Originally Posted by
martianone
Suggest setting her commuter as a 1x8 or 1x9, simpler gearing is easier to maintain & pragmatic to ride.
I do have her current bike set up as a 1x9. It really is a great route to go for either someone who wants to do a little riding, but isn't a "bike person," or just a great commuter. I'm actually thinking about building a 8+ speed IGH for myself over the winter...
Originally Posted by
noglider
Don't put drop bars on a MTB frame. They have very long top tubes, and women, especially short women, have trouble leaning forward on bikes. If anything, using a North Road bar or something else that is swept back.
Then again, there is always a Raleigh Sports.
Must-read article
Thanks for the advice. I did plan on looking for something with a shorter top-tube, but maybe I will start her out upright regardless and see what she thinks. I actually have a women's specific MTB frame-set for her now(which has a short top-tube), but it has a suspension fork, so that's a no-go for the road with the weight and inefficiency and all that.
As for the article - Hmm... I can only see a Raleigh Sports frame being a tank, and I feel like I could do better with a modern aluminum frame. The 3sp thing definitely wouldn't work for her since we live at the top of a steep hill, but assuming I make it a 1x9 - She's not a biker right now, and not very strong since she's a smaller female. She's not gonna be jumping at the chance to lug a 35lb Raleigh up the stairs to go ride a couple miles and lug it back down the stairs when she's done. I just don't think it would work well for her particular situation.