The news for women cyclists – as we hope and pray for a little spring warmth and sunshine – is that high street retailer Evans has introduced a series of female-specific bikes from Fuji.

Fuji bikes is American-owned Japanese brand of bicycles. The company is a descendant of Nichibei Fuji Cycle Company, which was established in Japan in 1899. So the bike brand has a long history and they claim to be one of the oldest surviving bike brands in the world.

Fuji Bikes also have a long association with making bikes specifically for women. Fuji work with elite athletes to ensure their designs are some of the best and in the 1970s Fuji Bikes sponsored the first US women’s team, called Fuji Tours.

The new series of Fuji bikes for women include refined geometry to suit the female physique. This see the women’s range of bikes having a shorter top tube (because most women have longer legs and a shorter torso) and narrower handle bars (because women are generally narrower at the shoulders than men).

There is a lot of debate about whether women need a women’s road bike and it does depend on your physique but on the whole most women will find the geometry of a women’s bike more comfortable. And when it comes to road cycling, comfort is vital!

On a personal note, I have no idea if this is true, but a few years ago I complained to Evans that they did not have a good range of women’s bikes. I felt that the area that was most lacking was in top-of-the-range full carbon. It seems my complaints have been answered in 2014! I will be keen to test one of the carbon bikes.

New women’s Fuji bikes at Evans

The new series of Fuji 2014 women’s bikes range from £550 to more than £2000 but there are six good quality bikes to choose from. The bikes include:

• The Fuji Finest 1.3 at £650.  A great entry level bike, the specifics include aluminium frame, carbon forks and Shimano Tiagra gears.
• The Fuji Finest 1.5 at £550. Another great entry level bike with similar features to the 1.3 but a slightly lower level of gearing, the Shimano Sora.
• The Fuji Finest 1.1 is the top of the range for the alloy bikes in this series. Priced at £770 it benefits from an upgraded Shimano Tiagra groupset.
• The Fuji Supreme 2.5 at £1450. The cheapest full carbon bike in the new series, this bike has Shimano Tiagra gear.
• For an extra £100, the Fuji Supreme 2.3 boasts Shimano 105 gears.
• While £2300 will buy you the Fuji Supreme 1.3 with a full Shimano Ultegra group set.

You can find out more about the bikes in this Evans video, introduced by female marketing staff member Michelle:

Or head along to your local Evans shop to see the bikes for yourself. It’s important to try a bike for size and fit before buying it.

* A partnered blog .