Jersey Girl

OK, guys (and gals) I just joined this forum and after reading some of the posts I'm a bit hesitant to write this.

I'm one of those girlfriends that you've complained about who isn't into cycling. Anyway, I'm debating getting a bike because their are some really nice canal paths around here to ride on (Delaware & Raritan Canal). My boyfriend says he wants to go riding with me, but I know he'll be bored going at my pace. After reading some of your other posts around here about your wives/girlfriends, I now know that's true and he's lying to me when he says he'll enjoy it. So I'm thinking about going by myself. Anyway the bike fanatic boyfriend is away for the weekend trying to kill himself at a downhill race in Plattekill, NY so...

I've looked around and fallen in love with a Trek 7500. OK, I don't really know anything technical about it, but I love the way it looks (frame color and wheels mainly). Yeah, typical "girl" thing I know. My passion is cars, not bikes. I'd laugh at anyone that bought a car that way. Anyway, my boyfriend's bike shop is willing to give me a discount, but the price is still higher than I really want to spend. They can apparently give me a better deal on a Cannondale.

So here's my question; Can anyone tell me what Cannondale would be roughly the equivalent of a Trek 7500? This is strictly for some casual riding. I'd like to get some outside opinions on this one because my idea of "too expensive" and the boyfriend's are two different things when it comes to bikes.

Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks! :thumbup:

Robyn

shokhead

I dont like cannondales hybyrids this year so go for the road warrior,maybe the 700,better components then trek.Sell ya my 2000 cannondale silk path 700 for $375,like new.

Jersey Girl

Thanks for the response and the offer. I found your ad in the classifieds and that bike's a bit too big for me. I need more like a 17".

Michel Gagnon

Jersey Girl,

No specific recommendation on the bike, but regarding boyfriend and girlfriend riding together, both of you might enjoy it. Of course, ride a bit by yourself so you'll get more experience.

- I think he will enjoy your company because he will be sharing something. I know I have similar feelings when I ride with my 6-year-old daughter. It's slow, sometimes painfully slow, but sharing brings its own joys.

- Do short easy rides together. You need to share something. Neither he should feel like he must train you nor you should feel that you are a pain in the... to him. If you like picnics, short rides to a nice picnic ground could be great!

In the long run, you will either discover an interesting activity and ride more. You may or may not reach his level of interest and performance, so if you decide you want to spend a lot of time riding together, you might inch towards a tandem bike. Or you may decide to store the bike for good -- a possibility that both of you should be ready to accept.


Another suggetion, if you want to "train" without your boyfriend but not by yourself: look for rides, either ina bike club or with other friends. Some clubs have their "ladies nights" which some people seem to like. Of course, being more of a soloist (and male), I have no interest in bike clubs.

P.S. even though tandems are expensive, you are able to buy a few tandems for the price of a car. This sheds a new light on experimentation.

Regards,

Jersey Girl

Thanks for your insight.

I really wanted to do a bit of riding a couple years ago. Bought my previous bike to ride with a friend. But then I moved back to NJ, so we're not close enough to get together anymore.

I'd like to go riding with my boyfriend. I just wish he wasn't so into it. That way I wouldn't have to feel bad about slowing him down AND at the same time frustrated that I can't go further or faster.

I definitely don't see myself getting as into this as he is. I have other hobbies that I want to spend time on as well. If only I didn't have to work. Then there would be time enough for everything.

My bike quest continues. On the one hand my heart is still set on the Trek 7500 but my wallet cringes at the thought. On the other hand, I know from my other hobbies that cheap tools come back to bite you in the end, and in this case a bike is a tool. I guess my hesitation is not knowing whether I'm really going to like this enough to justify the cost of the bike.

Thanks again!

Michel Gagnon

I don't know about your area, but look at garage sales. An interesting option might be to get a cheap ugly disposable 7-8 speed bike that fits well at a garage sale. Such finds are great, especially if your boyfriend or you is mechanically inclined and able to detect obvious defects and do basic repairs.

At the end of the Summer, you have either "wasted" $25-50 on a bike that you won't use much, or you will have "invested" $25-50 on a bike. If you find even medium interest in cycling and want to get a good looking and better bike, you will know better what you want, so the $25-50 would serve as a "training" to help you define the characteristics of your ideal bike.

Regards,

Jersey Girl

That is a thought. My boyfriend has an old Cannondale that he says he could fix up for me to use.

Only hang up with that is it's still "his" bike and heaven forbid I do something to it. I'd much rather have my own.

Not a lot of garage sales around where I live. I bought a very small house in a pricey area and I think the people who live in the big Mc Mansions think they are above having a garage sale. I have no idea what they do with their old stuff but they certainly don't seem to sell it.

Kev

Normaly you will find better bikes at garage sales in higher end neighberhoods.. Also check thrift shops.. your LBS sometimes has used bikes another option is some pawn shops.

If the cannondale your b/f has fits you, why don't you two fix it up together? Give you some time doing something together and you can learn how to do some maintenance on the bike at the same time. Yes it is "his" bike, but I really doubt you will damage it while riding it. And it you do will be because of a bad accident and then there are more serious things to worry about then a few scratches on a bike.

Jersey Girl

I hear you, but there just aren't a lot of garage sales around and if I wait until I find one that actually has a bike, that fits me, I could be old and grey.

As far as using his old one. I think it just comes down to an independence issue. If we were married, what's mine would be his and what's his would be mine. But we're not, so I maintain a certain separation (bad experience in the past).

We're going to go look again at his LBS tonight at a Cannondale. He says they sell more of those, so they'll be able to give me a bigger discount on one of those than on the Trek I like. I guess it pays to be with someone who has spent far, far too much money on bikes over the years.

I'll let you know how I make out.

Robyn

Jersey Girl

Well, my search is over. I’ve decided to go with the Trek 7500. I didn’t really want to spend that much initially but I looked at the 7100 and 7200. Both were lacking some features that I really wanted (front suspension on the 7100, quick release front hub on both). The 7300 would have been a bit less, but with the money my boyfriend’s LBS knocked off for me, the 7500 wasn’t much more, PLUS that’s the one I really liked anyway.

The Cannondales I looked at, which my boyfriend considered to be roughly equal to the 7500, were just WAY more expensive so I eliminated them immediately.

I briefly considered looking at a used bike but I was hesitant to inherit someone else’s cast-off (same reason I don’t like buying used cars). Of course, it didn’t help that everything I seemed to come across was either too big or too small for me.

So my boyfriend is picking up my new bike today and hopefully he’ll have it all together in the next day or so (saved some more money since he was willing to assemble it). Though with all the rain we’ve been having around here I don’t know when I’ll actually get to go for a ride. I haven’t even been able to get my car washed in between the rain storms and it’s driving me nuts! :irritated

Thanks again for all your opinions!

talkdj

I too have the 7500 and love it. Nothing better than getting up at 5 am and doing 12 miles on it and then get ready for work....ahhhhh the smell of raisins drying in the Fresno air and having fun on the bike...

shokhead

Thats what you think.