Looking to see what the favs are from the ladies. Looking into new Gravel Bike. I ride an old Trek Crockett CX and looking to upgrade to Carbon. $5-$7k ish for budget. I will have the bike for 7-10years, so want something very good as I will ride it a lot.

Very interested in some of these smaller brands, Allied, Enve, Lauf, etc. but can’t easily determine fit. I have test ridden a Specialized Diverge (liked), Trek Checkpoint (so-so) and Cervelo (didn’t like). Still need to ride a Specialized Crux and Santa Cruz Stigmata, which I should be able to find around.

I want to ride fast and far. Have smooth gravel trails around (Midwest), but also want to travel and get into some gravel races to challenge myself. Not much climbing around here, but want to consider future where I may move to more mountainous area. So also debating 1x vs 2x. Thanks for any input in advance!

I've bought several kinds of sunglasses and none of them solve a problem: My face sweats and I have to take them off to wipe my eyes/nose frequently. They also steam up. I've tried putting pads on the nose brim to lift them off my nose to let more air circulation in but it doesn't help. Note Update: The glasses don't slip on my face, I just have to keep taking them off to wipe the sweat.

Looking at upgrading my Trek FX 3 city/hybrid bike to a gravel/road bike. Deciding between Trek Domane SL 5 Gen 4 or the Liv Devote Advanced. I mainly ride on bike paths and some gravel however interested in future bike packing/touring. Does anyone recommend any of these bikes? I don’t want to make a mistake as it’s a big purchase.

Hey all, I have a dream of becoming a professional cyclist but I have no idea whether this is realistic. Online there is very little information about the standard for women (especially those under 18!) and obviously it is useless to compare myself with males, hence why I ask here. Some information:

-15 year old girl, 4 months short of 16 -have been on the roadbike for 1 year and 8 months in which I've ridden 22500 kilometers -averaged 11 hours per week this year, some weeks 20 hours some 0 hours -3.5w/kg or 207 watts for 1 hour @ 59kg. I have one power pedal in the left crank (my weakest side) so probably a little higher

I would like to know what numbers a girl my age who wants to go pro should approximately be hitting. I've heard female Juniors can hit between 4.5-5 w/kg for an hour, is this true? And is this a realistic goal for the next 2 years?

hi! I was a very active cyclist until I got injured. after spending the past 6 months in bed I'm finally allowed to start cycling again! Any tips to stay motivated? ( i gained a ton of weight while inactive so losing that is one thing 🙃) I already know I'm going to hate body for not being able to do what it used to.

Heads up ladies, Assos will not stand by their manufacturer’s warranty. I bought a pair of bibs six months ago at one of their authorized dealers, and the glue just started coming undone at the top of the shorts. Never had this happen with Rapha, Castelli, or MFF. Pretty unfortunate but I reached out thinking it’d be a straightforward replacement. They acknowledged the defect but won’t replace despite their own two year warranty policy for a replacement free of charge. Instead they gave me a coupon for half the replacement cost as the best they could do, and suggested I dispute the credit card charge instead to get a refund. (???)

They’re nice bibs but I don’t think I’ll be spending money with that company again.

I’ve been working on an app called Pointz that’s all about helping riders find safer, low-stress routes to feel confident and comfy on the roads. Right now, it has emergency roadside assistance, plus a color-coded road safety map (from red to dark green for safety ratings), a slider to help choose the optimal balance of safety vs. speed, and options for specific preferences, like avoiding hills, selecting routes for different bike types, avoiding multi-use paths, and more. It has a bunch of other things like a way to record your ride (like Strava), GPX exporting, and even crowdsourcing (like Waze).But I'm curious—what features would you all actually use? Especially folks who are new/intermediate to riding in cities and suburbs. Would love to hear your thoughts

Went on a cycle yesterday (have worked my way up to 30km, go me), and I understand that I live in a country where chaotic, selfish driving is the norm, and me being angry about it is a waste of anger really. Except for that one time I'm pretty sure someone was aiming for my front wheel. That was warranted. That felt personal.

Anyway, yesterday I was approaching a turn, and a car was taking it, indicating etc. Only, they were going at speeds akin to them looking like they were parked. Ultimately, I decide to go around, and lo and behold, person is holding their coffee in one hand, crawling at a speed much slower than myself who is going slowly on a bicycle, just...doing that. Drinking with one hand, steering with the other. Not sure there was any momentum to get them around the bend. Even the motorcyclist behind me was confused.

Of all my wtf moments yesterday, that was the most.

Hello! What tights do you recommend for winter and autumn road cycling?
Im looking for my first long pants, is it worth buying the "high-end" brands?
I am 180cm.

Thanks in advance!

https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-of-touring-bikes-for-smaller-cyclists/

I get small amounts of butt folliculitis after long rides, even with chamois and chamois butt'r (though the cream massively improved things). Now I get the spots on my lower stomach too, like what's covered by the chamois tights. Anyone else experience this? or have tips for addressing it?

Also: I wonder if my washing machine isn't getting my chamois clean enough so I'm thinking of hand washing with dr Bronner's soap. Any other cleaning hacks to share?

I wanna keep up what I've improved cycling wise over the winter (can roll closer to 18 mph after a half Ironman and riding with fast bros who are pretty nice and the occasional fellow lady shows up). I'm already a year round runner in the cold midwest, can I get by with my coldgear/underarmour leggings, turtlenecks and shells from running and xc skiing? I would love a good pair of bib tights but my motto this year is "you can always get it later" (hoping to seal the deal with a step up work wise next school year). I remember the first times I ran in the winter I just kinda wore what I had around in my closet and I was fine. Let me know how you eked out winter cycling on a budget or using what you already had! (I have a new used Colnago CX bike, so that's the greatest gift--Christmas came early and I'm biking my 1 and 4 yo daughters to respective childcare in the trailer with it. Can't wait til my 4 yo is in the public education system!)

I'm 27 weeks pregnant. I noticed during my last rides that I've started to bicycle with my knees sticking out at an angle, which I guess I started doing to give my belly more room. I don't feel uncomfortable riding like this, but it made me wonder if it's OK to keep riding in this position and if there are recommended adjustments to make to the bicycle during this stage of pregnancy.
I've been riding to work about twice a week, it now takes me a bit under an hour each way. I have a hybrid bicycle, where the body is tilted forward a bit while riding.

Removable pads are easy. The straps I rinse after every ride and then weekly rub with dawn and rinse… still feel a little gross and I’m wondering if any of you ladies has a better method? I tried asking my male cycling friends and they looked at me like I was crazy to be cleaning them 🙄

My partner is an avid cyclist and recently encouraged me to start cycling too. I did my first 25km cycle last week, It was lots of fun but had so much discomfort from the saddle. I decided to purchase some bib shorts as my partner suggested it would help.

Now, I’ve read other posts by women who advise to go commando when wearing the bib shorts but no one really talks about the hygiene side of it? As someone who produces a lot of discharge It feels weird (and messy!) to go commando in the shorts. Does anyone have any advice about what I should do?

Hi all - it’s so frustrating when you find a saddle that your butt loves and they discontinue it.

And saddles are such personal fits!

To save me some hassle buying multiple saddles that may or may not suit - any idea on saddles most similar to the Specialized Oura?

Many thanks 😊

I'm considering getting a leather saddle (probably a Brooks, but open to suggestions!) since they sound so comfortable, but I've always ridden on saddles with a cutout. I'm know Brooks and others make them with a cutout, but I'm skeptical that it'd be comfortable. Does anyone have experience with these?

I know Selle Anitomica specialize in this type of saddle, but they don't seem to make them wide enough. (They only come in one width, specified for <130mm, and I'm at 145mm.) I've also looked at Rivet Saddles, but they've been low or out of stock on things for like a year, I don't know if they're actually still in business!

Right now I have a Specialized Romin EVO Comp with MIMIC on one bike (switched from Power Comp which was too wide) and an Ergon SR Pro on another. I like them both, but I think something could be better.

My first (and only) road bike is a 2015 Cannondale Synapse Women's aluminum with rim brakes and 105 groupset. This summer I was finally able to start getting out for rides in the mornings before work now that my 3yo doesn't wake up throughout the night (*phew*), after a few years of very limited riding. I've also managed a few casual club rides, and wow, bikes are sure pretty these days...

I started thinking I could treat myself to a second road bike, if I found one for a good price (used or new on sale). I'm thinking I need at least three things to be different: frame material (carbon?), disc brakes, and tire size/clearance (>30mm). I also want to be picky about colour - I love purple, and I am loving the iridescent paint jobs available these days.

Given that my rides are typically 20-40km on on paved paths in our river valley, where climbs are unavoidable, what bikes would you suggest I consider? What Would You Buy (WWYB)? Do I get another endurance bike? I also have a hardtail mountain bike that has been collecting dust, so I don't think I should consider a gravel bike - if I did, I'd definitely change out for slicks, anyway.

I found a used Trek Domane size 52 in another city three hours away in the Purple Flip colour *drool*. Obviously it's not an easy thing to go check it out and I'm worried I'll end up getting it and it'll be too big. I am 5'5" with a 29.5-30" inseam; I have the perception I have a relatively long torso with short arms and legs (and have been told as much by my equestrian coaches). My Synapse is a 54 (women's sizing??) and it feels fine, but I do end up with discomfort for rides longer than ~30km. I'd be grateful for any thoughts on sizing..

Ultimately, what would you recommend for road bike models to keep an eye out for (budget <$5k CAD) for 20-40km fitness rides with some hill climbing?

Title says - looking for the looser, non constricting look of mountain biking shorts but w chammy! Shopping in the US - any suggestions? TIA

I’m thinking about trying out the Bisaddle “Saint” on my road bike. Has anyone tried them? How is it?

I (30F) live in a college town and within biking distance of downtown bars and restaurants. My friends and I embrace the concept of the “bar bike” which is usually a fairly inexpensive bike that we feel comfortable locking up downtown at night. Our area has a moderate amount of bike theft so we don’t feel comfortable bringing our “nicer” bikes downtown if it is dark. Sometimes we will move around and the night might end up with spontaneous riding around town, going from place to place.

So here’s the dumb (and also privileged) problem: I hate my bar bike. It’s just awful. If I were to just ride a few miles and lock my bike up for the night, I’d hardly care, but more often those nights turn into toodles through town or cycling to someone’s house and I end up on the bar bike much longer.

For those of you that have a bar bike, how do you balance between having a bike you like and also have it be “cheap” enough to not worry about it getting stolen? I can’t seem to find that middle ground. I’m curious how others manage what they ride in these situations.

Hi people

I'm sort of a newbie to cycling, been cycling the last two months. But I only do one ride over the weekend that is usually around 30 miles. Lately due to the London weather, I also got an indoor trainer, started pushing myself to get on ride on Zwift everyday or at least every other day to improve the speed.

When I first started cycling two months ago, I struggled to consistently paddling. Even tho I got improved a lot already, I'm still not that good. I went cycling outdoor again yesterday and I feel like I'm not improving enough or at least fast enough... Seeing all those girls who overtook me and rode so fast I just feel so bumped and wanted to improve faster.

I tried to figure out what the normal pace and FTP for women over Reddit and this sub, just saw everyone's so good at it with strong watts per hour and fast mph, I'm always thinking when I can ever become like that. My bf keeps saying I need to improve my endurance first as I got tired too easily. But how??

Also work has been tough for me that I'm always feel so exhausted (mentally)after work sometimes even over the weekend, I really wondered how does everyone pull this through?

I just feel so demotivated to push myself at this stage and don't know how can I improve faster.

Any advices would be appreciated, please help🥲

Honestly bicycle maintenance has intimidated the hell out of me! I’m used to working on cars and big diesel trucks (I drive a semi for work) and everything on a bicycle and so small and dainty feeling? I’ve been too scared to mess with it because it all feels so fragile in comparison!

But! My commuter hasn’t seen a proper cleaning / lubing / indexing in waaaay too long and was starting to not shift correctly / jump off gears. I sat down, got YouTube pulled up (thanks GCN!) and got it both cleaned and shifting like the day I picked it up.

I even got out my other bike, with even more daunting carbon components, and got the fenders and rack installed with only moderate amounts of cursing 🫡

I’m sure being proud of literal basic maintenance is kinda silly so uh yeah. Thanks for reading!

And what size is perfect for 5'4"? (REI tool predicts 53cm)

Thanks!

Hi lady friends, I am mostly a bike commuter although I do enjoy occasional gravel rides for pleasure if the weather is nice. My partner and many of my friends are bike-obsessed gear snobs, so I do try to stay fit enough to keep up with them on slower group rides and I am starting to invest in nicer gear. Currently I commute 2 or 3 days a week by bike, 10 miles each way. I alternate between my road bike and gravel bike even though it's all paved. I'd like to bike every day but then I wouldn't have any time or energy to go to the gym on weekdays. If I had an e-bike, I could ride that on gym days (i.e. have my cake and eat it too). My concern is that I will get lazy and stop riding my regular bikes and be in even worse shape for pleasure rides. However, now that it's getting colder, I would be more likely to bike if I had an e-bike vs wimping out and driving. Thoughts?