txgolfer56

I guess, if she is adamant about not bicycling, there isn't anything I can do. Would love for her to join me on rides. When I suggested we shop for one for her, she flat out said she didn't want a bike.

DnvrFox

Some folks have success with a tandem. Does she have a chance to see other ladies on a bicycle - haaving fun? Has she had bad experiences? Does she like to exercise generally?

My wife, at 75yo, rides her hybrid along with a lot of other fitness activities such as aquaerobics and swimming. There is a women's only forum on BFN - perhaps someone could ask for you there for ideas.

scooter bopp

Good luck. My wife showed no interest either. I'm sure part of it was because our department store bikes were not very good. But when I started looking for a new, better bike for myself and started asking her opinion about options, prices, colors, etc, she showed some interest. Then when I insisted she come along to the LBS to help me pick one out she surprised me and bought one of her own. I guess you could say I used her shopping instincts to get her interested. Now she looks forward to getting out on the bikes more than me. Hey whatever works eh?

RonH

Maybe she'd like a trike.

My wife said she's afraid of falling so I suggested a trike. She's thinking about it.

GTryder

My wife used to ride 15 years ago and still had her old heavy steel framed (kinda mountain bike/hybrid from 1995). She didn't enjoy it.
Bought her a very light aluminum frame/700c hybrid for her birthday last fall. She now enjoys riding with me. Perhaps your wife has never enjoyed riding due to heavy, hard to ride bikes in the past.

txgolfer56

She generally doesn't care for exercise. She may just think of it as another form of exercise so why bother!

DnvrFox

Think about using the bike to go to fun and interesting places - just a couple of miles away. To a lunch or coffee. To a store she likes. My wife and I do a Saturday ride where we go 3.5 miles to McDonalds and get a fruit and yogurt parfait and then ride back. Our trail, fortunately, goes right by the McD's.

lenA

I recently proposed an electric assist to mine...sparked (heh, heh) a little interest, but no follow up yet

delcrossv

Worked for me- got her a Magnum

leeinmemphis

Once my wife road my Catrike Expedition she was in love. At that moment in time it instantly became hers .....and I'm perfectly fine with it. If that's what it takes for her to get interested in it then I would have done that years ago.

caloso

Cycling isn't for everyone. It's shocking, I know.

Jimbojo

So it looks like you have a road bike, what kind of riding do you do, club, solo, etc? Just wondering if you are pretty hardcore that may be a turn off for her. My wife and I recently got involved in biking and we are more into the fun and fitness, but it was something we could do together. AT first she didn't want to spend the money, but as we started shopping she did get excited. Last year I tried to get my wife into golf, bought her clubs and everything, but it just hasn't been her cup of tea, but the biking has been great, I am even playing golf less so I can ride with her. I guess my point is, are you trying to get you wife into cycling to spend more time with her? If so you may have to meet her halfway, like riding hybrids versus road bikes, or even find something else to do together, if that is your main objective. Either way good luck.

Jimbo

zonatandem

Tandem!!!
We have ridden over 240,000 miles as a tandem duo since 1975.
Now at ages 80/78 we are still riding TWogether!

timvan_78

oh BS. It's for everyone--they just don't know it yet.

My wife never showed interest, but now that the 2 kids are into it...she's started showing some interest!

chasm54

^^ this. LOL. It's remakable to me how many people seem to want their spouse/partner to share all their interests and activities. Can't think of anything more hideous than doing everything together.

Turbo231

It has to be new, shiny, and she has to have picked it/like it. My wife had kinda wanted a bike, saw a brand new one (department store) and wanted me to build her one just like it. I saved myself the trouble and just purchased the bike she wanted...never looked back. She still doesn't ride a lot, but she LOVES her bike, she customized it like she wanted (basket, cup holder) and when she wants to go, I don't hesitate and take my fat tired cruiser with her. I can go fast and scary on my own time, just getting out there and enjoying the sights is what you need to aim for...after getting her a new bike that is exclusively hers.

DX-MAN

Doesn't like exercise...ohh-kaay, well, maybe your NEXT wife will like bikes. This one likely won't see 75.

krobinson103

Blasphemy! Cycling comes before all the rest.... or is that the rest gets in the way of cycling? How could anyone not want to ride a bike?
My wife loaths exercise. But I've conditioned my two kids into riding so she gradually has no choice. What I want is one thing, what her two daughters want however...

ifjeepmadeabike

Funny story. My wife bought me a bike from goodwill of all places 3 years ago because she knew when I was much younger I rebuilt bikes for something to do. So she gets it home, it's pure junk. a 1980's Huffy bandit. But, I'm bored so I take it apart and rebuild it. It's a 42lbs monster. I start riding it and a neighbor wants to ride too. So every monring we set out for a 10 mile ride. My wife had ZERO interest. Once spring hit I found an old 70's Nishiki women's bike I got for free. I ripped it apart and rebuilt everything. I gave it to her as a birthday gift. She felt obligated to ride I think, or she liked that I built her something. Who knows. Now 2 years years later she's rode a good 4k miles on it. She still rides it almost daily with or without me. I never asked her once to ride with me prior to her being interested. That's a chore. Once she started riding she was asking me to go riding with her. For us it's time that the TV isn't going, computers aren't taking up our attention, kids aren't screaming. It's just riding freedom. Now she wouldn't trade her bike for about anything. Including a new bike I'm trying to take her into

ifjeepmadeabike

WOW! That's so incredible! I hope you two get 240,00 more!

Wilfred Laurier

i tried and tried and tried to get my wife to ride with me
and made sure she had a couple decent bikes to be able to do it
and she often gamely tagged along
but i could always tell she wasnt having any fun

one day she said she wanted a basked on the old hybrid
that she occaisionally rode to work
so i got her a big wald newspaper basket
and now i sometimes tag along when she is going out for rides

icul8rg8r

I had little interest in riding my old, heavy, mountain bike - it was hard to shift, hard to mount & dismount, and uncomfortable. But I was missing out on the fun my husband and kids were having riding while camping, after dinner, on nearby rails-to-trails. So my husband rented a cute step-thru cruiser style bike on our last camping trip and I was smitten! Got home and started researching and comparing and test-riding and when I found the one I wanted Igave him all the info. Figured he'd want to do his own research, call around to get the best price, etc. Nope - instead he surprised me and said "Ok, let's go" and we returned to the LBS and bought it right then. I LOVE MY NEW BIKE!

That said, I crashed it less than an hour later, but that's another story. Can't wait until I ca ride again!

Yo Spiff

My wife didn't express any interest for a long time. Partially because her ex also rode and she never felt welcome to join him. I think the other part of her gaining some interest is that cycling is a very social activity. The problem of course, is that you can't just throw a leg over a bike and keep up on even a casual group ride. At this point she is getting out maybe once a week for anywhere from 7 to 15 miles. She's still at the point where it is a lot of hard work and not a lot of fun yet. I did buy her a new hybrid recently, and the lower gearing plus more comfortable 35c tires are helping her to get up hills she could never handle before.

nfmisso

My wife never had much biking experience, even growing up. She's had a couple of bikes since we got together, but never put many miles on them. More recently she had some balance and vision problems. A few years ago, I started talking up getting a tandem again, and she agreed. We bought our T50 used; I made a bunch of changes to it to better suit us. Now she greatly enjoys our weekend rides. I commute 18 miles round trip daily, and there is no way she'd ever keep up on a single, but on a tandem, I can never drop her Tandem are known as accelerators of where ever your relationship is heading - if you are heading closer they are great; if you are heading away from each other, that will happen so much faster with a tandem. Spouse that don't ride as much as we do have a hard time keeping up, which upsets them, and we have to slow way down. which does not make us happy. A tandem can be a great solution - or your worst nightmare.

bloomrae

I can't seem to get my HUSBAND interested in riding. He's in good shape, but doesn't want to ride. He's gone on 3-4 rides with me (I ride daily as a commuter). I think I took him too far and too long on a couple rides. I probably should have taken it a bit easier on him. He's very supportive of my riding, but his legs hurt at the mention of him going with me.
I keep hoping he will discover how amazing it is to ride a bike regularly.