higher elasticity.

HT carbon -- High Tensile carbon fiber that is cooked at a lower temperature, a little stiffer and better at transferring power.

Thanks for the pic Teresa. Does anybody know who this TT machine is?

Designer tastes, Budget bars

A clean crash* at San Dimas resulted in a new handlebar purchase. I have some very specific requirements for a handlebar. I don’t presume to say that what I need from a bar is what every girl needs from a bar but I’ll tell you why I need what I need and maybe it will help you choose the right bar for yourself later.

Stiff
The only time a person doesn’t put torque on a bar is when their physicality AND situation don’t require it. The only time stiffness wouldn’t take the number one spot is if I was a 95lb triathlete. And I’m not. Not even close. The BF says I’m built like a powder puff line backer. I think he likes the idea of being able to draft off me.

Ergo
I had this one pair of bars that would hit the forearms every time the hands were in the drops. After a while my brain tried to figure out how to sprint so that the forearms wouldn’t slam into the bar and deepen the bruising. I developed a funky little sprint for a season. This is actually the whole reason for this post.

Some handlebar manufacturers don’t make ergo bars. Some do, but they just don’t have very many options. Finding a bar that has the bends that won’t fight the natural movements of a body and allow for a drop and reach that works with a body is essential.

Weight & Color
Weight is a property of the material. I would rather have a stiff bar than a light bar. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s carbon or aluminum, black or white. Function trumps all else. For example, I would never ride a RAM Leopard bar. That’s a lie. I would totally ride that bar with clear tape.


Researching R&D
I made a phone call to FSA and spoke with Manuel about how FSA has developed their handlebars. I called FSA because it seems that while they may not necessarily offer the largest number of different bars, the do offer the widest variety of different shapes. For example Deda makes boat loads of high quality stems and bars but the shapes are pretty similar. FSA does have 14 different road styles, 12 different mountain styles and 1, brand spanking new, “metropolis” style. Their sizes run between 36 and 46cm which is great news because 36’s and even 38’s used to be very hard to come by.

FSA started out making bearings for bottom brackets and hubs15 years ago. In 2000 the idea of the modern ergo bar with the “2 kinks” had been developed. In about 2004, FSA saw an opportunity to improve on this design. They made the “new ergo” bar and essentially ironed out the kinks of the ergo bar. FSA made the bends smoother so that your hands were never forced into a position on the bar.

FSA’s research and development process is enriched by the smaller size of their company. Manuel boasted about being an “idea driven” company. What happens for FSA is a cleaner implementation of design. The larger the company, the further removed it’s R & D department is from humans. FSA really likes that they are smaller and that the ideas that are generated are very closely examined and tested.

The Specifics on women’s specific.
FSA didn’t go into making any of their bars necessarily women’s specific. They did go into making bars based on what riders need. When they examined need, they found that shallower drop and shorter reach both needed to be addressed. They found that width needed to be addressed. FSA’s approach to making handlebars seems to be pretty progressive. They really want rider feedback.** They want to make good handlebars. Because of this philosophy it seems that FSA has successfully taken gender out of the equation without compromising what they can offer.


Bar End
I ended up purchasing a 40cm Omega bar. It’s a really good bar for a really good value. It made sense.

-If I crashed it, then I would have only spent $40 and could replace it easily.
-If I hated it, then I would have only spent $40 and could replace it easily.
-If I loved it, then I only spent $40!

The bar is awesome. It is really stiff and I can feel how much better it is at sending my energy into moving forward instead of absorbing my energy by being flexy. It was cheap. The ergo bends are smooth and allow my hands to move freely within the drops. The reach is short so I can use all the bar I need and none of the bar I don’t. The tail of the drop is long enough to sprint with. I might prefer a bar with a little more depth so I could take advantage of my physical flexibility but this is a great bar overall for me.

* The dérailleurs did take a beating in the crash but the good news is it will not be necessary to do a helmet review at this time ;).

** FSA really wants to hear about how you feel about what they have to offer. Manuel shared this email address as a good way to get in touch with FSA. http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?taxid=62&layout=contact

Creme de Chamois

The best day on the bike is when you've accomplished something a little out of your normal range, your muscles feel a little fatigued and the every other part of your body feels great. Nothing like riding a bike can make you feel like this and nothing can make you feel like riding a bike like having a good chamois experience.

The Chamois Experience
Unless you are a W.O.M.B.A.T., there are always at least two things between you and your bike. The Saddle and the chamois. We will definitely take more time out to talk about shorts and chamois. But for now we're going to focus on your engagement with the bike.

The idea behind your behind is that the less amount of friction between you and the saddle the better. Firmer saddles, form fitting shorts and the right chamois are all going to help. Chamois creme can help too. If there is going to be friction (you are going to do a century) the abrasiveness can be minimized. If you've never used chamois creme and you can't find a sample either of these products would be worth ponying up for.

DZ Bliss

DZ Nuts after paying homage to David Zibriski's soft tissue decided to create a women's specific product. DZ Bliss combined all natural ingredients to give you a product that is anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and of course anti-chaffing. It's not supposed to be "tingly" but it is for about 15 minutes (not like Assos, which is long and strong on the tingly). Because it is somewhat medicated by virtue of having Menthol, Tea Tree Oil, Chinese Evodia, Masterwort from the Swiss Alps and Vitamins it can help to eliminate existing skin irritations and prevent more. Retail $24.00

and

Betwixt

Made in Berkeley, Ca this chamois creme boasts itself as 100% vegan. While Betwixt shares some anti-chafing ingredients with DZ it feels like a no frills chamois creme. Basic and simple. Absolutely no tingling sensation and full of vitamins. Neither product has petroleum which will degrade your clothing and never wash out. Retail $22.00

Ritchey's WS Saddle

Ritchey has been flirting with the idea of producing a line of Women’s saddles. To be honest, Ritchey is a little beyond flirting. They are actually testing performance saddles, taking the feedback and figuring out the potential details of mass production.

Every body is a little different and the way a body works with a bike to perform a specific function (a 140lb 5’10’ climber engages differently with a bike than a 110lb 5’2” sprinter) is going to affect their saddle preference. We can’t expect that any one company will be able to create the one saddle that will work for every woman. We can expect Ritchey to be very conscious of their design and produce a high quality performance saddle that works with a woman’s body.

I’ve been testing a model similar to the Ritchey Streem for about 4000 miles now. The padding and construction have definitely held up to some adverse conditions. The white top cover is still white! It’s been through climbs and sprints and long flat races and long flat easy rides. It has out preformed every other saddle I’ve ever ridden.

Shape and padding are the two most important things. If the number one thing was color, most saddles wouldn’t be black. Ritchey also does white though. The one I rode had a slight iridescence in the white on the rails too, a very classy touch.

SHAPE:

The part of a woman’s body that contacts the saddle really benefits from a flat interface. Heavier riders or riders who are top heavy will have a weight distribution that favors the saddle. In the same way that pedals interact with the shoes and feet, a bottom interacts with a saddle. The saddle needs to work with a body, not fight it. The over built shapes and inconsistent placement of cut outs we have seen in the past have characteristics that can work against a body in spandex.

The nose of the saddle is the appropriate length. There is nothing worse than having to compromise by using a men’s saddle and catching your spandex on the nose or have extra saddle to navigate around.

PADDING:

Ritchey was mindful in the placement of padding. They thought about where the body shape that was going to use it would be and put just enough to keep you comfortable over 6-8 hours of use.

When people figured that making a woman’s saddle was a good idea there was an assumption about what comfort meant. First it was extra padding. Then we figured out that extra padding absorbed energy and created friction. The padding became denser and harder but retained thickness. Then there was the cut out and varying widths. The cut out doesn’t mean anything if the rest of the saddle is still uncomfortable. The difference in sit bone width between the average American woman of any ethnicity who has given birth & any give just budding 17-18 year old girl is something like 12mm. *

The real innovation here is that Ritchey didn’t assume that most women who ride bikes are riding them in an upright position. The options we have seen in the past work really well on comfort bikes and road bikes with relaxed upright geometry. Quite simply, the design works well if you only sit right on top of it.

Ritchey has done well this saddle and while they don’t have an exact ETA for going to market, we do have a commitment to researching and developing women’s specific products.

The folks at Ritchey are really nice. If you want to see this saddle available for purchase or if you just want to give feedback to a company that is interested in you, let them know.

http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dyn_prodfamily.php?k=299419

Eddy Merckx EFX-1

Eddy Merckx is one of the few companies making a Womens Specific frame that you would actually ride. That's not to say others aren't doing it too. We'll get to them later.

It's just that historically, womens specific bikes have been fair adaptations of existing frame geometry. This isn't necessarily a bad way to begin to take on women's specific geometry. It does allow us to see what works and move forward with increasingly better information.

The demand for womens specific bikes is now beginning to push the market, we see womens specific branded bikes with higher end componentry. As a result of all this, we have the benefit of free market competition. More bike manufacturers will work harder for our dollar.

The developments in the world of womens cycling are pretty exciting. Thank you to every woman who rode for hours with a less than optimal saddle/chamois combo, uncomfortably bridging the expanse of an excessive top tube, forcing herself to become a better descender because getting to the brake levers was a stretch. If it weren't for you we'd never have a women's frame.

The EFX -1 is a carbon frame set that sold as a complete bike with components that are good enough to train, race and charity ride with. You can, of course customize the EFX-1 at wrenchscience.com When you take a close look at the geometry you can see that the top tube has been shortened but there are a number of significant changes that retain the ride quality the E-series line intended. This bike will excel at climbing/descending and distribute your sprint effort effectively.

Women's Bike Fit

Bike fittings can be tricky business, especially for women. There are just a lot of different frame geometries available; Traditional, Compact, Womens Specific. The materials we use to build bikes changes how we can put the materials together which changes the physical geometry of the bike frame.

The rise in female ridership has forced the market to support women riders. We are in a pretty interesting time in the sport of cycling with regard to women. As a result of all these changes and developments I have been researching, studying, and attempting the task of learning everything there is to know about fitting women to bicycles.

For those of you who have questions about fit, try the Wrench Science fit calculator. I can show you how to use the information to find the right bike.

https://www.wrenchscience.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=/Secure/Fit/Height.aspx?stylecode=R&stylecode=R

About the Author:

My name is Mary. I started riding bikes when I was 4. My first bike was a steel commuter with durable tires, a nice fender and a basket. When I discovered it was the wrong size and sold it on Craigslist. Turns out it was something of a collectors item. Maybe I should have kept it.

My second bike was a women's specific model. IT was a Gray/Pink Murray with 24" wheels with gray knobbies that were a good on-road/off-road transition tire. After that, I found heavy duty hardtail MTB from Target. It's best feature was that I didn't have to lock it up. Ever.

I have done almost everything there is to do with bikes, including commuting, training, messengering, street racing, professional racing, wrenching, coaching, fitting, frame painting, traveling, making races, teaching mechanics, camping. It seems a darn shame to let that knowledge go to waste.

Welcome

Welcome to Wrench Science for Women. This is a blog for anyone who is interested in the womens specific side of the bike industry. It will cover women's specific design, share product reviews, discuss bike fittings, and look at industry development. It will cover technology and anything else the readership demands. You can leave comments and feedback so it will also be a forum for discussion about all of the above.