Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - the right bike for my girlfiend

my girlfriend started to show some interest in bicycling and commuting so i fixed her up (repaired) a donated giant quasar ten speed with moustaches. she said the geometry was too agressive for her since she's used to riding an old 45lb schwinn cruiser--she didnt like the forward lean on the bars. not a problem, ill just keep that bike for myself...
so im trying to find a bicycle that would fit her right. she's not into gears at all so it would definately be a SS. id like for it to be of decent quality and a lot lighter than her current bike (improving the weight wouldnt be difficult). id rather not go out to a bike shop and come home with a $300 pos comfort bike... any suggestions on where to start?

we were also thinking about buying a tandem so we could commute into the city together. how cute.

anyone have experience with nitto albatross or dove bars?

electra

thanks for the heads up merton, those bikes look up her alley. i think i might go hunting for a mixte frame for her... i think i remember seeing one at a thriftstore somewhere round here. might be the cheaper route.

Yeah I had (wanted) to build a SS up for my bike, so she could keep up with me and not sound like a shopping cart trying.

A good friend of mine has a house full of bikes, probably 50+ (he doesn't have a job, just buys/rides/sells bikes). He hooked me up with a NOS bauer frame stubby cinelli stem/bars etc. PERFECT cute ss, and she didn't like it. Well she didn't like the bars, which I eventually switched out with a straight bar/barends. Now she loves the bike with the different bars, also the stem allowed for a little more upright posture, i.e. a more comfortable ride. What size is the bike? It could be you were trying to match her to a bike too large, or you need to adjust some attributes such as stem height, lenght etc. You might even try getting one of those, although not sexy, practical adjustable stems...

Just an idea.

Phil

your right i think the bike may have been a bit too large for her. i think she'd be fine on a 49 or 50. another problem is that she's a beginner and her mounts and dismounts are wrong. i dont want to keep nagging her about proper mounting and positioning though... which is why i mixte would be a good frame for her. she dismounts her bike by stepping her leg over the top tube with her hands on the bars... its weird and freaks me out when she does it. figure a mixte frame will lower her step-through positioning. i just read some threads on the electra townie. i think that would be ideal for her but i dont think the price is practical. i think i can put her a decent single speeder in the $100 range. i think the dove or albatross bars will round everything out into a road bike with a cruiser style to it.

do they make threaded adjustable stems??

Yeah you can find them all over the place.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42333&item=3681383388&rd=1

Just an example, I don't really know the quality...

:phil

i would check out van dessel's. perhaps a straight up. coaster brake, upright riding position, 7005 aluminum, inexpensive, adjustable stem...

http://www.vandesselsports.com/b_straightUp.shtml

many times you can find these on ebay for cheap...

a word of advice, DO NOT get a tandem with your girlfriend. it will ruin the relationship.

anyone have experience with nitto albatross or dove bars?

I use very similar bars. Cheap Wald steel "touring" North Road type bars. Model 8095. These are very much like you'll see on all those Raleigh Sports three speeds that sweep up and back. They also offer a different "touring" bar, model 815, that's more like a narrower MTB small riser bar, about 20" wide with about 1" rise. This one's cool inverted. Lastly, they offer a "cruiser" bar, model 867, that's fairly narrow, about 20" wide, with about 3" rise, and the grip areas are almost parallel (With a little tweaking, this might be a cool drop bullhorn type bar). I've used all three of these, and they offer a comfortable, more upright riding position. Nicest thing of all, they can often be found for less than $10 each at LBS everywhere.

a word of advice, DO NOT get a tandem with your girlfriend. it will ruin the relationship.

wow onetin, youre not kidding, eh?
to be honest, im a little skeptical about the whole thing... it was bad enough teaching her how to drive a manual transmission. i would also have to tone down my riding style if we got a tandem... ho hum. lots of fun.

id rather her get serious about biking and take things on her own than for us to have a co-dependant bicycling experience :rolleyes: . but no matter, driving a car 8 miles into the city for work is just plain dumb.

I use very similar bars. Cheap Wald steel "touring" North Road type bars. Model 8095. These are very much like you'll see on all those Raleigh Sports three speeds that sweep up and back. They also offer a different "touring" bar, model 815, that's more like a narrower MTB small riser bar, about 20" wide with about 1" rise. This one's cool inverted. Lastly, they offer a "cruiser" bar, model 867, that's fairly narrow, about 20" wide, with about 3" rise, and the grip areas are almost parallel (With a little tweaking, this might be a cool drop bullhorn type bar). I've used all three of these, and they offer a comfortable, more upright riding position. Nicest thing of all, they can often be found for less than $10 each at LBS everywhere.

thanks shecky,
im going to bring my tape measure along to the thrift shop tomorrow. i hope they still have that mixte. ill check out those bars if i come home with the bike :D

my girlfriend started to show some interest in bicycling and commuting so i fixed her up (repaired) a donated giant quasar ten speed with moustaches. she said the geometry was too agressive for her since she's used to riding an old 45lb schwinn cruiser--she didnt like the forward lean on the bars. not a problem, ill just keep that bike for myself...
so im trying to find a bicycle that would fit her right. she's not into gears at all so it would definately be a SS. id like for it to be of decent quality and a lot lighter than her current bike (improving the weight wouldnt be difficult). id rather not go out to a bike shop and come home with a $300 pos comfort bike... any suggestions on where to start?

we were also thinking about buying a tandem so we could commute into the city together. how cute.


Has a step-through frame version as well....

Bianchi Rollo (http://www.bianchiusa.com/rollo.html)

my girlfriend started to show some interest in bicycling and commuting so i fixed her up (repaired) a donated giant quasar ten speed with moustaches. she said the geometry was too agressive for her since she's used to riding an old 45lb schwinn cruiser--she didnt like the forward lean on the bars. not a problem, ill just keep that bike for myself...
so im trying to find a bicycle that would fit her right. she's not into gears at all so it would definately be a SS. id like for it to be of decent quality and a lot lighter than her current bike (improving the weight wouldnt be difficult). id rather not go out to a bike shop and come home with a $300 pos comfort bike... any suggestions on where to start?

we were also thinking about buying a tandem so we could commute into the city together. how cute.
I built my wife a single speed up out of a 1970's Raleigh and some Paul Single Speed hubs and she loves it. It has the old style North Road Bars from Nitto which give a more upright seating position like the old three speed English Bikes. You should be able to come up with a bike frame like that from the local Salvation Army/whatnot type of place and put it together for very little money:depending on your choice of components and whether it needs repainting. This provides a rather interesting choice of components that you and your girlfriend can both involve yourself in, making it a shared experience. If you get it repainted then she can choose the color and feel that she had a hand in the final product. That is what I did with my wife's bike and she likes it as much as if she had gone to a store and picked it out herself.

fixedgearhead

Speaking of van dessel, ok this one is in my size. 31 inch standover. HMM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3681370730

i put together a ss for my gf.. supersmall road frame (85 schwinn sprint.. from working bikes chicago), moustache bars w/ a nitto technomic stem (supertall) set about 1 inch higher than the seat. it took some tweaking and about 4 different bars before she settled on the moustache. then it got painted pink, because its a girlbike, and girls like pink (boys like blue).

this bike is almost perfect http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=7298&item=3681422752&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW too bad its on the other side of the country, and expensive. thats pretty much what im looking to do, minus the gears.
the electra townie is still seems like the right thing to get, because she isnt comfortable on a high seat. we might go test ride one this weekend.

Someone beat me to it w/ the Van Dessel recommendations, but you can also look at these on ebay...

http://search.ebay.com/van-dessel_Cycling_W0QQa10244ZQ2d24QQa14ZQ2d24QQa30272ZQ2d24QQa30299ZQ2d24QQa56ZQ2d24QQalistZa14Q2ca3027 2Q2ca30299Q2ca56Q2ca10244QQbsZSearchQQcatrefZC6QQfromZR2QQfromZR2QQgcsZ1516QQpagetypeZ2QQpfidZ1841QQ sacategoryZ7294QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbsQQsosortorderZ1QQsosortpropertyZ1

Used Peugot or Motobecane or Raleigh mixte (for the fun messing with those weeeurd parts :-D )singlespeeded with a bmx freewheel,swiss/netherlands style granny bars/3 speed bars (nitto makes em now methinks)

in chicago, working bikes and the scrapyard have tons

I built up what I thought was a pretty cool bike for the girlfriend - big ol' slicks, dove handlebars, v-brakes and 21 speeds on an old rockcombo frame - and she hated it.

She's pretty fond of my kona singlespeed, though.

Oh well, back to the drawing board.

I found an old Gitane Frame in the garbage, slapped some 700cc wheels on it, shortened the chain and took off the derailers and viola! a girls single speed. hehehe. My girlfriend hates riding down real low as well, so I just raised up her handlebars and taught her how to ride correctly. Now her gearing is the same as mine so we can usually keep pace... unless we are in traffic cause then she is DUST! hahahaha.

I went the VERY cheap route because I didnt think she was going to stay with it, but now she rides everyday and loves the bike. part of that is because I made it very colorful for her... girls like shiney colors and bright lights. hahahaha

Interesting enough, I found a pink italian tiny frame I will probably be building up for my sister...

Although if it was large enough, I think I would rock a pink frame....

just got back from test riding a electra townie with my gf... two thumbs down. im sure after riding one for a while youd get used to it...but it didnt make the cut. so im hunting for a small mixte frame or an older women's hybrid frame (like a spec. crossroad) to fix ss.

on the electra townie:
1. they dont make a single speed conversion
2. they dont sell just frames and fork, only complete bikes
3. riding position is just plain strange.
4. they say you can stand and climb but its not at all a comfortable or practical thing to do.

IMO beginning bicyclers should get a proper bike that they can eventually grow into as their skills improve. they can ride with the seat low until they have a handle on their balance and take off and such. the townie cuts the top off the potential for improvement and leaves the beginner in the same place. yawn.

just got back from test riding a electra townie with my gf... two thumbs down. im sure after riding one for a while youd get used to it...but it didnt make the cut. so im hunting for a small mixte frame or an older women's hybrid frame (like a spec. crossroad) to fix ss.

on the electra townie:
1. they dont make a single speed conversion
2. they dont sell just frames and fork, only complete bikes
3. riding position is just plain strange.
4. they say you can stand and climb but its not at all a comfortable or practical thing to do.

IMO beginning bicyclers should get a proper bike that they can eventually grow into as their skills improve. they can ride with the seat low until they have a handle on their balance and take off and such. the townie cuts the top off the potential for improvement and leaves the beginner in the same place. yawn.

Hey Modmon,
I have a 50cm Peugot mixte that I bought off ebay as a possible singlespeed/fixie conversion. But I really want a diamond frame. The mixte is still in it's shipping box at my brother's house here in Connecticut. If you're in the Northeast somewhere, or at least East Coast, we may be able to work something fairly painless out. Give me a PM if you want to talk about it.

-Bill