nfmisso

Strange - my legs hurt if I don't ride......especially my knees, which I am trying to put of replacing as long as possible, riding helps a LOT.

delcrossv

+1 If I don't ride, I can't walk.

newbiebiker000

Great going guys ! Wonderful that you are trying to motivate your wives to join. It is the other way round for me. My husband who is otherwise a sporty kind is not a great fan of biking. Trying to convert him while being a newbie myself. I would love to ride with my 8 year old son. So since you guys have done a lot of research on women s bikes, may be benefit from your knowledge pool ? Looking for a bike which I can do some city riding with, plus some lighter mountain trails on weekends. We have recently moved to Denver. I am 5 feet and thick set. Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance.

newbiebiker000

Great going guys ! Wonderful that you are trying to motivate your wives to join. It is the other way round for me. My husband who is otherwise a sporty kind is not a great fan of biking. Trying to convert Un while being a newbie myself. I would love to ride with my 8 year old son. So since you guys have done a lot of research on women s bikes, may be benefit from your knowledge pool ? Looking for a bike which I can do some city riding with, plus some lighter mountain trails on weekends. We have recently moved to Denver. I am 5 feet and thick set. Any recommendations ? Thanks in advance.

DocsDad

Maybe your spouses envision skin tight, lycra racer types and get scared away. Try casual riding. A commute to grab groceries for dinner or an ice cream cone. The food tastes better when brought home by bike (IMO) and we are healthier doing it. Good conversations can be had as well (not to mention we save gas.)

No big agenda... just ride.

Good luck.

RyderTheRider

Organise a romantic scavenger hunt on her birthday or Valentine's day. As the clues and locations get more and more romantic, have the final leg of the journey involve a bike ride to the location where her present/romantic dinner/jewellery is waiting. Make the location somewhere exciting to her like a very expensive restaurant or a private air strip so she is so excited about the potential adventure ahead that she doesn't think twice about getting on the bike. She will love the journey because of the excitement.

When you get to your location ask her if she enjoyed the ride. When she says yes, tell her that the bike is her present and gloat about the fact that you got her to ride with you and she enjoyed it.

Her facial expression should change at this point. You should then smile your last smile, and make sure it is smug.

icul8rg8r

I (a wife finally motivated by her husband!) decided upon the Trek Shift 2 after weeks of researching and test-riding. I looked at the Trek Shift line, Trek Pure, Electra Townie 7d, Townie 21d, Raleigh Detour, and a couple of other brands like Novera (REI), Marin, Schwinn. Narrowed the list down to the Trek Shift (2 or 3) and Electra Townie 21d. Thought for sure I was going to get the Townie but on my final ride of the two I decided on the Trek Shift 2. Realized I was allowing the cuteness and color of the Townie sway my decision a bit; my husband forced me to focus on comfort and handling and being short (5'2"), the Trek bike was actually a better fit for me. AND more comfortable.

Glad I went with my decision - just wish I could get out there and ride! An hour or so after we brought the bike home we went for a family ride - guess I was too slow for my 8-year-old son - he passed me, then swerved in front of me and suddenly stopped, and I crashed. Something punctured my foot/ankle and knicked my tendon and haven't been able to walk (let alone ride a bike) since then. Hopefully the wound will heal by the end of the summer! Just thank God my son was not harmed - and my new bike didn't suffer any damage!

digibud

Easy. Just get a new wife or a new girlfriend...er...riding partner...

Best of luck, icul8. I'm recovering after 2months off my bike. No fun being injured.

DnvrFox

If this is your Achilles tendon, don't mess around. If you haven't seen a podiatrist or PT, do so now. Injuries to you AT are most difficult to heal and can lead to permanent injuries, as your AT has a very limited blood supply and does not heal well.

txgolfer56

Well, since we basically do nothing together, I'm trying different ideas to get a few things we can do together. We are empty nesters and with the kids gone, no kid activities to go to together (e.g. soccer games, swim meets, etc.).

Bug Shield

Three things helped my wife, who is not technically inclined, become a better and more interested cyclist:

1. Riding a tandem. It allows us to ride together at the same effort.
2. Riding a fat bike. It gives her confidence and makes her feel like she can take on any terrain.
3. Going single speed. No gears/shifting to worry about.

hockeyref

The summer after we got married we went shopping for a bike.... Wound up buying a Trek mountain bike... Tried to ride a couple times and then the bike sat idle until three years ago when our oldest daughter outgrew her 20" wally world special and passed it down to her sister... rather than buy a new bike I looked to see if she could fit on the Trek as she wanted something "with gears and stuff". It was a little big but she did ok and grew into it. At least now the bike is getting some use - albeit not as much as it could.... I don't like the girls riding the bike trail by themselves even though they are now 15 and 11. Just too many goofy people around these days. It's hard to make the time to take a ride anymore...

MickeyMaguire

I am so fortunate that when my wife and I met, she was riding every evening with a group in Cincinnati. I was from Columbus. We hooked up and rode a lot in the early years of marriage. Now, she is riding a lot with me to get back in shape. So... I bought her a new bike a few days ago and she is more enthusiastic than ever.

Papa Tom

Does your wife know how to ride? If not, I can understand her hesitation, as it's harder to learn when you're older. But if she's just not showing interest, it could be because she's afraid of riding in traffic or some other scary thing.

Find some quiet, easy rail-trails either near home or in a nice, scenic area, and see if she would be interested in sight-seeing with you...atop a bike saddle. In other words, don't make bicycling the focus of the event. Once she has experienced the breeze in her hair and the sun on her face, chances are, she will be hooked. Then you'll never be able to take a "real" ride by yourself again because she'll always want to tag along

Kotts

For me the key to getting my wife interested has been two factors: (1) Taking interest in her interests (which generally encourages her to take interest in yours) (2) letting her interest level increase at her pace (pushing doesn't help.)

My wife had never considered herself to be athletic, at all. As we got older (mid-30's) she started going to the gym, more out of a sense of duty than anything else. Made some general progress in terms of health, but nothing great. After I got back into cycling seriously, she began to want to ride a little, so I bought her the best bike she would let me spend the money for. That was about age 50. When she said that she wished she could ride more, I suggested getting her a bike that would be better, more comfortable, to ride. That was in February of last year, just after she turned 53.

Now at age 55, we ride about 100 miles a week (weather/schedule permitting, we go the the gym when the weather stinks or we're pressed for time), she's dropped 30 lbs, and she trained for and rode a 150 mile MS ride with me this past summer.

Ramona_W

If she rode all that way expecting a fancy dinner and/or jewelry only to have you announce that, in fact, her present is a bicycle when she has said she doesn't like riding then I'm afraid you may be smiling your last smile for real. Following it up with essentially "Neener neener, I deceived you into doing something you didn't really want to do" pretty much guarantees it.

Ramona_W

I just relearned how to ride a bike. (I had it down as a kid but my mother thought it was too dangerous yada yada.) I had tried in my mid-twenties and again last summer when I was almost 51 but it didn't click until about 2 1/2 weeks ago. What motivated me to stick with it enough to kind of get it? I had to have a bike that I loved and that was small enough I felt comfortable about falling off of it. In my case, that was an Avigo Knockout which is a very pink 18" BMX bike. A lot of women start out on bikes that are too large for them. Guys seem to be fine with riding a bike that barely allows them to touch the balls of their feet to the ground but women I know- especially in my age group and older- prefer to be able to stand flat-footed. That might mean a 20" bike or a 24" or a 26" with a smaller frame and the seat slammed all the way down but unless she feels safe and the process is approached with patience on all sides, there's no chance of her moving up to something she can ride alongside you on because she won't be on a bike at all.

The other big factor was not wanting to be left behind or, as I put it, part of a mixed relationship between someone who rides and someone who doesn't. (It really helped that I'm a volunteer mechanic in a not for profit shop and saw plenty of happy couples and women who had learned or relearned to ride at an ahem advanced age.) He rides everywhere all the time and has ridden for years so it would be quite a while- if ever- before I could keep up with him if he went all out. Luckily, he has no problem riding in circles or going very damned slow while I'm learning and becoming more comfortable.

I moved up from the 18" BMX bike to a Trek 830 with 26" wheels and a 16 1/2" frame. A mountain bike is great because I love climbing- so far- and it makes me feel strong and powerful to be able to ride on uneven surfaces. I still am not comfortable going very fast downhill and the other day I realized it's because I'm worried about losing control of the bike and being injured and having no way to pay the resulting medical bills. So I'll be riding the brake a lot until January 1st but I'm out there and, more importantly, *we're* out there together.

timvan_78

since this post, my wife bought a used Marin San Rafael (hybrid). It has been good for her, and she's accompanied our 5-yr old cycling-addict kid to school a bunch of times, and even gone on a few rides on her own! We also bought a tandem and rode together as a couple a few times (fun) and as an entire family (w 2 kids).

I'm letting her progress at her own pace and it's great. She even mentioned buying a second bike (road bike) and uttered the word "clipless".

digibud

As a class, hybrids are a very nice type. They are typically less expensive than a full mtn bike or road bike and you can get them with flat bars geared for hills or with road bars geared for racing. Look for a group to ride with. Invite your husband. A riding boyfriend might encourage your husband to join in; just be sure to always be inviting the hubby. I'm only half serious... I think my wife was also encouraged when I was shopping for my bike. I would have ended up with a full Ultegra bike if she hadn't joined in. We both got 105's and that was fine with me. I'd drag him to some shops to buy....new gloves....helmet...rack...whatever...and let him loose a bit.

fietsbob

Counterpoint tandem bikes put the stoker in the front in the comfy seat , so the best one on the bike..

https://www.bilenky.com/#!viewpoint/cb9e

so the getting Left Behind, doesn't happen..

StephenH

Similar issue here- not just with cycling, but activity and doing stuff in general. So I made the decision a long time ago, that if my wife didn't want to do anything, I was still going to have a life, so I've spent a lot of hours hiking, biking, exploring, etc., on my own and with other friends.

My daily rides are mostly solo.

My weekend rides are randonneuring rides, usually on a tandem. A female friend from the local club has stoked for me for the last 18 months or so.

aprieto28

I wanted to get my wife a little more involved in cycling other that around the block a few times with her Walmart special, so I bought an older tandem. We took our first ride this afternoon, around the block a few times and she loved it. We need to make a few adjustments on the bike to make ourselves as comfortable as possible for future rides. I think a tandem is a good move to get your partner into cycling.

TiBikeGuy

Start bringing your cycling buddies to your house especially those shapely, younger ones of the opposite sex. Start wearing tight lycra jerseys and shorts and hanging out more with them. It's just a matter of time before she wants to join in the rides just to make sure your hands are on the handlebars and on the ladies.

HBxRider

If she doesn't have any interest in cycling, then don't force it. Just gotta accept it and move on to a hobby she will for sure enjoy. Buying designer handbags and shoes, and dining at 5 star restaurants.

howeeee

Dont push it,,she doesnt want to ride a bike. The tandem is a bad idea, if you want to really ruin your marriage buy a tandem for someone who is isnt interested in biking lol

My wife rides sometime with me, it is usually not far and we ride upright bikes. It is much easier to get someone to ride a single speed cruiser in street clothes than get them to ride a road bike with all the proper clothing. If you go to the top bicycling cities in the world, you will see 95% of the people are riding upright bicycles in street clothing.

I just went out and got a vintage bike for my wife without asking and I never bother her, I wait for Sunday breakfast out and say "you think we should ride?" If she feels like it we ride and she is always happy after.

I ride 5 to 6 times a week about 15 to 30 miles at a time all year round, I dont expect my wife to do anything like that.