Recreational & Family - Whoa. I didn't expect that!

Anyone who's seen me post stuff about my wife knows that she doesn't ride. She simply doesn't ride.

It goes back to when she was about 10, fell off a bike and broke her kneecap.

So... today she says that she might actually consider an adult trike. She says she still doesn't think she could handle two wheels, but maybe three.

I didn't see that coming.

We'll see how this develops.

For goodness sake, get her one that doesn't weigh 100 pounds. Some of the really utilitarian adult trikes are built as though they were designed to be ridden off a cliff and still survive (the trike, not the rider). Think back to when you went from a child's bike to a better adult bike. Much more fun to ride something that doesn't weigh too much.

My Worksman reverse-trike is suprisingly tippy, not sure how it compares with normal adult bikes, but be aware that if you travel at normal bicycle speeds, you're not necesarily more stable on 3 wheels than on 2. In that case, consider one of the recumbent 3-wheelers which let you pick the speed up quite a bit.

On a normal adult trike, I don't think I've ever seen anyone going more than maybe 8 mph on one, and if that's all she does, it would probably work fine.

Maybe a recumbent trike instead of an upright one? The 'bents seem to be designed to actually get *ridden*.

I tried out the Terra Trike at a recumbent rally last summer and liked it a lot. I also tried a Sun tadpole, but I didn't like that one so much as the bike seemed to sway excessivly from the force of the boom as I pedaled. You're pretty low to the ground, but it's comfy, like riding a lawn chair. I liked them a lot, but I already have a recumbent, so a new one isn't in the cards for a while now.

I agree that a recumbent would be the way to go, but she knows how expensive they are and is hesitant about that. I think she'd be better off on a cruiser than a trike but she's not ridden in almost 40 years so she really doesn't think she can handle two wheels.

Fortunately (on several fronts), the owner of our LBS is kind of a friend of ours and my wife is comfortable with them, and also they are the biggest seller of recumbents in the area. She doesn't want to be pushed on this, though, so while I can try to influence her decision, in the end she won't try it at all unless it really is her decision.

8 mph might be fine for her right now. It will just about kill me to ride with her, but we've been married for 25 years so I'm sure we will manage to get through this together.

I've also brought up the idea of a tandem, but the two wheel thing plus the trust/lack of control is an issue.

Tandem!
Person up front (captain) does all the steering/shifting/braking/decision making.
Person in back (stoker) gets to pedal wihout any hassles of steering/balance/braking/etc.
Been riding 'in tandem' for 35+ years.

A Michigan company called Terratrike just introduced a new recumbent trike called the Rover that might fit the bill. Starts at $800. Supposed to be very beginner friendly and easy to adjust. Comes with either a 3 or 8 speed internally geared hub.

Tandem!
Person up front (captain) does all the steering/shifting/braking/decision making.
Person in back (stoker) gets to pedal wihout any hassles of steering/balance/braking/etc.
Been riding 'in tandem' for 35+ years.

Then you should know the stoker must balance and help steer by moving with the captain.

Congrats! My DH won't bike either. I've bought him two bikes over the years and he's used them a couple times each before getting rid of them. :( I almost convinced him to try a tandem with me but in the end, he won't even let me hold his hand while ice skating even though I am a competent figure skater so the tandem idea didn't fly even though he liked the part about not havint to steer, brake or shift.

But good for you that she has decided to give it a try. I wouldn't push the issue. As long as she's willing to give it a try in any manner, let her choose what the type of bike it is. Once she gains confidence maybe she'll move on to a two wheeled bike or a recumbent but if she's anything like my DH, if you push her, she'll give up the idea all together. Good luck!

Tiff :)

What about a crank forward bike, like Elctra Townie? You can even start from zero by removing the pedals, and have her uase it as a "walking bike", she will keep her feet on the ground until she feels comfortable about being, and staying, upright, and has confidence in her balance. Of course, a helmet comes with any bike. She can also wear knee and elbow pads.
Good luck.

For goodness sake, get her one that doesn't weigh 100 pounds.

OK. How about this (http://www.trykit.com/)? Or even better, this (http://www.roman-road.co.uk/trikes/index.htm)?

tcs

Or maybe this (http://smike.ch/index.php) three-wheeler?

tcs

A Michigan company called Terratrike just introduced a new recumbent trike called the Rover that might fit the bill. Starts at $800...Comes with either a 3 or 8 speed internally geared hub.

The KMX Tornado F3 has similar specs and price point.

But really, why stop at three wheels (http://www.utahtrikes.com/TRIKE-UTCQUAD.html)?

tcs

All this fantasy aside, we were at the bike ship today and.... she actually talked about getting a bike. We looked at a Biria step through...

http://www.biria.com/images/eb_pink_ribbon_white.jpg

...and she actually kind of liked it. So later in the day she said maybe we should just get something at a thrift store or Craigslist to see if she will enjoy it or not, before investing $400-500 in a "real" bike.

We looked at a Biria step through...

Sun (http://www.sunbicycles.com/product_detail.php?short_code=Streamway+3&cl1=BIKE+PATH) offers similar models.

tcs

Yep, and our LBS carries both. The wife likes the Biria. I actually talked her out of the CL cheapie bike idea. My thought was that if the bike doesn't run very smoothly she will not enjoy riding it and that will be the end of that. The LBS said we could take the Biria for an extended test ride and then decide whether or not to buy it. The wife seems to be warming up to the idea. We're going on vacation in a couple weeks, though, so it will probably have to wait until we get back.

So... she may go look at the Biria tomorrow. I tell ya, I have the patience of Job.

nice looking bike

Well, she finally rode the bike. It was her first time on a bike in something like 37 years, and she looked really wobbly at first. But then.... things got smoother and the smile came to her face. We ended up bringing home a Biria Easy Boarding Top 3 (http://www.biria.com/bicycles/eb/eb_top_3.jsp) in aqua blue:

http://www.biria.com/images/eb_easy_7_aqua_green.jpg

After getting home she took just a short ride up and down the block and I snapped a picture or two

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1661.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1664.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1665.jpg

Hey nice bike, and a great new habit!

We hoped to go out for a ride this afternoon, but this morning she came down with (suspected) strep throat.

Looks like she is having fun.

Awesome Doo, Glad to see the wife riding. I just got my wife her second bike. It's always more when the wife rides with you. Pretty soon you will be looking for some C/V bikes for her.

Mutt

We thought about getting a C&V up front, but it occurred to me that if it continually needed little repairs she would lose enthusiasm. As it is, she hasn't ridden since the pics were taken. The following morning she woke up sick. She's been under the weather ever since (she tends to take a long time to get over things). I hope to post an update soon when she takes her first real ride.

Congratulations! Your wife looks like she enjoys riding again, so its money well spent.

Have fun!

Congrats! My DH won't bike either. I've bought him two bikes over the years and he's used them a couple times each before getting rid of them. :( I almost convinced him to try a tandem with me but in the end, he won't even let me hold his hand while ice skating even though I am a competent figure skater so the tandem idea didn't fly even though he liked the part about not havint to steer, brake or shift.

But good for you that she has decided to give it a try. I wouldn't push the issue. As long as she's willing to give it a try in any manner, let her choose what the type of bike it is. Once she gains confidence maybe she'll move on to a two wheeled bike or a recumbent but if she's anything like my DH, if you push her, she'll give up the idea all together. Good luck!

Tiff :)

My DH does cycle, and to the extreme. He used to race downhill and still rides street trials. I ride, and I ride more than he does, but it's commuting and errands and general transportation, no crazy downhill for me. I am a former competitive ice skater and I nearly fell down laughing when I took him skating and started pulling him around the rink. "Don't go to fast!" he pleaded.

So... she's finally feeling better, but now I've got a cold! No matter, even if I feel miserable I'll ride with her Saturday if she's willing. It's a positive sign: she talks about the bike with enthusiasm.

Finally we got out for a ride this afternoon. Did a blazing 1.1 miles (hey, ya gotta start somewhere). She didn't want to push it; they are resurfacing our street and she didn't want her asthma to kick in.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1693.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1694.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/10Biria/DSCI1695.jpg

We had our first encounter with road rage today. Coming up to a T-intersection, preparing to turn left, two cars maybe 2-3 blocks back. We took the lane, signaled left, and as we started to go, one of the cars behind yelled, "Get outta the damn road!" We completed our turn, faded to the right (pretty wide street) and the two cars (who also turned left) went on by.

I don't think we even slowed him down even a little. Wadda jerk.

Didn't ruin the ride though. We did twice the mileage today (a little over 2 miles). My wife said, "You know, I think I want to get one of those mirrors." She trusts me to make calls in traffic (so far, only in the neighborhood), but I think she'd like to make sure.

A couple of milestones today: 1) Our first 5 mile ride together; and 2) our first time "out in the wild" (i.e., venturing out of the neighborhood). We rode down to the bike shop where we bought her bike. Unfortunately, this is the last day they will be open; the owners have decided to do other things. My wife even attempted a pretty steep grade and made it about 2/3 of the way up before she decided to get off and walk the rest of the way. She's really embracing this cycling thing.

I hate to hear about any of our shops closing. Glad to hear your wife is enjoying her cycling. I took a short ride early this afternoon, but wimped out because my fingers were too cold. My next purchase will be full-fingered gloves.

A couple of milestones today: 1) Our first 5 mile ride together; and 2) our first time "out in the wild" (i.e., venturing out of the neighborhood).

That's great news about the ride (and not so good about your LBS)!!

When I got my bike last spring, we bought a Trek Pure Lowstep (14" frame) for my wife, who is about a foot shorter than me. I'd really like for us to get out and ride together more. We, along with our daughter, go out to a local park area across town and ride some, but it requires a bit of logistics, what with "scheduling" a time for all three of us, attaching the (70 pound!) Hollywood Sportrider 3-bike rack to our Odyssey, loading up, etc., etc., etc. I always end up feeling as if I'm having to push the whole event too much. It's always fun in the end, but it would be nice to be able to just jump out on the road and ride on a moment's notice.

Trouble is, outside of the 0.6 mile loop of our neighborhood (which is currently a bit too hilly for my wife, not to mention so short it's boring), there's a VERY busy 5-lane (4+turn lane) highway to contend with between our neighborhood and anywhere decent for this kind of riding. There are very few cyclists in our area and bike lanes are unknown, so motorists are definitely not looking out for us. In fact, I knew a guy who was killed on this very road several years ago. Needless to say, I've not even asked her to venture out there, although I may give it shot before too long.

:(

Tell Mrs Doohickie that the forumers think she's great. It's easy for experienced riders to underestimate the courage it takes to overcome fears dating back years, especially since road riding appears to be so dangerous from the newbie's perspective.

More power to her elbow/quads/knees/confidence/skill/knowledge and anything else it takes to learn to use the greatest form of transport know to man, oops, woman.

Long may she smile while riding

She already knows she's great. ;)

As far as the bike shop closing, let's just say it's an amicable parting. The owners started the shop 3 years ago to fulfill a longtime dream. They loved many aspects of the shop, but they simply didn't pull in enough money to hire someone to run things so their default workweek was 60 hours. In their late 50s, they decided they're too old for that **** and decided, been there, done that, even have the custom-printed bike jersey. It's apparently much more traumatic for the shop regulars than it was for the owners.

In the ride a few days ago to the shop, we crossed a couple of major intersections which was WAY out of Mrs. Doohickie's comfort zone. Yet, she kind of found it exhilarating. Usually when I suggest something, she's skeptical that I'm trying to talk her into something she'd rather not do. She seems to accept my authority as a vehicular cyclist though, and goes along with my suggestions. I do make sure I don't suggest things that are too advanced; rather than doing a left hand turn in traffic on kind of busy roads to get to the shop, we walked the bikes across the last intersection and rode the last little bit on the sidewalk and across the parking lot. Afterward, she was game to ride straight through the intersection (with the light) though.

She's hoping it will warm up enough by Sunday to take the bikes down to the MUP for her first trail ride. My suggestion was to park downtown, then ride three miles north to the tourist district for lunch or dinner, then ride back to the car. It will will be her first time on the MUP but will also include a bit more riding out in the road too. And each time we ride, we ride a little further than the previous ride. From nothing to 5 miles already; I think that's pretty good.

i built my girlfriend her first "adult" bike and a few weeks in she did a ~400 mile week.

That's awesome. I don't think I've ever done that much in a week. 400 in a month, sure, but in a week?

My wife has been off bikes for so long, it's going to take a while to get to that point. For her, it's probably equal parts physical and mental. She never really considered riding distances of more than a mile or two to be within her grasp, so it will take a while to get her to get into that mindset. Also, this is a poor time to be starting this- days are short and getting colder; weekends are the only chance we get to ride together. I think that, come springtime, she will be riding a lot more.

My suggestion was to park downtown, then ride three miles north to the tourist district for lunch or dinner, then ride back to the car.

She will love the Trinity Trails (http://www.trinitytrails.org/), nice and flat with no traffic to worry about except the road bikers going to fast. I read your blog so I know you are very familiar with them. If you have a bike rack, you can start at the Bryant Irvin trailhead and ride to the University Drive restuarants (Panera, Hoffbrau, Ihop, etc) and back without any traffic to deal with. It is a nice "date" that my wife and I like to do. Lot of other options are also available from the Trails as she gets more comfortable (ie- cross the river to Bellaire Dr.). As my wife has gotten better we now start at the Benbrook "Art Cowsen" trailhead. I have found a good bike rack for the car is worth every penny to get you to a trailhead to avoid the traffic. Maybe one of these days FW will have better bike lanes as they propose (http://www.fortworthgov.org/bikeFW/) but for now drive and ride is more comfortable for most. My wife started out slow on the trails but now she pushes me out the door for our 10+ mile daily rides.

Actually, the plan is to park at Taylor Street, then ride to the Stockyards. There can be a lot of foot and bike traffic on the TT between Benbrook and downtown, but north of there it seems there is much less traffic.

I'm fairly content with Fort Worth's bike infrastructure as it is. At least on the south and west sides, you can get around just about anywhere by cutting through neighborhoods and avoiding the major streets.

My wife is plenty eager, but she is a fair weather rider and so far doesn't like to ride after dark. So it will be slow growth in the beginning but considering where she was a year or two ago, this is marvelous.

So you must live in Ft Worth, too, eh?

(And yes, I've been incredibly lazy about updating the blog.)

So you must live in Ft Worth, too, eh? Just west of FW but work there.

We have ridden the trails out towards the NAS and they were packed gravel in some parts, but almost no traffic. I agree the traffic is heavier towards Benbrook but has always been manageable since the trail is wider (has packed gravel for the walkers/runners from 820 to University). I have not been up to the Northside, we were unsure about where it went and conditions.

Also, a friend warned me to not leave valuables in your car when you park at trailheads because thieves know that it is common for runners and bikers not to take stuff with them. He said they will smash your window to get to purses etc.

As far as the bike shop closing
I think they were unfortunate to open at the same time Performance (http://www.performancebike.com/) opened a shop on the same side of town with many of the same bike brands.


And yes, I've been incredibly lazy about updating the blog
I enjoyed your restuarant reviews.

I have not been up to the Northside, we were unsure about where it went and conditions.


They got the trail fixed up to 23rd street beside Samuels. You have to ride on the bike lane on 23rd to the stockyards. The trail winds along Marine Creek under Exchange and Main. There are several places you have to cross streets and sometimes cross the creek on the street. For people who really don't want to deal with streets, it's not a friendly as the street-free trail from Gateway Park to Southwest Blvd.

On the up-side, there are a few nice places to eat that are really easy to get to in and around the Stockyards. One of my fun trips was taking the wife through Trinity Park, out through Will Rogers, between the Museums to Great Outdoors, on Camp Bowie for lunch.

The least pedestrian traffic on the whole trail system is from Taylor Street out to Gateway Park. Since I live on the east side, I start at Gateway Park more often than anywhere else. When the winds are high, like this weekend is supposed to be, I try to pick my starting spot so I can ride out into a headwind and have a tailwind on the way back. It would be nice if I could catch an incoming front so I could have a tailwind both ways, but it seems like I've only had the opposite.

Thanks for the info

Good job Doohickies! I'm impressed & encouraged. Ive been trying to get my wife riding.

We had our first encounter with road rage today... Didn't ruin the ride though.
My wife said, "You know, I think I want to get one of those mirrors." She trusts me to make calls in traffic (so far, only in the neighborhood), but I think she'd like to make sure.

Here's hoping you got her mirrors! They make a difference for any rider (you wouldn't drive a car w/o mirrors?!).
The Mirrycle Mirror is my favorite:
http://www.evanscycles.com/product_image/image/32a/ac5/71b/26598/product_page/mirrycle-mtb-mirror.jpg?1227116997

Another confidence/skill builder would be to enroll her in a riding class put on by League of American Bicyclists. My family and I took a course before our cross country ride last summer mainly for our son to learn rules of the road, and even I ended up learning new things after riding for over 40 years.
http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/

I'm glad she was able to find a bike to suit her and keep her motivated, that's awesome!

Glad to see shes happy. Money well spent!

I'm so glad she's riding! Her bike is gorgeous, too. I'm getting into riding too and I really hope my husband gets as enthusiastic about it as I am. I'm stuck at work without the car and so I ride between school bus routes. I asked for a ridiculously expensive bicycle for my birthday and got it! (Yes, so far $200 is too much for me. It has skinny tires, fenders, a rack and a chain guard! Schwinn Gateway City bike (http://www.target.com/Schwinn-Gateway-City-Bike-28/dp/B003DQ2K56/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&searchView=grid5&keywords=gateway&fromGsearch=true&sr=1-2&qid=1302706783&rh=&searchRank=target104545&id=Schwinn%20Gateway%20City%20Bike%2028&node=1038576%7C1287991011&searchSize=30&searchPage=1&searchNodeID=1038576%7C1287991011&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&frombrowse=0)) My first ride, just a few days after a 6 day fever broke and I was able to return to work, was 6 miles! Now I am discovering new ways to go in the same circles around work, hehe.
I hope my husband can find a bike that he really likes and will ride with me.
Have fun!

She hasn't ridden yet this year. It's not so much for not wanting to, but she had some surgery a little over a month ago. I think she's okay with that now, but this week she's been battling a cold/bronchial infection/pneumonia/something. Until she gets over that bug I don't expect her to ride. At this point we'll probably be back to riding around the block again, which is fine.

There is a group ride in the area that recently started up called The Slow Spokes; they ride Tuesday evenings. I hope I can get her out to one of their rides; I think she would enjoy the group (mostly the "non-riding" wives of the group I ride with).

Some updates....

I should have posted about our "bike date" last year, but apparently I forgot. Here is a blog entry (http://doohickie.blogspot.com/2010/12/bike-date.html) about it. As I said above, she hasn't ridden much at all this year due to surgery and some other nagging issues. She recently received injections of some wonder-stuff in her knees and they feel better than they have in years. It apparently goes where the cartilage should be, and acts like cartilage. We've gone on a few rides recently, including another bike date today. We parked at LaGrave Field (minor league ballpark), hopped on the Trinity River Trail and rode up to the Stockyards for dinner.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11FortWorth/PC300008.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11FortWorth/PC300013.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11FortWorth/PC300021.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Doohickie/11FortWorth/PC300038.jpg

Full blog entry here (http://doohickie.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-bike-date.html).