Whoa. I didn't expect that!
 

Anyone who's seen me post stuff about my wife knows that she doesn't ride. She simply doesn't ride.

It goes back to when she was about 10, fell off a bike and broke her kneecap.

So... today she says that she might actually consider an adult trike. She says she still doesn't think she could handle two wheels, but maybe three.

I didn't see that coming.

We'll see how this develops.

For goodness sake, get her one that doesn't weigh 100 pounds. Some of the really utilitarian adult trikes are built as though they were designed to be ridden off a cliff and still survive (the trike, not the rider). Think back to when you went from a child's bike to a better adult bike. Much more fun to ride something that doesn't weigh too much.

My Worksman reverse-trike is suprisingly tippy, not sure how it compares with normal adult bikes, but be aware that if you travel at normal bicycle speeds, you're not necesarily more stable on 3 wheels than on 2. In that case, consider one of the recumbent 3-wheelers which let you pick the speed up quite a bit.

On a normal adult trike, I don't think I've ever seen anyone going more than maybe 8 mph on one, and if that's all she does, it would probably work fine.

Maybe a recumbent trike instead of an upright one? The 'bents seem to be designed to actually get *ridden*.

I tried out the Terra Trike at a recumbent rally last summer and liked it a lot. I also tried a Sun tadpole, but I didn't like that one so much as the bike seemed to sway excessivly from the force of the boom as I pedaled. You're pretty low to the ground, but it's comfy, like riding a lawn chair. I liked them a lot, but I already have a recumbent, so a new one isn't in the cards for a while now.

I agree that a recumbent would be the way to go, but she knows how expensive they are and is hesitant about that. I think she'd be better off on a cruiser than a trike but she's not ridden in almost 40 years so she really doesn't think she can handle two wheels.

Fortunately (on several fronts), the owner of our LBS is kind of a friend of ours and my wife is comfortable with them, and also they are the biggest seller of recumbents in the area. She doesn't want to be pushed on this, though, so while I can try to influence her decision, in the end she won't try it at all unless it really is her decision.

8 mph might be fine for her right now. It will just about kill me to ride with her, but we've been married for 25 years so I'm sure we will manage to get through this together.

I've also brought up the idea of a tandem, but the two wheel thing plus the trust/lack of control is an issue.

Tandem!
Person up front (captain) does all the steering/shifting/braking/decision making.
Person in back (stoker) gets to pedal wihout any hassles of steering/balance/braking/etc.
Been riding 'in tandem' for 35+ years.

A Michigan company called Terratrike just introduced a new recumbent trike called the Rover that might fit the bill. Starts at $800. Supposed to be very beginner friendly and easy to adjust. Comes with either a 3 or 8 speed internally geared hub.

Then you should know the stoker must balance and help steer by moving with the captain.

Congrats! My DH won't bike either. I've bought him two bikes over the years and he's used them a couple times each before getting rid of them. :( I almost convinced him to try a tandem with me but in the end, he won't even let me hold his hand while ice skating even though I am a competent figure skater so the tandem idea didn't fly even though he liked the part about not havint to steer, brake or shift.

But good for you that she has decided to give it a try. I wouldn't push the issue. As long as she's willing to give it a try in any manner, let her choose what the type of bike it is. Once she gains confidence maybe she'll move on to a two wheeled bike or a recumbent but if she's anything like my DH, if you push her, she'll give up the idea all together. Good luck!

Tiff :)

What about a crank forward bike, like Elctra Townie? You can even start from zero by removing the pedals, and have her uase it as a "walking bike", she will keep her feet on the ground until she feels comfortable about being, and staying, upright, and has confidence in her balance. Of course, a helmet comes with any bike. She can also wear knee and elbow pads.
Good luck.

OK. How about this? Or even better, this?

tcs

Or maybe this three-wheeler?

tcs

The KMX Tornado F3 has similar specs and price point.

But really, why stop at three wheels?

tcs

All this fantasy aside, we were at the bike ship today and.... she actually talked about getting a bike. We looked at a Biria step through...

http://www.biria.com/images/eb_pink_ribbon_white.jpg

...and she actually kind of liked it. So later in the day she said maybe we should just get something at a thrift store or Craigslist to see if she will enjoy it or not, before investing $400-500 in a "real" bike.

Sun offers similar models.

tcs

Yep, and our LBS carries both. The wife likes the Biria. I actually talked her out of the CL cheapie bike idea. My thought was that if the bike doesn't run very smoothly she will not enjoy riding it and that will be the end of that. The LBS said we could take the Biria for an extended test ride and then decide whether or not to buy it. The wife seems to be warming up to the idea. We're going on vacation in a couple weeks, though, so it will probably have to wait until we get back.

So... she may go look at the Biria tomorrow. I tell ya, I have the patience of Job.

nice looking bike

Well, she finally rode the bike. It was her first time on a bike in something like 37 years, and she looked really wobbly at first. But then.... things got smoother and the smile came to her face. We ended up bringing home a Biria Easy Boarding Top 3 in aqua blue:

http://www.biria.com/images/eb_easy_7_aqua_green.jpg

After getting home she took just a short ride up and down the block and I snapped a picture or two

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1661.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1664.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1665.jpg

Hey nice bike, and a great new habit!

We hoped to go out for a ride this afternoon, but this morning she came down with (suspected) strep throat.

Tell her Way to go!
 

Looks like she is having fun.

Awesome Doo, Glad to see the wife riding. I just got my wife her second bike. It's always more when the wife rides with you. Pretty soon you will be looking for some C/V bikes for her.

Mutt

We thought about getting a C&V up front, but it occurred to me that if it continually needed little repairs she would lose enthusiasm. As it is, she hasn't ridden since the pics were taken. The following morning she woke up sick. She's been under the weather ever since (she tends to take a long time to get over things). I hope to post an update soon when she takes her first real ride.

Congratulations! Your wife looks like she enjoys riding again, so its money well spent.

Have fun!

My DH does cycle, and to the extreme. He used to race downhill and still rides street trials. I ride, and I ride more than he does, but it's commuting and errands and general transportation, no crazy downhill for me. I am a former competitive ice skater and I nearly fell down laughing when I took him skating and started pulling him around the rink. "Don't go to fast!" he pleaded.

So... she's finally feeling better, but now I've got a cold! No matter, even if I feel miserable I'll ride with her Saturday if she's willing. It's a positive sign: she talks about the bike with enthusiasm.

Finally we got out for a ride this afternoon. Did a blazing 1.1 miles (hey, ya gotta start somewhere). She didn't want to push it; they are resurfacing our street and she didn't want her asthma to kick in.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1693.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1694.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...a/DSCI1695.jpg

We had our first encounter with road rage today. Coming up to a T-intersection, preparing to turn left, two cars maybe 2-3 blocks back. We took the lane, signaled left, and as we started to go, one of the cars behind yelled, "Get outta the damn road!" We completed our turn, faded to the right (pretty wide street) and the two cars (who also turned left) went on by.

I don't think we even slowed him down even a little. Wadda jerk.

Didn't ruin the ride though. We did twice the mileage today (a little over 2 miles). My wife said, "You know, I think I want to get one of those mirrors." She trusts me to make calls in traffic (so far, only in the neighborhood), but I think she'd like to make sure.