Hey guys...I have a hard choice to make and need a little help. I recently bought an FX2 for myself and have been riding quite faithfully and I am fortunate enough that my wife will join me on shorter rides <10 miles. She is interested in riding more (to lose weight as I have been) but we are not in a position to drop another $500 on a bike that she may not continue to ride. This brings me to my problem...I have narrowed it down to 3 choices based upon what is available in my area and they are as follows:

1. Trek FX Stagger at almost $400 - the LBS where I bought my bike
2. Giant Liv Alight 3 at $340 - LBS about 30 minutes away
3. Forge Breva Woman's at $269 from Target (Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

We have tried a bike from the local WM and IT SUCKS!!!!! But...the components on Breva seem almost identical to the Liv and the FX. I have a local shop that can repair and maintain the Breva at great prices.


I went and looked at the Breva today and it appears to have really good build quality for the price point. I am honestly leaning HEAVILY towards the Breva, but wanted to know what you all think. Thanks in advance!!!!

Which one does she favor? She may ride it more often if she is parts of the decision making for "her bike''. Just sayin'

Have you tried CL? A Trek FX2 is about $250.

I was in your same position several years ago. I was fortunate and my wife stuck with it and we got about 2 years out of a Diamondback entry model. She has since upgraded. Let her make the decision.

Thanks for the inputs and I took your advice. She had seen the Trek and wasn't completely sold on it. I took her to see the Breva next and she fell in love. Needless to say, it came home with us. I took it to a buddy who has a repair shop in town (highly respected and qualified) and he did a complete tune up on it for us. Spec tightened all bolts, adjusted brakes, and gears. He even trued the rear wheel for me. I asked his thoughts on the bike, and he felt it was solid and a great value considering it has the same drivetrain, shifters, brakes, and many other similarities as the basic, entry-level LBS bikes.

We took it to Carrollton GA this weekend to do a local ride there on the Greenbelt. She has attempted to ride in this area before to no avail as it is hilly and she winds up walking up at least half of the hill...no fun watching the wife be miserable. This time, she made it all the way and felt great afterwards! She even asked me this morning if I would be available to ride tonight .

I realize what the bike is...entry level but I have to admit that I did not see very much difference in the spec sheet on the Breva and the Alight 3 that I looked at for her so I am confident that we can get a couple good years out of it. Thanks again to all and it seems like we found the ride bike for her given where we are right now!

Thanks

I had been searching CL since I picked up cycling in June and unfortunately they have not had anything worth inquiring about. I live in middle GA and you can comfortably ride 9-10 months out of the year. I have been told that as a result, people tend to hold on to there bikes until they are completely trashed which is what I have seen. Thanks for the suggestion though.

my wife likes the preowned Trek FX Stagger I just bought her

I bought my lady a schwinn trailway off of craiglist for 80$. She loves it. Not the nicest bike by any means but I too didnt want to spend too much just incase she decides not to ride. I ride my hybrid with her when we go out plus its rugged/comfortable enough to handle more than just road. Lots of fun. We will most likely upgrade after this season.

Definitely keep checking CL!

I was thinking my wife would like a Used Specialized Vita off of CL. We ended up at LBS and she got a 2016 Sirrus Carbon Comp....

You got a Trek FX2? get one, just as good, for her.. FX 2 Women's | Trek Bikes

I already bought her the Breva as that is the one she really "connected" with. We had looked at the FX for her and she just wasn't crazy about it. I really could not relate because I love mine! I took some advice from guys here and she was a big part of the buying decision as she has to ride it. It's funny because she is now looking at lights and saddle bikes for her "baby". So far, this one has fit the bill and she is excited to be riding.

In my area, I only have a Trek dealer and the Giant dealer is about 20 miles away. I just learned that the bike repair center in town just got his Fuji license so there will be options if she fall out of love with her current ride. Thanks though.