Why do mens' bikes have crossbars?

Question

..and womens' don't ?

is the crossbar there for strength in the frame? If so, is it just that women don't need the extra strength there?

Answer 1

Glad to see so many ladies worrying about our nuts!

I never had a problem with the bar and my body parts. Mostly because when I have had a crash my nuts where at about throat level!

Answer 2

You are talking about a "mixte" frame vs a standard frame.  Today, nearly all bikes have a top tube.  If it crushes your nuts, then the frame is too big for you.  If you keep falling onto it anyway, you are not a good rider.

Answer 3

They had a special on that:

In olden days the bikes needed it because dudes were generally heavier.

Now it's just the way it is since the metal composites could easily handle it otherwise.

Answer 4

hi lucy,,well,men wears the trousers.lol.and there willies under theres pants,,tightly..lol..ladies are free,with dresses x skirts,in the olden days,that is..now,,its women power..lol..mary.c.

Answer 5

Its because its not very lady like for a woman with a skirt on to lift her leg high over a cross bar.

Answer 6

It's because back in history, women used to ride their bikes with dresses, so they needed a lower crossbar so the dress could fall down around.  

Nowadays a lot of the good women's bikes have the same design with the crossbar, but have a different geometry that is more suited towards a woman's body type.

Answer 7

yeah seems strange that a mans bike has a high cross bar when they have more risk of hitting ther nuts off it and a ladys bike has a low one.

The only reason I can come up with is it takes alot more to throw your leg over a high bar than a lower cross bar ...therfore making it unlady like for a woman to throw her leg high in the air to get on- I dunno really!

Answer 8

It's for stiffness. A smaller triangle would be stiffer, but there's more than just the triangle itself to think about. With a smaller triangle, the unsupported length of seat post is longer, which would mean more deflection when applying power from the seated position.

You're supposed to have a couple inches of clearance there, anyway.

Answer 9

im guessing because of design... and (not being sexist) but women dont right their bikes are roughly as men, or abuse the bike as much.

Answer 10

Its not for strength its old fashioned.  Men wear trousers so can get off flinging their leg backwards.  But ladies wear skirts (apparently) so must get off all genteel like with their leg through the front!!

Answer 11

The triangle frame gives you the strongest structure with the least weight.    

No woman I know rides an old style "womens" bike.  Of course I hang out with competitive cyclists and triathletes.

Answer 12

I was asked that the other day from a kid. I said that it was probably from back when women stayed home and men participated in sports. Bikes with a cross bar are more suited for trails and sports as they are easier to carry. You often see people biking in the mountains and have the bike slung over the shoulder and they are carrying it by the cross bar. This is more suited for such athletics and rugged terrian. Women's bikes have always been the type that were used to be cute and carry picnic baskets. Now that the world is more aware of the ludicrous differences placed on gender, it really doesn't matter which bike you use.

That is what I  told this kid anyway. Sounds logical.

Answer 13

so the frame doesn't flex as much...men push down on the pedals much harder than women, they also torque the handle bars when they ride. (pulling too much.)

Answer 14

Soylatte has the right answer.  When they were originally conceived, the step through frames allowed proper women to wear a dress and not have to hike it past their knees.

Since many more women have become avid cyclists, and since old time sensibilities have been long gone, many womens specific cycles today have a horizontal top tube.  The horizontal top tube increases the strength of the bike frame.  Without it, the bike frame would flex at the weld of the down tube if you were a strong cyclist....the flexibility would lead to inefficient pedaling and eventual metal fatigue.

Answer 15

to rack us when we fly off our banana seats

Answer 16

its there so we smash our balls to pieces when we come off lol.

I think its cos women are more likely to wear a skirt whilst cycling than blokes are.

Answer 17

i think your talking about the top tube.

once upon a time, only men rode bikes, the common design you see everywhere was engineered for strength.

soon after, women began to ride bikes. now in that day most women wore skirts and didnt ride hardcore so the lower bar was necessary.