caloso

I meant for YOU.

PWRDbyTRD

Whatcha mean? I'm not quite catching it.

wabbit

MMPC, that's another example. Not wanting to wear the bike jerseys- and yet look at the ugly fashions women will put themselves into. Frankly, I find that the shorts are very flattering on me and if a jersey fits you nicely, it can also be flattering. But I even hear male cyclists say stuff like "my ass looks fat" etc. SOmetimes they make me think of Larry Sanders!

caloso

Sorry, PWRDbyTRD. I was just trying to make a lame joke about getting the S.O. to undertand that if you wanted a nice bike, $2K isn't a bad investment.

andrew young

My gf and I ride together sometimes, but here's the interesting part. Her bike was geared for over a year and I was trying so hard to get her to go fixed. She balked at the suggestion for quite some time. Maybe 6 months later after me not bugging her about it she gets it converted to a singlespeed, saying that she wanted something "more simple". I was very suprised and happy. We have been riding a little more together when we have time. And now, maybe a year later, she tells me she wants a fixed gear of her own, or to get a flip-flop hub so she can change it up if she gets tired on longer rides.
My point to this story is that when I did not push her to do things I wanted, it made her feel more comfortable to want to try it out on her own. This situation has helped out in other aspects of our relationship.... definitely gave me a lesson in learning not to be so damn controlling. I did not even realize that I was acting so bossy!! See all the neat stuff you can learn about relationships through shared experiences? I should write a book.......

INP

That's the obvious advice there........if they want to spend time with you, great. Don't turn it competitive or make it into an exercise event if they are just wanting to have a fun, relaxing ride.

Communication is where it's at, as in all aspects of a relationship.......don't be afraid to just ask her what her expectations and wants are when cycling with you. Then you have the answer without going to a message board

INP

darklingchild

I have a few suggestions here on helping your girlfriend to like riding:

When I met my last bf that rode, I was just starting to get into riding. I had a road bike and was averaging about 11mph, thought 20 miles was infinity and hills were evil.

4 years later, I suck way less, ride centuries, adore two mile hills and am thinking about racing this year. I also ditched the bf at some point

The guy I was dating talked me into going to Ragbrai that first year. So he took me out and rode me up and down the river valley hills. But we went at my pace and we rested when I needed to. We went on several organized rides in Minnesota to get ready as well.

I highly recommend organized rides as a way to expose your girlfriend to other cyclists. This will spur any competitive streak she has even if she denies that she has one. I can tell you that I never walked a single hill after I started riding with groups. I'd rather fall over dead from a heart attack than admit that I can't ride up a hill. And there's at least one state park hill in Iowa where it was touch and go for a minute

It's a lot of fun to meet other people who ride and to be exposed to the sheer diversity of the cycling demographic.

I also recommend getting her off the paved trails with the kiddies and family riders. Whether you're mtn or road riding, get out to some interesting scenery, rolling country roads, diverse trails, whatever.

As for relationship advice, do what everyone else says. Encourage her, offer to pull a lot, remember that, while some chicks get faster than guys, we just have less power in our legs than you as a general rule. Don't treat her like a baby. Some of the condescending crap I've read on this thread makes me wonder how some of these guys even get girls to talk to them!

If she likes it, she'll continue to do it at some level. It takes a special kind of wacked chick to love her bicycle as much as some of us do though. Keep in mind that a lot girls never get that far...

operator

Lol can you feel the love.