sloar 

noglider 

I like it, and I like the way the rack is attached.

jetboy 

nice: here is my wife's traveler: pic is from when I got it so some of the issues you see have been fixed (like.. brake cable does WHAT?)- its a pretty nice ride- chro-mo frame and is light and responsive enough. alloy rims are a big+

yours has a prettier color and must be a later version with the braze on bottle cage and shifter mounts.

sloar 

rumrunn6

squirtdad

congrats on that.....still have not got my wife riding, even on her sorta cool, comfy cruiser. Probably for the best, as she is prone on to seeing house details on rides, poiinting, looking and riding that way.....kinda like what dog does when it see's a squirrel

CliffordK

Oh...

Don't show her any Bianchi bikes.

merziac

Or DO show her the Bianchi's, could lead to a partner in crime.

How cool would that be?

RobbieTunes

Wife rides are about the activity, not the ride, and generally not the bike. Both are bonuses if they are positive. I've toured Beaufort NC on a bike, done a First Friday ride (like a pub crawl, but ice cream, bakeries, etc) in Raleigh, and a tweed ride (think wicker baskets and picnics while pretending you are above all that).... They generally are fun, have nothing to do with fitness or road cycling or mountain biking or the bikes in general. IMO, they beat a movie, hands down.

If it's a bike she likes, make it as pretty as she wants it, as comfortable as possible, and as easy to ride as possible (keep it ready to roll). That's my only suggestion.

Road Fan

Well, not all! Mine started out wanting something like her old Raleigh Sport from 1970, so we found her a Breezer Liberty 'round 1998 (not sure). She rode that a few years, then wanted something more "zippy." Breezer stayed, but in came an aluminum and carbon Cannondale Road Warrior 800 (I rarely caught up with her on that one!). Then she became dis-enamored with the straight bars that pained her wrists, and we found a red 1997 Georgena Terry Classic (made by Wilier in Italy) with Campy Mirage 3x8, 700c both ends, and a TA Alfine triple. Out went the Cannondale, and the "It's made for women!!!" red Terry is still here. The Campy still works perfectly and it's still a good fit for her. When she retired, I said, "let's get you a Terry custom-designed for you!" and she jumped for it. Now she has a (frame by Waterford) Terry Cote Donana Vagabond with 130 rear spacing, Campy Athena 3x11, and 26" wheels on Campy hubs. The brakes are Paul Mini-Motos. This last Terry had the group sourced and installed by an LBS, and it has taken arguments to get the Campagnolo booklets delivered to me, them to re-tune the gruppo to make it shift right, and finally two years of my own work to get this Campy installation to shift well for her. Nonetheless, she is very kind to me when we ride, allowing me to catch up with her.

She's become a bike freak!

ollo_ollo

+1 on the above. Now that you found a bike she likes, work at coaxing her on to a more comfortable saddle. Based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend a new Brooks as it will likely never be broken in. Used or pre-softened might work though. Enjoy your time together on bikes, as our sweet hearts tend to loose cycling enthusiasm as they age. Don

RobbieTunes

I have a couple of friends like that.

One, he was the bike nut, but she's become the farther/faster one, after being coaxed into the sport. She took it up out of open-minded affection for him, and now embraces the speed and freedom.

Another, she's ridden across the states, and he likes to ride "normally" (if Thunder Ridge at 72 is 'normal') while conceding her the insanity.

Most of those I know fit in my previous post. I actually asked a group once, and one of the important things for them was the ease of getting a bike rack that worked, the ease of getting the bike on and off the rack, and a kickstand.

I often wonder how many cyclist "couples" are not, due to simple things that were dismissed out of hand. Bike fit, bike choices, ease of use, type of riding, etc. All important things if you want to make a bike ride privately or publicly social.

Running could be an example. In the 80's, a local 5K had 84 participants, winning time was sub-15 min, and the last runner crossed in 27 minutes. Competitive. Same race, 30+ years later, 184 participants, winner in 18:50, last "runner" crossed in 53:10. Social.

Things like Team in Training, Girls On The Run, and socializing the activity probably grew it. Cycling could use some of that.

crank_addict

Waff if you'd like. Told her it was very expensive, so much that I restrained myself from a Di2 equipped 15pounder. This way I get to bring home another old steel skinny tire bike.... that nobody wants these days. (snickers)

Pompiere

My wife has the 1988 version of the ladies Traveler in teal green & white I swapped in some upright bars and indexed thumb shifters for her, to try to make it easier for her. She doesn't like riding on the skinny tires, so it is in the basement on a trainer. She prefers the stability of a wider tire on the road, so I found a hybrid at a flea market for her and replaced the tires with some cushy 37 mm Paselas. I change or adjust whatever she asks for to make it better for her. Oddly, she has found that she likes a really narrow saddle, even with the upright bar position. We have a 12 mile loop that we do regularly, and she will occasionally go with me on longer rides, up to 20 miles.

cambiker71

I must be lucky then, took my partner to see the "Tour of Cambridgeshire" yesterday and when we got home she asked to try my ancient road bike and has now let me order everything to build up an old 80's ladies racer for her

Lucillle

I'm not laughing, I have one of those.

Lascauxcaveman 

It's so weird looking it's actually kinda cool. Obviously, semi-recumbent, relaxed cruising type of thing. Do you have a go-fast bike, too?

Lucillle

I have that bike, a beach cruiser, a folder, a trike, and a single speed that can go pretty fast depending on me.

crank_addict

The Revive is a neat bike. No question is very comfortable, quickly adapts to all sized riders and really is fun. Even though the frame is aluminum, the seat assembly is piles of weighty steel. She also has her on-board entertainment system..... 'bluetooth' speaker water bottle that changes colors. No airbag or abs brakes.

Here's another on eBay. Wish it was nearby as I wouldn't mind another.

non-fixie 

crank_addict

RiddleOfSteel

YES.

These are all great stories. I think I'd be more than happy if that was eventually my case. If not, that's ok. If anything, the collective experience and gained wisdom will very much help me navigate that and other things in the future. Just need to find that someone...

merziac

Fortunately my better half has some bikecentric genes going on, she has 4 bikes of her own that she knows about and loves em.

Gotta work on her riding them a lot more which is no easy task trying to motivate both of us.

The Golden Boy 

I got my wife a Trek 7.1 a few years ago. It's flat black, we've gotten some flat black parts and a flat black helmet for her. She refers to it as her "Bat Bike." She doesn't ride it much. I'd like her to enjoy it when she does.

SJX426 

Some of us should get awards for effort to get the other half to ride. Mine rarely rides and only with me. She has three bikes all due to my coaxing. Well 2.5 really. The first was purchased in 1973/4, Raleigh GP Mixte in blue.

1974 Raliegh Gran Prix, on Flickr

Then in the 1997 time period we bought her one that was more up to date with better brakes and overall comfort, REI Aspen.

REI Novara Aspen, on Flickr

Then one day she asked why I never considered a tandem! Well I had but didn't think it would be worth the effort with the frequency (low) of the rides we took together. The question was like a hair trigger. Picked this up from a BF member for a decent price but requiring lots of TLC. Still does.

1994 Burley Duet in the raw, on Flickr

All of these are being worked on for better performance, both mechanically and comfort.