Northern California - Does your significant other ride?

The recent "Frankenbike" thread got me wondering about how people's significant others view cycling. Clearly there are some fine examples within bikeforums where husband and wife both share the passion for cycling but I'm guessing that's not the majority.

In my case, my girlfriend has a heavy mountain bike that I we installed smooth tires on. It doesn't fit her very well. She lives in a 3rd floor apartment with no ground level storage. Needless to say her bike doesn't get much use. She has expressed a little interest in trying a road bike but not much. I let her straddle my bike and coast just to feel out the low rolling resistance and light weight but it didn't really strike a chord with her. So I haven't pushed it and I totally accept that this hobby isn't for everyone.

It was a different story altogether with unicycling. She got tired of watching me get to "have all the fun" when I would ride. So one weekend she decided she was going to learn. We found a used 20" uni on craigslist and bought it the next day and she is slowly learning.

Anyway it was a stark difference in her reactions to the two - mild interest to cycling but a strong desire to learn to unicycle. I've taken this as reaffirming my decision to not try and push road cycling. Maybe a tandem would would work out down the road.

So how do you all deal with this? Unless you met through cycling it seems natural for one person to have a much greater interest in it than the other. And in that case has that interest spilled over to the other person?

I dated a guy who bought a bike because of me. That didn't last long. I think he lost the bike somewhere in his house because after summertime, he had no interest in cycling. I lost interest in him and moved on. A few days later met a guy at a cycling event. He is more of a cyclist than myself but that never slowed anything down. We always took out bikes with us and had a grand time riding around and enjoying one another.
I can tell you not to push it but I don't know your girl or what her deal is. I think the best that you can do is ride for yourself and let her follow if she so chooses. If there is something that she is interested in, try it out to see if it is to your liking. If not, maybe the two of you should find something that is new and exciting that you both may enjoy?

I can't help you with that, but my wife enjoys cycling. She's not as obsessive about it as I am, but she rides a lot. Matter of fact, she'll be joining our NorCal Century ride next weekend!

...has that interest spilled over to the other person?

None whatsoever. :(

None whatsoever. :(

I feel your pain, same here :( .

My girlfriend couldn't ride when I met her (6 years ago), I taught her to ride one summer 3 years ago and it has been slow due to university commitments but we now sometimes ride to her house (only 2.5 or so miles) to get her used to being on the road and around cars - we take quiet back routes. She doesn't have a passion for it, but enjoys the odd nice weather cycle which I am all for :)

My girlfriend has two bikes. One is a pretty entry level hardtail and the other is an older/hevier road bike (unknown brand). She putters around town sometimes, and apparently loves mtn biking (I have yet to witness this).

I think it would awesome if I could get her hooked but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Cathy is like a crazy person when she watches cycling. You'd think you were at a boxing match! She loves to ride, but hates hills...
Loves her bike and really is into the technical stuff too. Due to physical probs in the last few years it's been tough for her. She's hoping to get more into it next season when she's feeling better. She'll start getting back into shape after the move.
She has a really cool 48cm tricked out Klein with holographic logos and she says she found the perfect seat. I think I can get her out for the next "Oddball ride".
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa292/taxi777/Parkride047.jpg

My ex. had no interest in cycling for 12 years of marriage + 4 years of dating. Now she's riding.:rolleyes:

JB

... She's not as obsessive about it as I am, but she rides a lot.

Boy, that's an understatement! Her ability to get out on BF rides and even go on rides of her own while you watch the kids says lots right there. :thumb:


My SO and I met at a bike shop I was working at, and we've done lots of riding together, more when we were, ahem, younger, but since she was a swimmer and runner in school, that's generally what she'd prefer to do with our limited time nowadays. I agree it's pointless to try and bend someone to an activity they're not inclined to participate it. You have to throw stuff up on a wall and see what sticks.

My ex. had no interest in cycling for 12 years of marriage + 4 years of dating. Now she's riding.:rolleyes:

JB

Hey, you should ask her if she wants to get married, again! :D

My wife isn't interested in riding, but supports my enthusiasm for it. So, I count myself lucky.

She did ask for a Cruiser for her birthday this month, so maybe there's some hope for the future.

I rode tons back in the 70's and 80s and again in the 90s. Then just kind of lost it.
My wife started riding. First commuting, then on the road with a friend and shamed me back into riding. I am a very lucky guy. I'd know it (even if she does have to occasionally remind me.)

Our daughter actually rode on Bike to Work Day. I'm so tickled I can hardly stand it.

None whatsoever. :(

Same. I have visions of us rocking a tandem ala Marco/Ruth, but it seems unlikely to ever happen. I am single-minded though, and am still, 1 year on, annoying the sh&t out of her by suggesting she join every ride I do.

:cry:

Anyway it was a stark difference in her reactions to the two - mild interest to cycling but a strong desire to learn to unicycle.

How do you learn to unicycle. It's taken me 4000 miles to learn to ride a straight line with no hands. Bear this in mind when judging difficulty. :P

I think my original post was a bit unclear. I wasn't lamenting the fact that my girlfriend isn't as into cycling as me nor was I seeking ways to get her more excited about it. I was curious if other people's significant others had picked up cycling out of their own desire to do so (rather than coercion).


You have to throw stuff up on a wall and see what sticks

This is awesome. I can't wait to call her a wall and throw things at her :rolleyes: But seriously, I think I know what you mean. You can invite them to join in whatever activity you enjoy and see if they like it but you can't make them like it.


My wife isn't interested in riding, but supports my enthusiasm for it. So, I count myself lucky.

This pretty much sum up my situation. My girlfriend will sit through turn by turn narrations of the rides I go on complete with maps and photos. If I go on a big (70+ miles) weekend ride she is accommodating of me being sleepy and thirsty and hungry afterward. I feel lucky for these things :love:

This pretty much sum up my situation. My girlfriend will sit through turn by turn narrations of the rides I go on complete with maps and photos. If I go on a big (70+ miles) weekend ride she is accommodating of me being sleepy and thirsty and hungry afterward. I feel lucky for these things :love:

I am grateful for these things as well. Though, I do wish she would show more interest, too. :)

If she wants to shop, meet friends, or paint the bathroom a 3rd time, when I'm riding is as good a time as any!

Nope - my family sucks.

Previously, my wife wasn't interested in riding. She was cool with me riding though, and fully supported it. She hasn't griped once while I've purchased three bikes in the last three years, along with all the assorted stuff you need to ride (clothes, parts, etc) and the massive time commitment (a few hundred hours/yr on a bike).

Just recently, however, she's shown some interest. I invited her on a ride on Saturday mornings and she was gung-ho about it. We got her some really nice new shorts, I swapped the original wheels from my Epic on to her lower-end hard tail, and today just installed a SRAM 8spd cassette ($20 dropped some serious weight over the original). We've been out twice so far, and are going out again tomorrow. When we go out riding, I'm helping her along - I carry all the tools and stuff, maintain her bike between rides, let her lead on the trail and go her own pace. She's having fun though, and if she stays with it and continues to progress (second ride and she was already MUCH faster than before) the payoff will be huge :D

I'm the closest thing I have to a significant other, and I ride, so yes!

I'm the closest thing I have to a significant other, and I ride, so yes!

How about: My bike is my significant other you insensitive clod!

But then I'd have to say no, because to the best of my knowledge, my bike does not ride. Damn cager.

Nope.

Not even a little bit. She has several health problems and a history of easily broken bones. Cycling just isn't for her.

He has expressed slight interest, had a mountain bike for a little while that he had gotten for road riding (despite my attempts to convince him otherwise); then he realized that he'd be better off with a road bike. He gave away his MTB to someone who had their bike and only form of transportation stolen.

I doubt he'll ever be seriously interested but he may make it down to Pescadero and back someday if he gets a bike. He's actually expressed a lot more interest in bike building (specifically making frames). He does ride motorcycles though, that's how we met.

He's excellent at kicking me out of the house to go riding. :love:

Hey, you should ask her if she wants to get married, again! :D

sure, as long as it's to someone else! :crash:

Work in progress...

I'm in the same boat as BlastRadius, O_o and Ygduf.


Nope - my family sucks.

Well, my sarcasm-o-meter redlined, dunno 'bout you guys....

Nope.

Not even a little bit. She has several health problems and a history of easily broken bones. Cycling just isn't for her.

Sounds like a perfect recumbent rider.

HI-YO, here all week, etc...

Yep, my husband rides too. I'm more into the long-distance foolishness, while he feels a metric century is a mighty fine distance.

He politely turned down the opportunity to train with me on the TNT Death Ride team (I think his words were something along the lines of "are you kidding?!?" :lol: ) but he helped out with SAG on many of our training rides.

Mine does not, mainly because she does not have a bike to ride. Her bike was given to her sister since its a kids bike that is 12 years or so old. I'm hoping I can find her a decent inexpensive road bike on CL or BD so we can ride together around town instead of taking my truck.

This is awesome. I can't wait to call her a wall and throw things at her :rolleyes:

I LOL'd at this... more than once... :lol:

My wife rides occasionally but my son doesn't. When all his other activities, he hasn't learn how to ride a bike yet but that's my goal this summer. Any tips on teaching a nine year old to ride?

My wife rides occasionally but my son doesn't. When all his other activities, he hasn't learn how to ride a bike yet but that's my goal this summer. Any tips on teaching a nine year old to ride?

Just put him on the bike. My son learned when he was 6. No training wheels. I held up the bike and ran next to him for 15 or 20 seconds and let go. That was it.

My wife doesn't seem to mind riding with me, but she wouldn't go by herself. But it does help that a lot of our friends have more recently started riding. About one to two Saturdays per month, a bunch of us will go on a casual ride anywhere from 10-30 miles and go out to eat afterward. While we may not be cruising at 20 MPH, it makes for a fun hang out time (not to mention exercise) :thumb:.

... Any tips on teaching a nine year old to ride?

1) stick attached to bike, so you don't have to bend over while supporting child + bike
2) trusted friend(s) (your kid's, not yours) that ride. There's nothing like peer pressure to speed up the process.
3) make sure you teach 'im how the brakes work ;)

My SO and I eat sleep drink cycling. We ride, race, and vacation on bikes. She has been in the feedzone for the last 3 weeks for me. And tomorrow I will be supporting her. If you count vacations as cycling expense, we spend above the property level for a family of 4. We get up early for watch cycling.tv and fall alseep to Phil and Paul at night.

Sounds like a perfect recumbent rider.

HI-YO, here all week, etc...

The subject has been raised without result.

After about 4 years of not riding, I picked it up again in a serious way about 4 yrs. ago. I was into my 2nd summer, riding a century a month or thereabouts, with another couple, with cgallagh being the SAG guy and happy to do so. He never nagged me about taking up hang gliding, so I extended to him the same respect.

In Oct. '06 he bought a tandem, totally his idea, which turned out to be one of the best ideas EVer. He bought his half-bike about 7 mos. later. All our long rides together are on the tandem. We were okay having separate interests and even more okay having this shared one.

In college my fiance was a dedicated roadie. I was a tennis player and did karate. He took me out for a ride. I HATED it!! It was dusty, hot, seemed pointless to pedal down this long, featureless road, I had no fun at all, and grumbled mightily the entire time. It was the last time we rode together. We still got married, had kids, he continued to ride, and I did my thing when he did. We divorced 2 kids years later. I didn't get on a bike again.

When I hit my late mid-40's, I was gaining weight, and feeling aches and pains, when I saw a co-worker race through a yellow light with her hubby, bright in lycra and fierce. Hey, that looked cool!! I got a bike. I started riding. I think I bonked the first time I rode into town, all of 5 miles along bike paths on a hybrid I bought, and wondered if I was going to make it back to my house, lol...but I kept at it.

I've been riding almost 5 years now, and can't imagine my life without it. My SO, Cycle17, I met here, through Bike Forums. We did Party Pardee this year as our first metric together. He wrenches! We're beginning to get matching kits :love:. When he comes for Memorial weekend, I'm going to take him to ride Capay Valley. He wants to do my first century together. We share dreams of riding in Italy and France, New Zealand, and more along the California Coast. :thumb: I LOVE sharing such a large part of my life with a SO. We both stay healthy and fit, ride hard, clean up and cuddle, and eat well afterwards! :D:love:

^^ That's My Gal!^^:love: Can't wait to be in NorCal with her full-time!:thumb:

Just started dating a girl recently... she took me up OLH for my first time, and beat me by 6 minutes. Maybe that's why I like her :)

In college my fiance was a dedicated roadie. I was a tennis player and did karate. He took me out for a ride. I HATED it!! It was dusty, hot, seemed pointless to pedal down this long, featureless road, I had no fun at all, and grumbled mightily the entire time. It was the last time we rode together. We still got married, had kids, he continued to ride, and I did my thing when he did. We divorced 2 kids years later. I didn't get on a bike again.

When I hit my late mid-40's, I was gaining weight, and feeling aches and pains, when I saw a co-worker race through a yellow light with her hubby, bright in lycra and fierce. Hey, that looked cool!! I got a bike. I started riding. I think I bonked the first time I rode into town, all of 5 miles along bike paths on a hybrid I bought, and wondered if I was going to make it back to my house, lol...but I kept at it.

I've been riding almost 5 years now, and can't imagine my life without it. My SO, Cycle17, I met here, through Bike Forums. We did Party Pardee this year as our first metric together. He wrenches! We're beginning to get matching kits :love:. When he comes for Memorial weekend, I'm going to take him to ride Capay Valley. He wants to do my first century together. We share dreams of riding in Italy and France, New Zealand, and more along the California Coast. :thumb: I LOVE sharing such a large part of my life with a SO. We both stay healthy and fit, ride hard, clean up and cuddle, and eat well afterwards! :D:love:

Let me know when you get a tandem. Then we'll know you're serious. ;)

That's a sweet story, btw. Couldn't have happened to a nicer lady.

Let me just add some taunting here.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3548/3357230633_e6ec4969cd.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3271/2759701101_2dbf6d97b9.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2463845955_7503090051.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/242/3161784578_95aee89699.jpg

... she took me up OLH for my first time, and beat me by 6 minutes.

ya lucky dog! :thumb:

Just started dating a girl recently... she took me up OLH for my first time, and beat me by 6 minutes. Maybe that's why I like her :)

:love:

Let me just add some taunting here.


Hah, back at ya!

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs007.snc1/4169_1087824348638_1017326836_30217317_4186295_n.jpg

:innocent:

My gf is a competitive runner who started road biking about 1.5 years ago. Running will always be her main sport, but she rides once or twice a week and has fun out there. Will she ever be passionate/obsessive about cycling like me? I doubt it.

My wife got me into cycling. There I feel so much better now that my secret is out. Here is us atop Diablo just last month.
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q250/LanceOldstrong/Diablo%20Madness%2009/IMG_00891-1.jpg?t=1242869389

She is also the smart one. She said we would need jackets and I am the one with no jacket, freezing with my highbeams on.

The recent "Frankenbike" thread got me wondering about how people's significant others view cycling.

My wife thinks my cycling is a mental illness. She did actually get a bike a year after I started all my riding but she just rides a couple of miles at a time, usually to the gym where she teaches and back. On our only "long ride" (6 miles) she crashed very hard and hasn't expressed much interest in longer rides again.

Now my 5 year old daughter is another story. She wants to do PBP. :thumb:

--
Kevin

My wife and I's first date was the Sierra Century in 2003.:thumb: