Road Bike for Wife

noob
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noob
Edited Date/Time 1/27/2012 7:20pm
I sold my wife's mountain bike because she was complaining that it's too clunky and heavy. She wanted a road bike instead. I told her she's probably not gonna like the drop-bar position, so I talked her into a Trek FX 7.5 WSD


23.4 lbs
Flat bar, carbon fork, road wheels
Comfortable, casual, easy to ride... boring.


But when we went to the LBS yesterday to get the Trek, they had an '09 Gary Fisher ARC Super GS on close-out


21.0 lbs
Carbon fork, seatpost, chainstays & seatstays
Slightly awkward riding position (+braking & shifting), potential for her to bitch about being uncomfortable


Any thoughts? Dougie... fcr... Twizzler... Rat?

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SteveS
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SteveS 3/29/2010 10:31am
3/29/2010 10:31am
Have her ride them to decide?
noob
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noob 3/29/2010 10:54am
3/29/2010 10:54am
SteveS wrote:
Have her ride them to decide?
She did.

She thinks the green bike is gorgeous (it is - the picture doesn't do it justice), but she's not used to the drop bars and felt awkward riding it. I convinced her that she'll get used to it, but I'm not sure that I believe myself. I recently switched from a MTB to a road bike and didn't like it for the first few weeks. Now I love it. But I've had much more experience on a bike than her.

She's not excited about the hybrid, but likes that it's smooth and a "no-brainer" to ride.

I guess I just want to push her out of her comfort zone, but don't want to deal with the bitching if she ends up hating it.
dougie
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dougie 3/29/2010 10:56am
3/29/2010 10:56am
What Steve said.

Its tuff to say without knowing your wife, and how serious she may be about riding.

Id add however that if you plan on doing any serious rides then get the Fisher. Also it would show your faith in her abilities. She may see the Trek as something for old folks.

If youre just gonna cruise around the block after dinner then the only important thing is that the bike is the "right" color.

And whatever you decide make sure they fit her to the bike. That should alleviate some of the bitching. Plus that way you'll have someone else to blame any discomfort on.
dougie
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dougie 3/29/2010 10:59am
3/29/2010 10:59am
SteveS wrote:
Have her ride them to decide?
noob wrote:
She did. She thinks the green bike is gorgeous (it is - the picture doesn't do it justice), but she's not used to the drop bars...
She did.

She thinks the green bike is gorgeous (it is - the picture doesn't do it justice), but she's not used to the drop bars and felt awkward riding it. I convinced her that she'll get used to it, but I'm not sure that I believe myself. I recently switched from a MTB to a road bike and didn't like it for the first few weeks. Now I love it. But I've had much more experience on a bike than her.

She's not excited about the hybrid, but likes that it's smooth and a "no-brainer" to ride.

I guess I just want to push her out of her comfort zone, but don't want to deal with the bitching if she ends up hating it.
I wouldnt think riding with your hands on the hoods is all that uncomfortable. Sure riding around in the drops could get old quick but who does that?

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Robert
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Robert 3/29/2010 11:04am
3/29/2010 11:04am
SteveS wrote:
Have her ride them to decide?
noob wrote:
She did. She thinks the green bike is gorgeous (it is - the picture doesn't do it justice), but she's not used to the drop bars...
She did.

She thinks the green bike is gorgeous (it is - the picture doesn't do it justice), but she's not used to the drop bars and felt awkward riding it. I convinced her that she'll get used to it, but I'm not sure that I believe myself. I recently switched from a MTB to a road bike and didn't like it for the first few weeks. Now I love it. But I've had much more experience on a bike than her.

She's not excited about the hybrid, but likes that it's smooth and a "no-brainer" to ride.

I guess I just want to push her out of her comfort zone, but don't want to deal with the bitching if she ends up hating it.
dougie wrote:
I wouldnt think riding with your hands on the hoods is all that uncomfortable. Sure riding around in the drops could get old quick but who...
I wouldnt think riding with your hands on the hoods is all that uncomfortable. Sure riding around in the drops could get old quick but who does that?

Lance
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noob 3/29/2010 11:14am
3/29/2010 11:14am
dougie wrote:
What Steve said. Its tuff to say without knowing your wife, and how serious she may be about riding. Id add however that if you plan...
What Steve said.

Its tuff to say without knowing your wife, and how serious she may be about riding.

Id add however that if you plan on doing any serious rides then get the Fisher. Also it would show your faith in her abilities. She may see the Trek as something for old folks.

If youre just gonna cruise around the block after dinner then the only important thing is that the bike is the "right" color.

And whatever you decide make sure they fit her to the bike. That should alleviate some of the bitching. Plus that way you'll have someone else to blame any discomfort on.
Thanks for the input, Dougie.

She's not serious about riding now... I'm hoping a sexy race-inspired bike will push her in that direction. She's recently gotten excited about spin classes at her gym... but didn't want to get cycling shoes. I had to talk her into the advantages of clipping in. Maybe there's a pattern here...

I think you're right about showing faith in her abilities.
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noob 3/29/2010 11:17am
3/29/2010 11:17am
dougie wrote:
I wouldnt think riding with your hands on the hoods is all that uncomfortable. Sure riding around in the drops could get old quick but who...
I wouldnt think riding with your hands on the hoods is all that uncomfortable. Sure riding around in the drops could get old quick but who does that?

She said it took too much concentration to brake and shift, that she couldn't enjoy the ride. Just a learning curve, I guess.
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newmann 3/29/2010 11:20am
3/29/2010 11:20am
Whichever one you get, make sure it is the right size for her. Just a little off on sizing can really make for an uncomfortable ride. Make sure she can get a good test ride in on it first to see not only how it fits, feels and handles. When we first got road bikes, my wife had the idea she wanted a Tri bike because she eventually wanted to do some short triathlons. Bad idea. Not only was the bar and lever setup awkward for a beginner, the aluminum frame was so damn rigid it nearly rattled her teeth out . I ended up putting together a really sweet road bike for her about a year or so later. She's 5'3" and Giant only offered their extra small TCR as a frameset only at the time. I built it up with a bunch of carbon and ti parts to keep the weight down and make for a comfortable ride. I found alloy wheels made in Florida that actually weighed less than carbons and for a fraction of the cost. Originally used some really lightweight tires and lightweight tubes but her tendency to go towards the gravel and broken glass led me to change those to something a little more normal. While most bikes weights are given with no pedals, computers or bottle cages, this one weighed in at 15 lbs 3 oz fully equipped with a big cushy seat on it when I first put it together. Talk about haul some ass too, fast bike and a super smooth ride.

Robert
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Robert 3/29/2010 11:25am
3/29/2010 11:25am Edited Date/Time 3/29/2010 11:29am
Damn, that's light or is it lite?
noob
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noob 3/29/2010 11:29am
3/29/2010 11:29am
newmann wrote:
Whichever one you get, make sure it is the right size for her. Just a little off on sizing can really make for an uncomfortable ride...
Whichever one you get, make sure it is the right size for her. Just a little off on sizing can really make for an uncomfortable ride. Make sure she can get a good test ride in on it first to see not only how it fits, feels and handles. When we first got road bikes, my wife had the idea she wanted a Tri bike because she eventually wanted to do some short triathlons. Bad idea. Not only was the bar and lever setup awkward for a beginner, the aluminum frame was so damn rigid it nearly rattled her teeth out . I ended up putting together a really sweet road bike for her about a year or so later. She's 5'3" and Giant only offered their extra small TCR as a frameset only at the time. I built it up with a bunch of carbon and ti parts to keep the weight down and make for a comfortable ride. I found alloy wheels made in Florida that actually weighed less than carbons and for a fraction of the cost. Originally used some really lightweight tires and lightweight tubes but her tendency to go towards the gravel and broken glass led me to change those to something a little more normal. While most bikes weights are given with no pedals, computers or bottle cages, this one weighed in at 15 lbs 3 oz fully equipped with a big cushy seat on it when I first put it together. Talk about haul some ass too, fast bike and a super smooth ride.

Nice bike!

This one is quite a bit heavier than that (mostly due to the Tiagra grouppo), but has a nice frame and decent wheels.

The guy at the shop said the frame fits her perfect... offered to swap out the stem for something higher and a shim the levers closer to the bars for her.
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noob 3/31/2010 2:28pm
3/31/2010 2:28pm
After a second test ride, she decided to go with the Fisher. That made me happy.

There are a few shitty components sprinkled in, but it's still more bike than she's ever dreamt of.




noob
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noob 3/31/2010 2:31pm
3/31/2010 2:31pm
On a side note, I picked up a Trek Madone 6 Series at the shop last night to see how light they are... Holy shit!! It must be something else, riding something that light.

It was this one:


dirthead1
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dirthead1 3/31/2010 3:00pm
3/31/2010 3:00pm
Put a flat bar on the racer. Now she's a hipster...
newmann
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newmann 3/31/2010 3:31pm
3/31/2010 3:31pm
noob wrote:
On a side note, I picked up a Trek Madone 6 Series at the shop last night to see how light they are... Holy shit!! It...
On a side note, I picked up a Trek Madone 6 Series at the shop last night to see how light they are... Holy shit!! It must be something else, riding something that light.

It was this one:


My wife bought me a 2005 5.9 Madone for my birthday that year. Nice bike.
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fcr 3/31/2010 3:36pm
3/31/2010 3:36pm
She will ride on the hoods mostly , my first MTB is a Fisher Excaliber. What it comes down to is the motor, she likes the look, so it will have a better motor. Components can be replaced easily, a good set of wheels that can go from one bike to another will make a huge difference in feel also.
noob
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noob 3/31/2010 3:40pm
3/31/2010 3:40pm
noob wrote:
On a side note, I picked up a Trek Madone 6 Series at the shop last night to see how light they are... Holy shit!! It...
On a side note, I picked up a Trek Madone 6 Series at the shop last night to see how light they are... Holy shit!! It must be something else, riding something that light.

It was this one:


newmann wrote:
My wife bought me a 2005 5.9 Madone for my birthday that year. Nice bike.
You're a lucky dude. Those Madones are the best looking bikes I've ever seen in person. Absolutely gorgeous.
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noob 3/31/2010 3:47pm
3/31/2010 3:47pm
fcr wrote:
She will ride on the hoods mostly , my first MTB is a Fisher Excaliber. What it comes down to is the motor, she likes the...
She will ride on the hoods mostly , my first MTB is a Fisher Excaliber. What it comes down to is the motor, she likes the look, so it will have a better motor. Components can be replaced easily, a good set of wheels that can go from one bike to another will make a huge difference in feel also.
I'm still on the hoods too. It's gonna be fun making the transition together.
TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 3/31/2010 4:29pm
3/31/2010 4:29pm
105? Ultegra?

The "Groupo" can make ALL the difference...

I'm jus' sayin'...

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