11 Budget Touring/Hybrid Bikes x Women [Ladies Best in 2020]

Last Updated on 4 June 2020

The Best Step-Through Ladies Bikes That You Can Buy For Cheap
Touring and Hybrid Bicycles Designed for Women

What is the difference between a man and a woman-specific bicycle? Do I need to buy a woman’s bike for my tour? These questions often come up when ladies begin thinking about a bicycle tour.

Let’s start from this: it’s an absolute truth that women can ride any “men’s” bicycle, just adapting the contact points to fit the unicity of your body, just like everyone needs to do, no matter the gender.

So don’t be afraid to purchase a bike that you like just because it is supposed to be a man’s frame. If you’re looking for a new bike and are not willing to sell a kidney you can also check our article about 21 great touring bicycles under 1000$.

So, if I can ride every kind of bicycle, what’s the meaning of having women-specific models? Well, while sometimes it can mostly be a matter of marketing, it’s undebatable that, generically speaking, women and men have different physiologies.

Women usually have a comparatively shorter torso and arms, longer legs, narrower shoulders, and less muscular mass (some say they are also usually shorter, but I think it strongly depends on ethnicity, when I was living in Nederland I quite felt like a dwarf compared to most women).

So bicycle brands built woman-specific frames and bikes with these generic parameters in mind, meaning a shorter reach (distance from the saddle to the handlebars), shorter top tube, smaller frame sizes, narrower handlebars, and so on…

Keep in mind that this might not be your case, so always try to have at least a test ride before buying a new bicycle.

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The Trapeze Frames or Step-Through Frames

Back in the early days of bicycle manufacturing, women use to wear skirts much more often than nowadays, and they were long skirts, usually to the ankle.

That’s the main reason for the so-called Step-Through frames, the kind of frame geometry where the top tube goes diagonally that are usually recognized as women’s frames.

Nowadays there’s almost no reason (besides the skirt/dress fact) for a step-through frame to be used exclusively by women, but still, people see them as girly bikes, that’s why many brands still produce women’s specific bikes in this fashion.

The main advantage of this geometry (also called “Trapeze”) is the easiness to mount on, you don’t have to stretch your leg above the whole bike (and panniers!).

The main downsides are an alleged weakness and less stiffness, compared to a diamond frame, that basically results in a few hundred grams more of steel to match the diamond geometry’s features.

The 10 bikes in this article are not the best women’s specific bicycles out there but represent a good and cheap starting point to enter the world of bicycle touring on a relatively low budget.

If these touring bicycles are out of your budget, take a look at our list of
Best touring bikes under 1000$

If instead, you’re looking for something more high-end, here are
18 Great Touring Bikes for Under 2000$

Check also our list of
Best Online Stores for Bicycle Touring and Bikepacking

Preparing for a bicycle trip? Here’s our
Essential Gear for Bicycle Touring and Bikepacking

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The Best Touring & Hybrid Bikes for Ladies – in a nutshell

Step-Through Bicycles with Rigid Fork

Sensa Women’s Travel Lite – Best Step Through Trekking Bike
Creme Echo Mixte Solo – Most Stylish Hybrid Woman Bike
Creme Echo Mixte Uno – Best Ladies Urban/Light-Travel Bike
Dawes Karakum 2019 – Great Budget Women’s Touring Bike
Bobbin Luna Champagne – Cool Ladies Racer Hybrid Bike
Bobbin Black Orchid – Best Value x Money Hybrid Bike
GT Transeo Sport 2020 – Budget Sporty Woman MTB Hybrid Bike

Woman Hybrid/Touring Bikes with Suspension Fork

Fuji Traverse 1.7 ST – Cheap Suspension Step-Through Hybrid Bike
Specialized ARIEL 2020 Disc – Great Women Hybrid Gravel Bike
Cube Touring Trapeze 2020 – Sturdy City Bike for Girls
Ghost Square Trekking – Best City/Trekking Bike for Women

Rigid Fork

Sensa Women’s Travel Lite Trekking Bike [+/-] $700

Sensa is a 25-years-old Dutch brand, a relatively modest-sized company, staffed almost entirely by enthusiastic cyclists. This trekking bike is the northern European version of a British tourer, a perfect bike for commuting, weekend adventuring, or even something more.

The direct purchase from the manufacturer allows these custom-build road bikes to be offered at an excellent price point allowing the customer to access a superior road bike at an affordable price

Components are a good deal for the price, and overall this budget touring bike seems well fit for medium-term touring.

The Best Step-Through Ladies Bikes That You Can Buy For CheapTouring and Hybrid Bicycles Designed for Women

The Trapeze Frames or Step-Through Frames

The Best Touring & Hybrid Bikes for Ladies – in a nutshell

Step-Through Bicycles with Rigid Fork

Woman Hybrid/Touring Bikes with Suspension Fork

Sensa Women’s Travel Lite Trekking Bike [+/-] $700

Sensa Women’s Travel Lite – Specifications

Creme Echo Mixte Solo 2020 [+/-] $ 800

Creme Echo Mixte Features:

Creme Echo Mixte Uno Urban Bike 2020 [+/-] $1100

Creme Echo Mixte Uno Urban Bike – Features

Dawes Karakum 2019 Women’s Touring Bike [+/-] $700

Dawes Karakum Step-Through – Specifications:

Bobbin Luna Champagne Ladies Racer Hybrid Bike [+/-] €500

Bobbin Luna – Specifications

Bobbin Black Orchid 2018 Hybrid Bike [+/-] $500

Bobbin Black Orchand – Specifications:

GT Transeo Sport 2020 Hybrid Bike [+/-] $ 400

About the GT brand

GT Transeo Sport – Specifications

Best Women Bikes with Suspension Fork

Fuji Traverse 1.7 ST Hybrid Bike [+/-] $ 400

Fuji Traverse 1.7 Woman Hybrid – Specs

Specialized ARIEL 2020 Disc Women Hybrid Bike [+/-] $ 700

Specialized ARIEL – Specifications:

Cube Touring Trapeze City Bike 2020 [+/-] $ 700

Cube Touring Trapeze – Specifications:

Ghost Square Trekking City Bike 2020 [+/-] €750

Ghost Square Trekking – Features:

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The Best Step-Through Ladies Bikes That You Can Buy For Cheap
Touring and Hybrid Bicycles Designed for Women