Recreational & Family - First Real Bike for the GF

My girlfriend has been inspired by my recent purchase of a bike and how happy it has made me. She has always lived a rather sedentary lifestyle (one of her favorite activities before me was sleep!) and never into sports. I love sports and cycling has provided me with a way to try to improve my life.

This summer I'm going to drive her to work everyday, then go to the city bike path and ride until I want to go home. Then later in the day I was going to pick her up. Recently on the phone (we spend almost 2/3 of the year apart thanks to school and this summer an internship) she asked me if she could join me for a few rides.

I was very happy to hear this, but then concerned. She doesn't have a bike. We'll she does, but its a wally world special she got in middle school. I ride a road bike and have really been building up some speed.

I told her if she road with me I would do all I could to help her out, but she has to be willing to break a sweat. She seems fully willing to do so, and I'm glad. I told her to ride that walmart bike into the ground, and when I came home and our rides would start, I would be willing to get her an early Christmas present (her birthday and our anniversary are a month later, so this tactic helps my wallet that time of year every year...)

So my question is if she indeed works her tail off by August, what should I get her.

She's 5' 3 and 3/4" and is in proportion for her height as far as I can tell.

I posted here because I'm pretty sure a Road Bike is not for her. Her coordination is not the most impressive, and I just cant see her in that sort of a position, she doesn't have the back muscle. On the other hand our fitness rides are going to be on paved bike path and probably some country roads near our houses, and I have a road bike, so a Mountain bike is also useless.

So I've come up with a list of bike to choose from. What I'm really looking for is whether or not you feel the bikes would match up well with my GF as I've described her, and some advice on a frame size for her.

Heres the list:
Jamis Allegro (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/allegro/10_allegro1.html)
http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/images/bikes_page/10_allegro1_bk.jpg
Motobecane Cafe Latte (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/cafe_latte_x.htm)
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/images/cafe_latte_x_600.jpg
Trek 7000 WSD (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/hybrid/7000wsd/)
http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2010/large/7000wsd_blacksilver.jpg
Trek 7.2 WSD (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/fx/72fxwsd/)
http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2010/large/72fxwsd_blue.jpg
Cannondale Quick Feminine 6 (http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bikes/Feminine/RECREATION-BIKES/Details/1360-9QRW6-Quick-Feminine-6)
http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/CannondaleFiles/ProductImages//2000_1300_1360_4646.jpg
Specialized Vita (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCWomenBike.jsp?spid=45907&sid=10Vita&ssid=10WMNSRoad)
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2010/bikes/8209-71_d.jpg
Giant Dash (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/model/dash.3/3876/36254/)
http://www.rowletts.com/images/10GiantDash3.jpg

I know thats a huge list, and most of them I will have her try on (although I can't have her try the motobecane) but I'm trying to see if I'm missing any or if I'm looking in the right place. Also, its hard for me to compare the components because some us MTB, some use Road, some use stuff I don't even recognize, etc. Thanks for the help.

What's her favorite color?

Pink. Are you instating to get a pink bike because its her favorite color? If that the case the motobecane is the only one I can find that comes in pink.

I think the color is not as important as the components...

Set a budget and make an appointment with your local LBS to have her go in and test ride some bikes. Bike preference is a personal thing; what works for one person might not work for another. Your LBS should be able to pull a few bikes in her size that are within your budget and she can choose which one she likes the best.

This I realize, and was planning to do.

I was just seeing if any of the bike I picked out (or brands) were to be avoided, and also if I'm looking at the right kind of bike for her.

Also any tips about riding with her.

A few things come to mind here:
1. Your girlfriend has expressed interest in cycling which is great but why are you doing the work for her?
2.By you doing the work for her, she will ride a few miles before going back to her stale sedentary lifestyle.
3.As a female cyclist I don't care for the WSD frame and stick with the MSD frames as much as possible. Looking at the bikes you have posted, I think YOUR GIRLFRIEND, not you, should go to the bike shop and test ride a few bikes. I ride a Trek 7000 and have had no problems but if I needed a new bike an were in the market to buy one, I would go with the Trek 7.2 as the ride is sleeker and a tad bit easier to manuever.

+1 to travelmama's comment.

It's sooo easy to get over-excited about your loved-one starting to get into cycling. In my experience, it's a waste of time and energy to do this pre-shopping for her, especially if she has yet to prove her commitment to cycling. Let her own excitement drive the process of finding the right bike for her. In the end, that will be more rewarding for her. All this pre-shopping is about scratching your own itch (at least it was for me when I was going through something similar). My advice is to back off otherwise she might end up getting "whatever bike", just to please you.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Tonight I was on the phone with my girlfriend, telling her about one of my best commutes home yet, and she brought up the topic of her riding again. She sounded excited, and explained this is the first athletic thing she has ever been excited for. After some discussion we came up with a plan.

Until I finish my internship, she is going to start riding her walmart bike every day of the week, except one day off to rest. I showed her how to use map my ride so she could find a route, track her mileage, and send me her progress (she sounded excited about this part). Then when I come home in early August, if she is still interested, I would take her to buy her Christmas present. She asked me what bike she could get.

This is where I took your advice and told her to get something that she wanted. I gave her a bunch of brands and told her to look around, and send me what she liked.

Later she called me back with a bunch of questions, all of which I was happy to answer for her.

1. Whats the difference between Steel and Aluminum.
2. Do you have to ride the drop bars of a road bike.
3. Do I need X amount of gears, that seems like a ton! Your car only has 6 including reverse! (I laughed at this one, it was kind of cute)
4. What makes a womens bike a womens bike, the paint job?
5. Why do some of these bikes not have pedals?

Overall she learned a lot doing the research herself. She recently sent me some of the bikes she was interested in. It turns out she wants a true road bike instead of a hybrid. I would never have expected this.

Her top picks based on brief research (I'm still make her try out a billion!)

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/images/bikes_page/10_satellitesportf_gn.jpg
Jamis Satellite Sport Femme (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/satellite/10_satellitesportf.html)

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/images/bikes_page/10_venturasportf_wh.jpg
Jamis Ventura Sport Femme (http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/ventura/10_venturasportf.html)

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/images/ell_blue_ix_600.jpg
Mercier Elle (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/mercier_elle_x.htm)

http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bikes/2010/xl/11wsd_blue.jpg
Trek 1.1 WSD (http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/1_series/11wsd/)

I'm proud of her for doing the research and making her own decisions. Her step-mother has a road bike (although its been collecting dust) and she says she tried to ride it before and didn't mind the position, but the downtube shifters she couldn't figure out. When I told her how my bike shifted I think it changed her mind about the whole deal.

She says shes going to start riding tomorrow after work, she just needs to get air in the tires and go. I've honestly never seen her this excited to do anything that requires perspiration. I have high hopes to see mapmyride routes in my email when I get home from work (2 hours after she does.) Getting us back into shape will be a great accomplishment for both of us. I already weigh less than I ever have my entire time dating her, and maybe she can get back down to the size she was 3 and a half years ago. Recently her self esteem has been lacking, and maybe a bonding activity thats also a workout is just what we both need.

I'll update again in August or if I have any other questions. Feel free to comment on Jamis, as I have no experience with them whatsoever.

Personally, I'm a 5'3 female and just picked up a 48cm Jamis Ventura Comp Femme (the next step up from the Ventura Sport, which I also test rode) like, 3 weeks ago. As long as the sora shifters won't bug her (can't shift from the drops), Jamis makes a GREAT bike (keep in mind I've only ridden 200 miles on it so far). I found the price to be lower than Cannondale for the same components.

But if you and your gf are away from each other 3/4 of the year, make sure you buy from a bike shop. Mine includes free service for a year. Any time it so much as looks at me funny, I can bring it in and they'll fix it. I'm sure there are limits to this, but if you're not going to be around to fix it, I would not go to bikes direct unless your gf is mechanically inclined.

Sounds great that your GF is excited. You are a lucky guy! I don't think she can go wrong with any of those bike she chose.

Tell your gf to take her current bike to the bike shop, for adjustment of brakes, bearings & trueing wheels (& gearshift if it has any). This will avoid any disasters in the innitation period. It wont do any harm for her to establish a relationship with her bike shop.
Tell her the not to judge the comfort on a test ride based on seat to bar drop, as this can be adjusted by spacers and stem angle.
Sora shifters work fine if you dont ride in a tight peleton. In the car you start off in bottom gear and shift up through all the gears as you get up to cruising speed. On a bike you usually start off in one of the middle gears and shift up or down a few gears according to conditions. On a normal ride I probably use 4 gears out of the 27, but they are not always the same 4, depending on wind, hills, tiredness etc and how much I want to beat my previous time.

Personally, wxduff, the top tubes of most of the above-pictured bikes seem insurmountably high to me. Has your GF seen the photos? If she hasn't mentioned the towering (to me) height of those "down bars," then it's obviously not an issue.

What about a Breezer?

Citizen, did some research after you're post.

I'm not too worried about the top bar, as she is built completely opposite of me. I have a long torso and short legs, she has long legs and a short torso. I fit a 50cm Caad 9 from 08. I clear the top bar (with help from cleats). The 48cm Jamis Ventura Sport frame has 2 more cm of standover, the 44 has two more ontop of that. Our hips are about the same height (but I'm taller thanks to my torso). The bigger concern is being able to reach the brakes, the drops, etc.

I'll show her the breezers, but she has her heart set on a road bike with drops. As you can see, she chose strict road bikes, even after I had picked out a more comfortable ride. And she picked out what she wanted before I had any influence on the decision, as recommended by everyone above. I'm still making her sit on the FX or Allegro before I let her rule them out. I don't want her to get a road bike just because I have one.

While she should try lots of bikes IMO steel is a much better frame material as far as comfort on the road as it is less stiff than aluminum. That is one of the reasons I like what Jamis is doing and the first bike you listed is a really good bike to check out. I wish more companies had steel options.

Update:

While I was home for an extended weekend we went bike shopping. Not much success. She tried a few bikes, and here is what we found:

The first bike she took for a spin was the Trek FX. She figured things out quick and pedaled around the store (and old warehouse, with room to spare). She liked it but was eager to try a road bike. This place carried trek and specialized, but said they only carry the Specialized womens model because they feel they are a much better women's bike for the money. She tried the Dolce triple first, then the Dolce Sport Triple. She eventually got the hang of the shifting, and was actually zipping along pretty good at one point. She tried a brief ride in the drops and on the hoods, and said she was comfortable in both.

Next store was supposed to be a Jamis store. The place had no inventory of Jamis do to "warranty disputes" and had little of anything else for that matter. Plus the people were asses in my opinion. In and out we were.

Next time I'm home were trying another Jamis dealer. I want here to try the Satellite. It's the bike she said she really wanted to try.

Will be home in two weeks. I will update you then.

I am a bit of a cynic in some regards, so please forgive me. She has about a 2% chance of sticking with biking for anything other than rare very leisurely recreational rides. I have seen your scenario play out over and over and over and over again over the years. Sedentary people have a marked tendancy to remain sedentary.

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a first bike for her and I'd be very inclined to look for a used one. Do get her involved in the process. Bset wishes.

Well, the search is over.

We went all over and she finally decided on one of her picks, the Jamis Satellite Sport Femme. We went on a quick 3 mile ride yesterday, spent some time in a parking lot working on handling, and just having fun. She really enjoyed her first time out, and today we are going to go to a local bike path to get some stress free miles in. Were planning to bike every day after work from now till I go to school.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions. Should have some pictures today.

Glad she found a nice bike. Finding a hobby that you both can do together can only help build a relationship, and it makes working out/ doing what you love, more enjoyable.

If it was mentioned I missed it. On your rides don't be too enthusiastic about pacing. You are undoubtedly faster and could easily turn her off to riding if she's always pushed for speed. I'd suggest having her lead on your rides together even if it means you have to ride slower than you ever want to. That doesn't mean that sometimes you can't ask to pace it up for a few miles, it just keeps you from subconsciously moving up to your comfort pace and leaving her behind. Besides, if you have her lead the view is better for you anyway.

If it was mentioned I missed it. On your rides don't be too enthusiastic about pacing. You are undoubtedly faster and could easily turn her off to riding if she's always pushed for speed. I'd suggest having her lead on your rides together even if it means you have to ride slower than you ever want to. That doesn't mean that sometimes you can't ask to pace it up for a few miles, it just keeps you from subconsciously moving up to your comfort pace and leaving her behind. Besides, if you have her lead the view is better for you anyway.

Thanks for this advice. We had a great time on the bike path the other day. She's not a glutton for pain, but the nice flat traffic free pavement kept our speed up even when she was in the lead. So far things are great. Forgot to take a picture still!

How is it going? Still riding?