bassjones

went and looked at bikes for my 13 year old daughter today and settled on a Cannondale Synapse 5 Femme in a 56 cm frame... Purple and gray. Going to probably put it in layaway tomorrow and kick out some OT over the next few weeks to hopefully get it before school is out. I'm leaving the platform pedals on it for this season and do shoes and clip less next year. She LOVED the bike. Preferred the color of the Synapse 7, but liked the feel of the 105 better.

Edit: this one

Street Pedaler

Awesome!

squirtdad

great..... the only risk for you is that she is faster so you work harder. (My son rides a fixie so I can use gearing to keep up....for now)

tergal

kids cheat with all that youthful energy ......

bassjones

As you might have guessed from the frame size, she's an Athena as well... She's 6' tall already, probably 2-3" to go. The LBS thought the 56 would be flexible enough to fit as she grows this last little bit - maybe a longer stem if she does add 3 more inches. She's quite the athlete - basketball, tennis, swimming, volleyball and now cycling... Wednesday she pushed 170lbs on the leg machine for 20 reps x 2 sets, and that was her first time, so I didn't let her go any heavier She said it was 'easy'. We're only doing large muscle group movements right now and only one exercise per body part, just a base builder. Bench press, leg press, seated rows, shoulder presses. 3 x a week, in a circuit... She rests while I do a circuit, then does her 2nd while I rest, then I do my 2nd. I add weight and a couple more exercises for mine. After that we hit the gym for some basketball work. She's a center/power forward, so we work on post moves and rebound drills, then after she's a tad tired we do some sprints and then she shoots 20 free throws and we go home. Going to cycle on our off days once she gets the bike. Good cardio without beating up her knees, ankles and feet by running too much.

Biggziff

Nice....My 13 yr old is riding with me now. I found a 70s vintage Gitane racer that she adores (it looked pretty rough when we got it...$20!) and although I've offered to buy her something nicer, she says she wants the French bike! Enjoy the time with her...it flies!

bassjones

We do quite a bit together. I played college ball and coached her up until this year... She actually listens when I explain basketball moves...

skilsaw

Young people around here really crave garage sale bikes. Anyone can buy a new bike. It is cool to have a 60's Appollo with suicide brakes and downtube shifters. They get extra points if the bike is all stock, and the paint is mint.