Which Ladies road bike for ~£1500?

[drgav2005]

My good lady has a 'significant' birthday coming up and is hinting she'd like a new road bike…

I was thinking of spending up to £1500 - what road bike would you recommend?

First thoughts were the Boardman Team Carbon fi @ £1200 or possibly the Felt ZW3 2009 @ £1260… Any other suggestions?

Many thanks in advance!

[itsnotarace]

The one that fits her best

[Vron]

drgav2005 said:

My good lady has a 'significant' birthday coming up and is hinting she'd like a new road bike…

I was thinking of spending up to £1500 - what road bike would you recommend?

First thoughts were the Boardman Team Carbon fi @ £1200 or possibly the Felt ZW3 2009 @ £1260… Any other suggestions?

Many thanks in advance!

I've got a Bianchi ladies and its fantastic.

[henrycrun]

Can't help but Cycling Plus had a Buyers Guide listing nealy 1000 road bikes in The August issue.
Could she be happy with a crossbar ?

[Parsnip]

itsnotarace said:

The one that fits her best

This.

I know women who ride women's frames and others who ride men's frames. Depends on what fits her best.

[drgav2005]

Thanks for the replies to date.

She currently rides a (small) Giant SCR2 which I'll base my purchase on… I get the argument that I should buy the bike that 'fits', however, taking her to the local cycle shop might give the surprise away somewhat!

Please keep the make / model suggestions coming!

[louiebaby]

Could you not get her a bunch of brochures to wrap up, and a voucher saying "I owe you one new bike"?

I'm a bit nervous about things like this, I bought her a £5 engagement ring from Argos, then went shopping for a real one with her, and this suited her fine.

To be fair, you know your bird better than I do, but £1,500 means a very nice bike, but a bugger if it doesn't fit... Maybe I'm a wimp, but I wouldn't risk it.

[Raven Flyer]

I've only recently got into road biking but my wife has been a roady for years. She has a Boardman Team Carbon but the black (male?) version.

The ladies version has shorter cranks and something else different (forgotten) plus the white and pink paint. It is all down to what fits best and I would not worry whether the bike is a pink 'ladies fit' or a regular 'unisex' bike.

As with all ladies bikes, if you ever want to sell it, you are much more limited for your potential buyers.

As with all manufacturers, the 2011 bikes are just starting to hit the shelves. This means newer kit or good discounts on 2010 stuff.

Its a nice birthday present, whichever one you get.

[itsnotarace]

drgav2005 said:

Thanks for the replies to date.

She currently rides a (small) Giant SCR2 which I'll base my purchase on… I get the argument that I should buy the bike that 'fits', however, taking her to the local cycle shop might give the surprise away somewhat!

Please keep the make / model suggestions coming!

If she already has an SCR2 and fits that fine, and you must keep it a secret, then go like for like and get another Giant.

This is an excellent deal on the 2010 bike: http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_defy_advan... or if she wants a slightly more agressive riding position with bigger saddle to bar drop then the TCR might be better than the Defy in which case you can get a good deal here: http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/31711/Gi...

[JuniorD]

Fit and something she likes is top priority. I know a lot female cyclists who believe that women's specific bikes are not great value and only use gents bikes in a suitable small frame size and with narrower bars. At £1500 you have a lot of choice.

[Muzzlehatch]

Have a look at the 2010 Eddy Merckx. Female-specific geometry, good designs, very well built, and very comfortable. An aluminium AFX1 with wheel/groupset upgrade would be spot on. Or a carbon EFX1 for a bit over budget.

See here for examples:
http://www.slanecycles.com/road-bikes-mountain-bik...