Looking for a new sort of a bike for the lady...
 

Hi there, I'm new here, but after lurking about for a bit am sure this is is the place for me!
Okay, so my current issue is that I am looking for a new bike for my girlfriend to incourage her to commute to school/work much more often.
She currently uses my old 24" free agent bmx and complained about it being too small. She's small though, about 5 feet tall and about 100 lbs. After talking with her, it sounded like she was looking for a road bike. So I scored her a 44cm Bridgestone and we learned that road tires are to thin for her comfort and she refuses to ride it, plus she doesn't like the drop bars.
Now, I am currently trying to find her something single speed (she doesn't want to mess with gears) that's between a commuter and a cruiser. Something that doesn't weigh as much as she does.
Any ideas

I'd look at bikes that are internally geared rather than single speed if you want simplicity and function. I've written more on selecting a good bike for transportation here if you are interested: http://austinbikeblog.org/?p=38

Sounds like your girlfriend needs to do some test riding. Since she's so small, she needs to make sure the bike fits.

If she likes cruiser type bikes, you might have her try:
Electra townies
Giant Suede or Simple
Trek Pure or Calypso
Schwinn Cream or Coffee
REI cruisers (some look like townies)

Some of these come with internal hub, twist shift or single speed. Not sure how small they come though. Happy hunting!

I don't know what your budget is, but have you looked at folders? My good lady is 5"1' and about 90 lbs, she rides a Brompton 6 speed and loves it because of:

- Simple gears
- Step through frame
- (Fairly) light
- Looks cool

She had a 21 speed touring bike before, but found the sheer size of the thing unmanageable (the frame was actually the right size for her).

No need to throw away a good bike. Will the Bridgestone take bigger tires? Bet it will. It'll also take different bars - all bikes will. Contact Rivendell - they know a little bit about Briegestones.

www.rivbike.com

I agree, bump the bridgestone up to 32s and throw a flat or other higher bar on it. If the frame otherwise fits, no point in tossing it.

I agree too. Got any pics of the bridgestone?
Moustache or albatross bars might be to her liking.

Check out this website. It's a joint venture between Shimano, IDEO and some bike companies.

http://www.coasting.com/

These bikes are about as simple as they get.

I hope their bikes are easier to use than that website. :rolleyes:

Seriously though... there is something to be said for the old expression, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".
It doesn't get any simpler than a single speed or an old 1x3 derailleur setup.
Which is all you need on any neighborhood cruiser.