John, how bizarre is your body that you need a custom frame. Most folks can be fitted with adjustments to the seat post, seat rails and stem length.
True custom frames are very expensive, and you’d have to a VERY SERIOUS competitive cyclist (or just have a bunch of money to burn) to think of one. And remember, the frame is just “the frame”. You can end up paying another $2k for the rest of parts (wheels, handle bars, brakes, shifters), and that’s just getting middle of the road components.
Buy a fully outfitted bike and you’ll save a bundle.
Loooong upper body. Short thighs. To fit the stock frames I had to push my saddle most of the way forward, and use some ridiculously long stem. It would work (sort of), but my weight wasn’t distributed very well. Way too far forward. After about 13 years the following is what turned out to be ideal:
56cm ST
59cm TT
74.5 SA
Unfortunately, I haven’t been around long enough to know anyone’s gender. I guess the purple threw me off. I apologize if raisin was offended.
I still don’t think there’s any reason for an amateur to spend $300 on a bicycle, but I’ve never been big on spending money.
My K-Mart 18 speed has treated me just fine for the last six years. I keep it lubed, it keeps me going.
I suppose the 275 lb would be a good reason to buy a more expensive bike, but $300 is excessive to me.
Oh fiddle-faddle and good heavens. It takes a whole lot more than being referred to by the incorrect gender to offend me.
I was taken aback when I read that custom frames would be a grand or more.
But I was thinking along the lines of going to a bicycle shop and buying a bike there rather than a department store. I learned this lesson after I bought a telescope a bunch of years back when I thought the department store telescope was a real deal when it ended up being pretty darn mediocre along with the various astronomer web sites that said I should’ve gone to a pro first.
Also don’t knock the position of the bar on a girl’s bike because if you fall forward on the seat you’re less inclined to crunch your nuts.
To each his own. A $200 bike will definitely do its job. But a $600 bike has better components - more durable, easier to adjust, easier to replace (good compatibility) and much smoother. A $600 bike would also have lighter and better built frames. You get what you pay for. IMHO the $600-$1000 range is the “sweet spot” - beyond that you only get small increases in performance, and almost no increase in durability and “quality” (smoothness and tolerance).
By the way, even if you buy a $200 bike, I recommend you buy at a bike shop rather than a department store or K-mart. Initial adjustment and later services are very important for a bicycle.
By the way, most books I’ve read recommend men’s bikes even for women. The diamond shaped frame is stronger. And women don’t ride bikes wearing skirts, so why does the frame have to be different?
You might want to think about going with a used bike, I got a decent Trek about 6 years ago for $125 and I only just retired it because the tines on the gears were shot and to replace the cassette, chain etc. would cost more than the bike originally did. I got a lot of good use out of it, commuted mostly rain or shine, but also survived some major accidents with no damage. anyway I was going to go down to my local new/used bike shop and a friend offered me his old one, but the bike shop said they had stuff comparable to what I was on for $150-$200 ish. If having the latest look really is not important to you, might be worth checking out.
My point is having a decent bike does not necessarily mean spending lots of dough (although definitely would agree with not going to a department store) I know people who do the Seattle to Portland all the time and really push their equipment, so it makes sense to get the very best/latest, but I also know people who spend lots of money and are just hacking around town on $1200 worth of bike.
I’d agree. That’s why I’d suggest a good used bike if you only want to spend $300. The technology doesn’t change much year-to-year, so a 3 yr old bike that was bought for $600 should sell for $300 or less used.
Specialized or Trek are the two big manufacturers and it’d be hard to go wrong with one of their bikes.
Actually, I ride my (men’s) bike wearing a skirt all the time with no problems. In fact, I find it easier than pants (don’t have to bother with clips etc)
It’s not that women don’t wear skirts to ride any more. It’s just that we don’t care if you see our ankles 
Heh, I guess I should also point out that I’m driving around in my $300 Geo Storm and my $400 Chevy Astro, so I sort of have a skewed view on life. I do see everybody’s points about the better materials and things. I guess I usually just figure I’ll buy it cheap and change what I want. (Although that would be pretty pointless with a bicycle frame.)
My $.02 is to find a used bike. The basic technology (aside from indexed shifting, which is just a luxury) hasn’t changed in 50 years.
I ride on a 70’s frame which will last another 30 years. And 275 lbs shouldn’t be a problem for it either.
Ideally, you can find a good bike shop that sells used bikes. If not find a good bike shop and have them help you decide what size you need. Then try and find a decent used bike, and take it back to the bike shop and have them set it up for you (that way you’re also paying them back for the pre-buying advice). Even with a good tune-up and replacing some parts, you should easily stay under $300 and have a perfectly good bike. Much better than a $300 K-mart bike.
If you end up riding a lot, you can then upgrade wheels and components (shifters, brakes, etc.) later on. But a solid frame should last until you’re ready for serious racing.