Bike for my wife?

[jdub1200]

Hi all-

I recently got bit by the cycling bug and am loving it! Now I want to get my wife into it as well and was wondering if you guys had some suggestions on what bike to get her. She hasn't been on a bike since her pre-teen years I believe and back then she was on a coaster with the back-pedal brakes. I was thinking maybe a Specialized Sirrus for her? She has already told me that she only wants to ride leisurely and won't be going on long or fast rides with me, and thats fine with me, just as long as she's out there with me. I'm on a Cannondale CAAD9, but I don't think she'd be too comfortable with drop bars. All suggestions welcome...Thanks!

[st0ut]

Does she want to ride?

if she does take her to a bike shop and let HER pick her bike. with NO ino`put from you you are just there for morale support and guiende if she wants it.. are these enough gears.... are the breakes good enough... thats it as far as style, make thats between her and the LBS.

the LBS is more important than the brand.

once she has a bike and is riding with you.. DO NOT DROP HER.



have fun

[chipcom]

Does she want to ride?

if she does take her to a bike shop and let HER pick her bike.

From experience, I agree....take her out bike shopping, let her test ride as many bikes as possible and let her choose the one she wants.

[Andy_K]

I didn't even have to suggest taking up biking to my wife. I just dragged her to enough bike shops with me (shopping for stuff for my bike) that she eventually saw a bike she fell in love with. :)

The bike, BTW, was a K2 T:Nine Crosswinds. I just plugged the T:Nine line on another thread, but to save you the trouble, here's a link.

http://k2bikes.com/index.php?brand=T9&section=T9Team

[gcottay]

Does she want to ride?

if she does take her to a bike shop and let HER pick her bike. with NO ino`put from you you are just there for morale support and guiende if she wants it.. are these enough gears.... are the breakes good enough... thats it as far as style, make thats between her and the LBS.

the LBS is more important than the brand.

once she has a bike and is riding with you.. DO NOT DROP HER.

have fun

+1 on everything above. If, on the other hand, your wife does not want to ride, do not push it. Let her know what you are valuing about riding and continue issuing gentle no-pressure invitations to join you.

[ahuman]

Do you remember how you got bit by the biking bug? Try the same thing on her. Dont force her, just show her how and why you like it... I agree with the others when they say take her to bike shops, let her see others in love with this thing of ours. Dont pick a bike for her .. you will not be riding it. I hope she joins you. its even more fun with a love one...

K

[cynergy]

I agree with the other posters about encouraging (not forcing) your wife to select her own bike. One thing that you and your wife might want to keep in mind as you look at bikes would be to test ride bikes with short/low gears, especially if you live in a hilly area.

My wife bought a nice Cannondale bike last year (she selected it) and she was very happy with it. However, she does not ride it as much as I thought she would. I think the gear ratios are too "tall" for her. We live in a fairly hilly area and I think she gets intimidated by the thought of riding up the steep hills around here. I think that if her gears were shorter, she would be much more comfortable riding around here. I've offered swap out the front crankset for something with a set of smaller chainrings, but she doesn't want me to do that for some reason unknown to me.

[RonH]

If, on the other hand, your wife does not want to ride, do not push it. Let her know what you are valuing about riding and continue issuing gentle no-pressure invitations to join you.
+1
My wife has shown zero interest in riding but is my biggest supporter. She lets me buy what I want - within reason. But that doesn't mean she is interested in riding.

If your wife wants to go to the bike shop and look at bikes then go for it. Otherwise just enjoy riding alone or with friends.

[Fishy]

The comments about taking your wife to the LBS and letting her try out what works for her are spot on.

My wife had ridden a mountain bike she had gotten in college for several years. It didn't fit her well, she was uncomfortable and she rarely came out even when I took our daughter to the rail trail in the Burley.

Last spring, we went out and she test-rode several of the women-specific Trek and Specialized bikes. I was impressed by the bang for the buck from both companies. My wife enjoyed the performance-type hybrids more than the comfort-bikes offered.

She settled on the Sirrus - it's a nice light bike, spec'd well with some comfort touches in the saddle, suspension post and grips and the size-small frame fits her perfectly. The 28mm slicks and 700 wheels roll nicely.

It made a world of difference for her. In the past, after a ten-mile trip, she would not want to look at the bike the next day. Now, if we're on vacation or just away for the weekend, she'll ride every day.

Good luck.