Road Cycling - In search of road bike for my wife

Hello, well its time to get my wife involved in this great sport. I see so many couples in my area (Madison,Wi) out riding together, full gear and all. Its cool to see. Anyways, Im not looking to drop a lot at the start, however I want something that wont drag her around, while Im riding my Bianchi with full ultegra and the latest gear shifting system. Im new into biking somewhat, and need a good reccomendation on a bike for my wife, I know sizing is the biggest issue, but what about price range on a used bike. Any come to mind. My wife is 5'6 1/2 med length legs- not long. What size range would I be looking at. thanks everyone.

Your wife is about my height, im 5'6 too. I ride a size "52" road bike. But I am a guy, and guys have a different build/body shape than women, so im not sure how that will work out? Since both of you will be riding, have you ever thought about getting a tandem? That would be kinda cool, twice the power, twice the speed! But if she does get her own bike, make sure it's not has good has yours. That wouldn't be cool to be beat by a girl.:D

Just a couple of thoughts.

1. Are you sure your wife likes biking? My wife started out on a $300 mtn bike with slicks (which she still rides). After awhile, she decided she wanted a road bike - and we went with the Cannondale R300. It would be a shame to spend a lot of money and have her hate biking.

2. There is a distinct possibility that your wife may never go as fast as you go, or as you want to go. She may not even like going fast. My wife is a much more cautious rider that I and therefore, goes slower, especially downhill. Just something to think about.

Hope it all works out. My wife and I have great (although slow) rides. At times, I go way ahead and circle back, as I have a need to go faster than she wants to go.

She is now back on a bike after not riding a year due to a SI joint problem as a side-effect of poor knee surgery and therapy. We did 20 miles today, and stopped for lunch along the way.

I have seen some real good deals on ebay. It was the way I started my wife out. I found a pretty good deal on a road bike and figured if she didnt like to ride I could always sell it again.

Originally posted by GIANTBIKES
I have seen some real good deals on ebay. It was the way I started my wife out. I found a pretty good deal on a road bike and figured if she didnt like to ride I could always sell it again.

It is wonderful that you could get a great fit buying the bike without trying it out first. Great work!! That is one of my concerns with buying from E-Bay. I have a hard body to fit.

How did you do that?

The guy that owns the local bike shop knew I was looking for a used bike for my wife. He couldnt get any used bikes in. I talked to him about the fit from a bike you never have sat on. He was nice enough to let her try several new bikes and we found 2 that she liked. When I was looking on ebay the people I had emailed were all nice enough to put a tape on the bikes and send me all the different measurments that I asked for. I found one that seemed to be on the money and when we got it in it was.

Would you take some comments from a woman's point of view? You can talk components with your buds and the difference between a 26mm and a 28mm tire here on the forums, but your wife is going to be interested in one thing... fit. If this is her first adult bike, it's important she feel secure and comfortable.

First, is she the road bike type? Can you see her getting in the drops or would she feel more comfortable with a riser? You might need to slow down to accomodate her style of riding, particularly in the beginning until she gets her legs and confidence. Has she ever shown an interest in road biking? My point is she might not be comfortable with an aggressive bike with itsy bitsy skinny tires right off the bat.

Why not take her to the LBS and let her check it out. Don't pick it for her but be an experienced trusted advisor. It would be a fun activity you guys can do together. Trek has some womens design bikes in the road and hybrid categories. I believe Trek does as well at low-mid range prices. A woman's saddle needs the same anatomical attention as a male's does so don't skimp there though. Avoid dropping big bucks cuz she may decide cycling isn't for her but don't be cheap either.

I think it's great you want to share your joy of the road with her. Some of the best times my ex-husband and I had were on the road with a pair of 10-speeds he bought for us as a wedding gift until he ran me off the road and into a huge curb where I flew quite a few feet into a nice bed of soft grass. The bike was not so lucky. :rolleyes:

Kathy