Originally Posted by
70sSanO
Depending on the bike, that road bike can probably be tweaked to make riding more enjoyable. It will never be a crank forward townie, but bars and stems can be swapped out. A shorter and higher stem to raise the bars and lowering and pushing the seat back can get her feet closer to the ground without sacrificing too much. Getting the widest tires that will fit the frame. My wife's bike has drop bars but also inline brakes so she doesn't need to brake from the hoods or the drops. Swapping out the drop bars for flats will be more costly. I converted my wife's old road bike to a flat bar commuter.
John
I think my colleague will be ok if the bars are raised a bit. And she needs a different seat. But since she is a little less excited, it hasn't been prioritized yet! I want her to ride more.
And as for the second colleague! I think she is going to stick to her guns and get something on the city bike end. She wants a basket, plans to bike around town and the like. Most road bikes would be a poor fit for her desires to carry stuff. The only concern is she needs gears for hills. She doesn't necessarily need the most upright bike ever, but more upright than racer.