Liteweight Bike for Lady with Fybromialgia
 

Hi Guys;

My wife sufers from some heatlth problems that hinder her hability to use a heavy bike as her strenght is limited.
We have abasic Mountain bike but she find it very heavy, we are looking for a leisure bike that weighs no more than 20 pounds, aby ideas or recomendations on models.
You can Email me directlly

Thanks

Possibly a custom Bike Friday but it will not be inexpensive.

Not sure of the weight on these but here are a couple of amuminum bikes that are light weight and easy to ride.

http://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/townie/t1.html
http://www.sunbicycles.com/03/html_0...alynexus3.html

I often recommend steel framed bike over aluminum or carbon
fiber but in your case a "light" bike will cost some real
money as they're out there. Ask you wife to go with you to
a LBS to see if she can handle a bike made of aluminum if
that fails then titanium or carbon fiber is all that's
left. Whatever you do....DON"T buy a bike until you find out
for sure just how much your wife can lift or handle.

Keep in mind that nothing rides a good as steel but for
short rides it won't matter. All the best of luck & keep
riding,mate.

Hi,
I don't know what you mean by light. My wife rides a Bianchi Strada. We think of it as light; and she loves it.

Go to Leader Bike USA they have a ebay store you can get the 735* full ultegra at a good price I got that bike for my wife the 785R is lighter but more money. I wanted to get that for my wife but she elected to go with the 735R the Euro color was a deciding factor.

Hey there. My wife has Fibromialgia also, and rides occasionally. She as a wal-mart aluminum comfort bike and it serves her well. I really think that good fit and a comfy ride are more important. So is a very low geared bike. No road doubles here. I think my wifes is geared too high, it only has one chainring. I wish she had a bike with 3. If you want I can get you in touch with my wife who may be able to help better. PM me if you want.

Is she picking up the bike and moving it around? If not, then good gearing will help her ride more than light weight. Try out some aluminum hybrids at the shop. For $350 or less you should be able to get her a nice bike for the rides you will be doing.

Some more information on what her cycling spefic issue is would be more helpful.

If she has trouble balancing, a tricycle would work. They handle differently then a bicycle and the crown of the road can be a problem.

Seriously look at Bike Fridays web site.check out their petite series.

Yes, go for low gearing, if she is not having to lug it around off it's wheels. Also, make sure you get smooth tires that run at a higher pressure than 60 lbs. I have a tank of a Giand Boulder, and running it with 100psi road "slicks" makes a big difference in the effort I have to put out to keep it rolling at speed.

Unless you live on the second floor, and will carry the bike upstairs, don't obsess over weight. For real people, not "pro" racers, bike weight is more marketing hype than a useful guide to the comfort and reliability of a bike.

The factors that are important for riding (not carrying), a bike are: correct size, correct fit, correct set-up of the seat and bars, and correct gearing. Go to a bike shop with experienced staff willing spend a couple of hours helping select the right bike for your wife, put the right saddle on it, and get it fitted exactly right for her needs.

Don't get lured by marketing hype that puts a lot of people on skinny tired bikes with narrow saddles and handlebars three inches lower than the seat. Putting the average person on a racing style bike is the reason that millions of bikes are hanging from the rafters in gararages across America.

I have a friend who is over forty years old and wants to ride an hour or so, three or four times a year. I gave her a Trek single speed beach cruiser. The ladies frame makes it easy for her to mount and dismount. The Trek beach cruiser has huge, shock absorbing tires and a wide, comfortable saddle. High handlebars. Gearing so easy that even a grandma can easily ride it up a small hill. High quality crank bearings and wheel bearings allow it to cruise smoothly with close to zero effort. It weighs 35 pounds with its wide steel fenders (double the weight of a mega-buck racing bike). The wrong bike for most folks, but exactly the right bike for her.

So, for an "around the block" rider, a one speed beach cruiser was the "right" bike. The "right" bike for your wife depends on her size, strength, experience, the distances she will cover, the degree of hilliness in your town...lots of variables other than just the weight of the bike.

My guess is most aluminum frame hybrids will come pretty close to your needs. My Specialized Sirrus ( with a chrome moly fork) only weighs about 22 lbs without the water bottle. Spending a bit more for a carbon fork, swapping the seat for a titanium model and doing away with accessories might get you under 20 poounds.