Designed for Women: Seven s Individualized Approach At Seven, we believe that the only way to thoroughly address what you want as a female cyclist from fit, comfort, performance, and aesthetics is with a bicycle designed and built specifically for you as an individual.
On Women s Bike Fit We receive questions from women riders on a regular basis regarding bike fit, comfort, and performance. Here are a few of the most common questions and answers. Who is Seven Cycles and what do they know about women s bike fit? Every Seven is built to order and designed to precisely meet the needs, desires, and demands of the individual rider. In fact, our rider-specific design solutions resulted in compact and women s-specific frames long before the industry even had names for these. Plus Seven offers unparalleled selection: from road, mountain, cross, touring, triathlon, and track frames, to single-speeds and tandems, in your choice of titanium, carbon fiber, and steel. Seven brings together some of the industry s most talented designers, engineers, and craftspeople. We build more rider-specific bikes each year than any other manufacturer. Women s-specific Bike Design 1
So why doesn t Seven have a women sspecific model? At Seven, we believe that the only way to thoroughly address your needs as a female cyclist from fit, comfort, performance, and even aesthetics is with a bicycle designed and built specifically for you as an individual. By completing our easy-to-use Custom Kit, you provide us with a wealth of information about you and your riding habits, allowing us to create a bicycle frame that meets your every need, without compromise. Women s-specific bikes are a step in the right direction, but they re based on a few generalizations and stereotypes about women s anatomy and needs. Most of these offerings are simply variations of existing models, employing shorter top tubes and stems and slacker head angles. Unfortunately, while these modifications may improve the fit for some women, the bike s performance is often compromised as a result. How do the fit needs of men and women differ? Generalizing too much in this area is dangerous, because women s bodies vary more from woman to woman than men s do from man to man. Nonetheless, here are just a few elements that Seven takes into account when designing a bicycle for a woman: Female pelvic structure: Wider pelvic arch: the ischial tuberosities perch bones are farther apart and angled outward more; this effects saddle position and saddle height Sreater pelvic tilt: affects reach and center of gravity balance between wheels Shallower pelvis: affects saddle position and differential Longer legs: effect center of gravity and saddle position to maximize power Longer femurs: affect saddle position and overall reach Weight distribution: is lower and farther back, affecting center of gravity, handling, saddle position, and reach Longer neck with shorter torso: affects reach and differential Narrower shoulders: affect front-end geometry and handling Smaller hands: affect upper body fatigue 2 Seven Cycles
Why a custom Seven? There are many reasons why a woman would choose a custom-built frame. Here are just three of the many great reasons. Better Ergonomics Improved comfort: minimizes discomfort of lower back, upper back, neck, shoulders, knees, and saddle contact point Less fatigue: no discomfort means less stress fatigue; road vibration minimized by Seven s rider-specific tube set Injury prevention Improved Biomechanics Better performance: more power, longer sustainable power Better breathing: easier to breathe, increased power output per liter of oxygen Less fatigue: improved breathing and power output mean less stress and more efficient use of energy More Fun Tailored handling and performance for your specific needs and riding style Better fit = less fatigue Thus, you can ride longer and more often Women s-specific Bike Design 3
Some Common Misconceptions About Women s Bikes There are some common misconceptions that suggest a few simple adjustments can transform a bike into a women s bike. Here are a few of the popular misconceptions and why they are just that misconceptions. Just shorten the top tube. This can result in the wheelbase being too short, the front wheel being too far under the rider, and a bad center of gravity. Also, with not enough weight on the rear wheel, handling, traction, and tracking is poor. Just shorten the stem. If the stem is too short, the front end will handle poorly. The bike s frontend weight should be distributed properly on the front wheel. A stem that is too short makes the bike handle squirrelly. Just make the head tube angle slacker so the front wheel is farther away. The head tube angle combined with the fork rake produce the bike s trail. Trail determines the handling characteristics of the bike. If the head tube angle is slackened too much, the bike will handle sluggishly. Too little weight on the front wheel means poor traction in cornering. 4 Seven Cycles
Partners in The Process Seven has a practice in place where we, along with your local retailer, will walk you through the process from the time you decide to order a Seven right up to when you re riding it. The Essential Steps to Creating Your Seven 1. Work with your retailer to complete the Custom Kit 2. Seven conducts a phone interview with you 3. Seven develops the frame specs 4. Review specs with your retailer and confirm the design 5. Your frame goes into production 6. Your Seven is delivered You don t need to know how to custom design your Seven. Leave that to us. Why Trust Seven s Exclusive Custom Kit? Seven s Custom Kit is the first step in Seven s Fit Methodology. SFM is a fundamentally different approach to providing a bike that is completely optimized to the rider s needs and preferences for fit, performance, handling, comfort, and options. Seven s Fit Methodology is the result of a 15-year study of evaluation of ergonomics, biomechanics, kinesiology, and the general state of bike fitting. As part of the study, we have evaluated most other fit systems at great length, and have worked with fit experts throughout the world. In addition, we have performed over 25,000 fittings, perhaps more than any other company. Women s-specific Bike Design 5
Same Size Bikes but Completely Different Here is a case study that illustrates how two riders of similar sizes can have very different bikes due to the personal and individualized factors considered when building a custom Seven. The expression size specific is often used to describe the benefits of one frame over another. Basically, it means that the tubing in, say, a 17 mountain frame was selected to optimize the ride characteristics for the average person riding that size. It s not a bad idea, but here s the problem. Two people riding identical frames can be completely different in weight and riding style. So if the tubing in these frames was selected for the frame size and not for the rider, at least one of the riders is going to be compromising. This is why a lot of lighter riders find their frames too harsh, while many heavier or more powerful riders find theirs too flexible and even break them. Take Marilyn and Bernard, for example. They ride almost exactly the same size frames, but they re very different riders. Marilyn The Frame: 17 Sola SL Height: 5 8 Weight: 128 lbs. Style: Spins smaller gears Preferences: Long climbs The Ride: Light and lively Marilyn is known as a climber. She s as agile as a cat and has a preference for spinning smaller gears. When we set out to build her frame, we carefully selected each tube to create a very light, lively ride, while maintaining drive train stiffness. In its five seasons of hardcore racing, Marilyn s Sola SL has accompanied her to countless wins and titles, including three Master s World Championships in 1999, 2000 and 2010. 6 Seven Cycles
Seven goes beyond size-specific tubing to bring you rider-specific tubing, because no two riders are exactly alike. The Frame: 17 Sola SL Height: 5 9 Weight: 165 lbs. Bernard Style: Pushes bigger gears Preferences: Technical singletrack The Ride: Very stiff torsionally, but not harsh Bernard has almost 40 pounds on Marilyn. He loves technical single track and will push a big gear to create short, powerful bursts. His additional weight and aggressive riding style demands greater stiffness from his frame. By tailoring the diameter, wall thickness, and butting placement of the tubes, we made Bernard s Sola SL stiff and durable without sacrificing comfort. Women s-specific Bike Design 7
Seven s Five Elements of the Perfect Bike At Seven, customization means that every aspect of your bike is everything you want it to be. Our exclusive Custom Kit, client interview, and proprietary fit methodology combine to create the most comprehensive approach to custom frame design available. 1. Fit and Comfort Proper fit is essential for ergonomic comfort and biomechanical efficiency. Correct fit ensures that you ll not only feel better on the bike, but that you ll ride better, too. 2. Handling and Performance Quick and agile or stable and resolute, Seven carefully tailors your frame s geometry to create the handling, response, and performance you desire. 3. Tubing and Materials When it comes to ride characteristics, the tubing in your frame is as important as its geometry. We hand-pick each tube to optimize weight-toperformance and finely tune compliance and stiffness for each rider. 4. Features and Options We design your Seven for perfect compatibility with whatever components you choose. What s more, Seven offers the most extensive array of options from rack, fender, and extra bottle mounts, to wheel size and couplings. 5. The Future The Five Elements of Customization Options Tubeset Your Bike Future Performance At Seven, customization includes making sure that your bike serves you for many years and thousands of miles. We consider what your future goals and needs may be and help you steer clear of gimmicks or fads. Fit 8 Seven Cycles
Praise for Seven s Custom Kit It completely changed how I think about bike fit. Bicycling Magazine To say Seven s custom process was thorough is an understatement. Cycling Weekly, UK Testimonials Some Recognition from the Industry: The perfect ride. Another amazing bike from Seven. Bicycling Magazine Seven s attention for craftsmanship shows in such details as handselected tubing, hand welding, and a zealous regard for fit. Newsweek Why settle for off-the-rack? Wall Street Journal Museum worthy welds, featherweight frames, and hypermeticulous craftsmanship. Outside Women s-specific Bike Design 9
Our Female Customers Say It Best Wow, went for my first ride today and the bike is totally awesome Thanks for all your help the bike could not be more gorgeous and my first ride was great! Michele H. We were made for each other. Sandy J. Holy Cow! How gorgeous. My new Seven is just stunning!! Wow, wow, and wow! Karen T. My Seven is a ten. Thanks for listening to my wants and ensuring I got everything I wanted. How often can a person say that in life? Joni M. Thank you for creating the bike that enabled me to experience a breakthrough cross season. I love, love, love my Seven. Kim D. 10 Seven Cycles
One Bike. Yours. One Bike. Yours. It s not simply a tagline. It is who we are and what we do. We ve built our business on understanding what our customers really want and value in a bicycle and delivering precisely that. The bike that s best for you is the bike that is built specifically for you. Fit Function Performance Durability Features Everything You Want Comfort Styling Handling Options Seven Cycles mission is to enhance your cycling experience through the optimum fit, function, performance, and comfort of your bicycle. Women s-specific Bike Design 11
Time to Ride At Seven, our vision is rooted in the simple desire to make your cycling better. Innovation drives us, whether in the creation of cutting-edge products, comprehensive processes, or benchmark service. Because most important to fulfilling our vision is fulfilling yours. How Do I Order a Seven or Find Out More? Mary McConneloug Olympian To find our more about Seven, or to find your local authorized Seven retailer, contact us: T: 617-923-7774 E: info@sevencycles.com W: www.sevencycles.com We look forward to hearing from you. 12 Seven Cycles
One Bike. Yours. Copyright 1997-2012, Seven Cycles, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reprinted without express written permission of Seven Cycles, Inc.