> Personally, I have lost count of the bicycles I have, but I buy and sell them all the time. On Saturday, I picked up a bike for $5 at a yard sale. It's a Sears bike with a 3-speed Shimano rear hub. Works great, looks great. It's a red, ladies tourer with skinny tires. All it needed was a bolt to hold the chain guard in place and a little air in the tires. I rode it today and it rides just fine.
>
> Howard

Did you feel funny riding a *ladies'* bike?

I have often wondered how the designs for women's versus men's bicycles were determined. No one has ever been able to answer this question for me, and since it's just idle curiosity, I never really felt like researching the matter.

Why the difference in shape? Why does a men's bike have that bar going across from the seat to the handlebars? Is it so we can injure ourselves more severely when we have an accident and slip off the seat? Why aren't all bikes the same? Perhaps it has something to do with center of gravity and weight distribution. Who knows?

Perhaps Sam, with his immense knowledge of physics, can address this question. Any one else have a thought?

"Grishny"