Why are girls and boys bikes designed differently?

Answer 1

Actually, if you are talking about young peoples bikes (16", 20", 24" wheels) the differece is typically only color and cosmetic features.

As one gets past this stage, to "adult" bikes, you'll find yourself in a design transition that started in the early 1990s...

It used to be that womens bikes had a "drop tube" frame, supposedly to allow easier mounting. This drop tube style was actually a throwback to the 1800s when women wore dresses and they could not lift their leg over a top tube without "showing a little". Unfortunately, this "parallel tube" design proved to be much weaker than the typical "diamond" mens frame and so womens bikes had to be built heavier.

Around 1990, some manufacturers realized that very few women wore dresses when they rode, so they started a redesign based on anthropometrics, or the standard measurements of a human body. They discovered that women tended to have longer legs and shorter torsos than the same height man, so they decided to start with a diamond frame and readjust the geometry to better fit a woman.

Then, they introduced the diamond womens frame. Stronger, lighter, and much more stable.

The bottom line is that men and women both have a lot to lose "down there", so the design never had anything to do with genetics. It was, of all things, modesty.

So, as we move on this path, you'll discover that only the cheapest bike brands (plus some traditional, comfort-oriented brand name bikes) will have a drop tube frame. The diamond frame and it's variants are the future of womens frame design.

Answer 2

Most kid's bikes are boy bikes or girl bikes. The girl's bike have a smaller standover height than the boy's. (The top tube is lower) This is most likely due to the generalization that boys have longer legs than girls.

Some mountain bikes and road bikes are gender specific but on the whole they can be ridden by either and it's all in the sizing of the frame.

Answer 3

Because, generarily, women and men have different body proportions. Women have longer legs in relationship with their torsos than men, so bikes have to be designed acordingly.

The bikes with the very sloped top tube, aka girl bikes, are just for confort bikes, because they use skirts or dresses (at least, that was the reason why they were designed that way because, at that time, women did not wear pants or shorts).

Mountain bikes designed for women have different proportions in the geometry, womens bike tend to have narrower handlebars, shorter cranks, and lighter than men's bikes.

Not all WSD (women specific design) bikes are for any women, usually shorter women tend to fit better on WSD bikes, but also a lot of women tend to fit better on mens bike, and, some guys would fit better on a WSD, but maybe it would be hard for some guys to ride something with a rose in it ;)

Answer 4

Because the designers thought the female private part is more important than the males, so that when they jump down from the bike, they won't get hurt. The men can thow their legs high to get off the bike while it is still on the move.

Answer 5

guys have that extra package down there so we need heavy duty rigs to haul that ish around. girls bike are made precisley for "girls"- the kind who dont want to break a nail or tangle their hair but still want to enjoy riding a bike. the body of a woman is also different than a male body (back position and so on...) so the bikes are set up to accommodate these changes.

real women get a standard bike (the ones men use). now thats my kind of chick....

Answer 6

The only thing I can think of what would be different is the sadle and maybe the colour.

The saddle for obvious reasons.

Answer 7

girls bike's frame are lower, so easier for them to get down if they are wearing skirts or tight pants. boys tend to be more...Wild?

Answer 8

Because boys need that little extra bit on the seat...

Answer 9

that is a long story....

Answer 10

its all balls to me?