10 Women's Bikes for 2012

Trek Lexa SL T Women’s Road Bike 2012

The Trek Lexa is a perfect starter bike, for someone who wants to get a quick head start. With a combination of an aluminium frame coupled with a carbon seatpost and forks, makes the Lexa lightweight but strong. Perfect for a commuter bike or possibly as a beginner race bike. Although it is a higher price for an aluminium bike it still seems like good value for money. If you want to use as a race bike, it is advisable to change the pedals beforehand, to your desired cleat type.

Price: £719.99

Fuji Supreme 1.0 2012 Women’s Road Bike

The first of two Fuji bikes in this list and one of the most expensive, at just under the £2000 mark. This year’s version is a more refined version of the 2011 edition. The top tube has been thinned out and curved, to increase the airflow efficiency. This is a good bike for an experienced rider, who wants to get a little more out of their bike. The lightweight carbon frame makes hill climbing easy and allows for a smooth ride.

Price: £1899.99

Fuji Finest 1.0 2012 Women’s Road Bike

From the most expensive to one of the cheapest in this list, we go to the second Fuji bike. This model is more for the rider who wants to move from casual cycling in to racing, but doesn’t want to spend too much. Fuji advertises this as bike that would be well suited to triathlons or perhaps as a good winter training bike. The 30/39/50 gives you a bigger variation on gear settings with a 10-speed 11/25 cassette; allowing beginners to ease their way in.

Price: £764.99

Felt ZW95 2012 Women’s Road Bike

The Felt ZW95 is the cheapest bike on this list and is perfect for someone who wants a good winter bike, but only has a small budget. This could also be for you if you are looking to build your fitness and get in to cycling, but you don’t fancy taking part in races. The ZW95 has the basic gear set up, so with the money you have saved, you can easily upgrade for a reasonable cost. A good looking design, with a aerodynamically designed top tube.

Price: £629.99

Bianchi Dama Bianca Sora Compact 2012 Riad Vuje

From the way this Dama Bianca looks you wouldn’t be able to tell that this was a low cost aluminium frame. The 12/25 cassette gives you access to slightly lower gearing and makes life a little easier for a beginner rider. However with only 18 gears (two less than most of the others on this list) there are slightly bigger jumps between each gear. The curvy design and deep pink against black gives off a nice aesthetic; a good bike for any racer, who doesn’t plan on breaking the bank.

Price: £746.99

Jamis Ventura Race 2012 Women’s Road Bike

In my opinion this is probably the best looking bike and a steal for the mix of aluminium alloy and carbon, at under £1000.  The Jamis has a well designed top tube and could double up as a nice time-trial bike, for someone who doesn’t want to spend extra on a separate TT bike. The 10-speed Shimano cassette is matched up with FSA Vero Compact chainset and a KMC DX chain. This is a good second level bike, for a rider who is looking to move up another step.

Price: £872.99

Eddy Merckx AFX1 Tiagra 2012 Women's Road Bike

Sitting a pound below the £1000 mark, the AFX1 is expensive for an aluminium frame. However, this might be something to do with the fact that it is kitted out head to toe with Shimano extras. The clean white paint work might make you afraid to get this bike dirty, so perhaps not the best choice in paint work. For the price you might expect a smoother weld, but it is a good looking bike nonetheless; good for an intermediate rider.

Price: £999.00

Specialized Ruby Elite 2012 Women’s Road Bike

The Ruby is a nice compact bike, which should provide a nice and comfortable riding position. Weight has been highly considered in the making of this bike, including the fulcrum wheel set, making it a very good high end racing bike. If you fancy yourself up the front of the peloton, than this might be the bike to take with you. The 11/28 cassette provides you with bigger differences between each gear choice, so you will get for from each change. The curved aerodynamic design looks good with the black and red paint.

Paint: £1799.99

Giant TCR Advanced W

This is the most expensive bike on the list and definitely for someone who wants to make the most out of the racing. The superlight composite frame gives you a smooth ride and makes riding the bike almost effortless. Giant have paired with SRAM to make up their drivetrain, while they have chosen to use their own brand wheels. The 11/26 cassette put this one in to the middle of the cassette ranges. The TCR is a very nice looking bike with a nice paint job.

Price: £2999.00

Scott Contessa CR1 Team 2012 Women’s Road Bike

The Scott is a good challenge to the Giant, but with a much more affordable price attached to it. This is perfect for a serious cyclist, who enjoys regular racing. The 12/30 cassette is the largest gear span of the bikes on this list and allows you to gain more from each gear change. It also give the non mountain goats a better chance of making it up those hills. The carbon frame provides a lightweight bike and a smooth ride.

Price: £1,709.99