all short people are created equal?

This video has turned my opinions on their heads. I don't know what to believe, but I now understand that saddles and handlebars definitely have some level of difference.

Here's what confuses me: Jamis, another tope biking company posts this on their site about their women's bikes.

"All our Femme models feature frame and fork geometry adjusted to women's bodies to ensure the best possible fit and best possible riding posture. This means frame angles, front centers and fork rakes have all been refined. Then we specify broader-based, shorter-nosed saddles, shorter stems, narrower handlebars, and shorter cranks to fully optimize fit and ride experience.

These are not just repainted men's bikes, nor are they roll-in-the-park recreational cruisers. These are 100% bonafide performance machines with every detail poured over to ensure the perfect fit for your body."

from http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/femme/index.html

Now, the key is that Jamis is another high-level bike company and it's headed by president Carinne Joannou (yup a woman). Don't you think a woman at the head of a big bike company would know her facts about women's bicycles and what her product is?
Professional triathlete Lesley Paterson is currently climbing to the top of the ranks of female triathletes, and she is sponsored by Jamis. In this month's Triathlete she is featured in a Jamis ad and has a feature article on her new found success saying that her Jamis bike is a race essential for her "The company is run by a woman, and I feel really connected to the brand."Hmmm are people dancing around the issue?

What gets me is that many other top bike companies have similar spiels.

Felt: The goal of Felt’s ZW Series is to honestly address the unique needs of women cyclists from both an engineering standpoint and an athlete’s perspective. Many manufacturers introduce women’s bikes by simply switching some parts, such as saddles and handlebars, and changing the frame graphics to set them apart from men’s models. But Felt started the entire design and engineering process from scratch.

Trek: WSD Bikes are engineered specifically for women. Each bike puts you in a more natural riding position by redistributing weight more evenly between hips and hands. That means more comfort, better control and optimal power.


Our team president, Brad brought up the idea looking at similar bikes component to component men's vs. women's. First, I looked up the Trek Madone 6.9 SSL WSD vs the mens. They were almost the EXACT same thing. The only differences I could find were in the seat, they give men two options for the crank and cassette (one of which was the one the women's bike was equipped with) and they were different colors. As I went down to lower models they continued to get more and more similar. Hmmm.


In comparing Felt's Z6 to the ZW6 they vaguely say the frames are different (one women's specific, one not). The women's is marginally lighter. The men's have different wheels and vary small, medium, large (instead of by cm, which I suppose it less specific).


While I'm not really able to conclude anything SOMETHING is up and this all seems a little fishy to me.