# Decent 1st women's bike-price vs comfort



## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

My gf is willing to start cycling b/c I do and also she believes it's great way to do stuff together. She has ridden a long time ago, and is afraid of falling. At the same time, she wants the bike to be super comfortable and easy to ride. I used to race/cycle alot, but b/c of my job, I've stopped cycling for about a year now, so I'm perfectly happy riding really slowly for as long as she wants. She's up for 10-20 mile rides to start. She wants it to be light (she likes my light sub 16 lb Cervelo and Giant), but cheap. I brought her to a Sports Authority, showed her some decent steel and alum bikes (good first bikes), and she says they're way too heavy for her (felt like 30 lbs). Also most of them have triple chainrings, which is overwhelming (we both agree that you don't need 27 speeds given that shifting is an issue for her). I'd rather do a 12-27 and a compact crank. I have nothing against department store bikes, which are fine for infrequent rides, but from my experience I've done charity rides with my female cousin and she's got one, and something's always wrong with her bike in the middle of ride (shifter is stuck,brakes are rubbing to rim--probably too little maintenance also) 

I'd like to buy her a decent used/or new carbon bike for $750 or less. I ride on alum mostly and like it b/c it's stiff, and I don't mind the road buzz but I can tell you, if she got on alum bike, she probably won't like it. Plus, I've spoken to fellow female cyclists I know who ride alum bikes (with carbon stays), and they say their bike is on the stiff side, and are switching to carbon. I guess maybe a Synapse Carbon Feminine or Specialized Ruby would be perfect but a new or newly used one is way too much. If she doesn't take to cycling, it'll be a big waste. Any other brands/models worth considering? Many thanks.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

She may or may not need a bike with "women's" geometry. You should probably enlist the services of a competent bike shop so that she can try a lot of different bikes out and see what she likes. If it's a perfect fit, being a couple of pounds heavier isn't going to matter so much.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

Andrea138 said:


> She may or may not need a bike with "women's" geometry. You should probably enlist the services of a competent bike shop so that she can try a lot of different bikes out and see what she likes. If it's a perfect fit, being a couple of pounds heavier isn't going to matter so much.


Thanks. Given her size, 5'3" and an inseam probably not more than 71-73 cm, she probably will have to get a women's specific bike. I'd be happy enough if she could ride a 700c vs 650c bike. Also she's not crazy about the drop handlebar, reaching over to brake/shift. I may have to get a road bike and put on a flat bar, and progress from there. So to get her comfortable on a drop bar, the top tube has to be real short, and the stem flipped and short. I may also have to put another set of brake levers on the bar (since I don't anticipate her riding on the hoods for an extended period of time).


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## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

A used Trek WSD might be good for her. I'm not crazy about the Cannondales. IMO the Specialized are pretty good. The newer Treks are very good. 

Orbea makes a fantastic women's bike too. I've ridden the Diva. They have the Dama which is less expensive.

BTW, I'm 5' 4" and I ride a Look men's bike.


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

il sogno said:


> A used Trek WSD might be good for her. I'm not crazy about the Cannondales. IMO the Specialized are pretty good. The newer Treks are very good.
> 
> Orbea makes a fantastic women's bike too. I've ridden the Diva. They have the Dama which is less expensive.
> 
> BTW, I'm 5' 4" and I ride a Look men's bike.


Thanks...a Trek WSD is an option. Orbea is way too much. Plus, did I mention, the bike should be all or mostly black or dark grey? She hates pink, white, light blue, green, orange, practically all the colors that "women's" bikes come in b/c 1) black and grey are cool and 2) the bike can be dirty and still look ok. I agree with reason #1, but never thought that she would say reason #2. Go figure!

Your Look is one sweet bike, and you were defiinitely fitted to it. The bike that I think she'll end up with is probably a used bike that we won't have the benefit of gettng fitted on. She cannot imagine, nor will ever allow me to spend more than a $1000 on a bike, and in fact she's still trying to convince me to just give her mine (which I'll be more than gladly do if she can fit it). I was thinking of pushing the seatpost all the way down on any of my bikes, buy a 70mm stem and a 38cm handlebar, and give her one of my bikes. However, even with those radical adjustments, I can't see her comfortable on a bike that has a 53cm+ toptube.


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## az_will (Jun 11, 2008)

My wife wouldn't hear of spending alot on her for a first road bike either. I found a $225.00 1993 48 cm specialized allez (comfortable Cro moly with pretty lugs) in great condition on Craigslist. The guy accepted $175.00 for it. It had clipless pedals already on it. She fussed about the "weird" pedals but with very little patience and coaxing she took to them like a fish to water. She loves the bike and is steadily getting into riding. At this rate it shouldn't be too long before I can talk her into something really nice and modern. If not, I didn't make an "I told you so" finacial disaster out of wanting something we could do together.


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## bolandjd (Sep 12, 2008)

I've found Sports Authority not so good for bicycles. You could probably find something decent within your price range at REI or Performance Bicycle, if there's either of those near where you live. Of course, buying used is going to get you the best bang for the buck. For the record, my wife has a Cannondale Synapse Alloy that she loves. Get what fits and feels best within your budget; don't worry about the brand.

As for the comfort level, in the $750 price range the only steel bikes I've ever seen are single speeds/fixies (like the Redline 925 or Schwinn Madison) or cruisers. For geared "road" bikes, aluminum is about your only option unless you go up about $1000. So you're probably stuck with aluminum, but you should be able to find a bike with a least a carbon fork, which will help a lot with the road buzz and harshness. If road comfort is still a problem, put on some fatter tires, like 25mm or 28mm ones, and run them at lower pressure, like less than 100 psi. That should do the trick and give a nice smooth ride.


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Just a tip if your GF is concerned about all the road bike issues, (risk averse):
drop bars
brfiters
cipless pedals

We bought my wife a good bike - but she rode it for 3 - 4 days on the trainer (20 minutes at a time) to get used to all the particulars - mostly the pedals. With her we found it better to go cautious - now she is really into the sport and rides whenever she can.

Still havn't figured out how to get her to ride in weather below 50 degrees though.


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## Andrea138 (Mar 10, 2008)

pdh777 said:


> Still havn't figured out how to get her to ride in weather below 50 degrees though.


http://www.ibex.com
http://www.teamestrogen.com/index.ep

Start shopping.


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## BassNBrew (Aug 4, 2008)

You could probably pick up a used Cervelo Team in the gray or black anodized for around $750. That should weigh sub 20lb but have a top end performance.


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*Budget*



ping771 said:


> ...I'd like to buy her a decent used/or new carbon bike for $750 or less...


Well don't forget the extra$$$. Helmet, pedals, shoes(?), shorts with women specific chamois, saddle. You may be able to dig around your used bike stuff box for some items but shorts and saddle may be fairly specific.



ping771 said:


> ...I'd be happy enough if she could ride a 700c vs 650c bike...


Focus on the bike fit and don't worry so much about the wheels. Since she is so worried about falling you may be better off with 650c as it is less likely there will be any toe overlap issues that would panic a newbie. Keep in mind that a smaller 650c makes the gearing a bit easier too.

With regard to gearing, think about where you will be riding the next year. Will she really need a compact, a granny and billy goat cogs or will you be selecting routes that are not so challenging for a beginner?


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## ping771 (Apr 10, 2006)

Thanks all for your input! At our budget it looks like all carbon is out, so we'll try for alum bike with carbon stays and fork. I used to think that a stiff ride such as my Cervelo Team Soloist was the best, but when I test rode a new Madone (Performance Fit geometry) and a Cdale Carbon Synapse, I felt like I was riding on a carpet instead of asphalt. Amazing is all I can say. So I can only imagine that my gf would not complain too much about the ride qualities of a carbon ride. But as $ is an issue, I'll look for the next best thing. Low standover height, short top tube length is really key. 

Yeah, we'll need money for clothes and a helmet. Believe me, we'll be going down Cheap Street on everything until (and if) she really gets into the sport. 

My mention of compact cranksets was simply to make pedalling in any gear a bit easier. But I guess a beginner wouldn't see that much of difference whether she/he's pedalling in a 39-27 or 34-27 on the flats. I won't be taking her on any moderate hills anyways for a while. But if the bike comes with a compact, even better.


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