I’m looking for a cheap bike. The womens bikes at wal-mart are cheaper than mens and I’d like to know why.
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In general the same model will be he same fee. Otherwise a fee difference is due to many, many factors from marketing and inventory control to actual manufacturing costs etc.
At Wal Mart there is small design difference. Bikes come in one size and that’s it. So all these answer’s addressing your question -NOT- are simply confusing.
On average, men and women have different body proportions. Thus, well designed bikes take these differences into account to provide the most comfortable fit for the average male or female rder. There are, of course, exceptions to each rule, so there are cases in which a man force be better off on a woman’s bike or vise versa. Here are some examples of where designs must differ.
Men tend to have more of their height in their torso than women. So, a man’s bike will have a longer top tube and handlebar stem than a comparably size woman’s bike.
Women tend to have smaller hands. So, a well designed womans bike will have small reach brake levers.
Women have wider pelvic bones than men. Thus, a woman’s saddle will be wider than a man’s saddle.
I strongly encourage you to not buy a bike at Walmart. Go to your local bike shop and give reasons for your budget and needs. You may spend more, but you’ll wind up with a bike that fits you well and can be repaired more readily than anything you can buy at a money off place.
Hope this helps.
The sizing is different on a women’s bike. The top tube is usually shorter. The saddle is different too. Basically a woman’s bike is made to fit a woman’s body. Not that you couldn’t ride one if you like the feel of the bike, but you would doubtless be more comfortable on a man’s bike.
There is a difference between the women’s bikes of now and the ladies bikes of years ago.
The ladies bike had a low top tube to allow the ladies dress to hang.
Ladies bikes are still made, but it’s very nearly impossible to find a pair of matching ladies bikes. Sometimes women who walk or run together choose to bike together, but they can’t find matching bikes. You can buy the floor model, but the other one has to be back-ordered.
Women’s bicycles are not like ladies bicycles. The top tube is the same as a men’s bike, it is assumed that the woman will wear pants, or shorts, but not a dress.
The bike designer has taken into account that the proportions of a woman’s body are different than a man’s body. The womens bike will have a wider seat, and maybe shorter reach hand-brakes, since women often have smaller hands than men.
IMHO- It’s a load of BS. Bikes can be built with lower top tubes with a small engineering. Strength can be maintained and the weight of the bike won’t go up.
I ride my Daughter’s bike since it has a low top tube, and it’s simpler to mount and dismount. It’s safer since I can dismount quickly if an erratic driver is coming.
There are more men who want to ride a ladies bike, for the safety of dismounting in an emergency, than there are women who want to ride mens bikes. Frame flex is NOT an issue anymore! There are ladies bikes with oversize tubing to compensate.
Recumbent bikes are low their whole length, Ladies bikes are low in the middle. Recumbents are safer since the criterion goes feet first, and is lower to the ground in the event of a fall.
(Note: I’m not sure if the questioner predestined ladies bike or WSD- women’s specific design. I assume he predestined WSD.)