# Marital aid



## BunnV

Hi ladies.

Long story short: My wife and I had hit a rough spot after 2 kids (10 and 7) and 11 years of marriage. :17: 

We needed something to "spark" us up. :aureola: 

We needed a common interest, a new passion....so I bought her a bike.

It's her first new bike since she was a kid (she's 47 now) and her first ever road bike.

It's a 2009 Specialized Dolce Elite (Woman's specific design).

She loves it! :thumbsup: 

We're going on a riding "date" tomorrow. :blush2: 

Do I get brownie points?


----------



## kermit

Well done! A matching kit would be a nice touch!


----------



## shaochieh

That is a great man!!! Many people in this world refuse to do something but you are doing it!!! I think it is a great start!!!!!!!


----------



## biobanker

be cautious of how soon you get her clipless pedals. It was a ride kller with my wife after a couple of tear laden falls at lights. 

It would have been better for my wife to have been totally comfortable with the bike and traffic before I put pedals on


----------



## Guest

I'll second the pedals, my wife is relatively afraid of them, and traffic as well, she is much more comfortable on a MUT. I also have to remember not to roll up to stop signs etc. and roll into a pseudo track stand as she tends to do what she sees me doing without realizing she might not be able yet.


----------



## gcedillo

Great looking bike, enjoy your date and do whatever you can to convince your lady "you da man".

Blessings:thumbsup:


----------



## SilasCL

Remember not to drop her on the first ride...or the first 10 rides for that matter.


----------



## BunnV

biobanker said:


> be cautious of how soon you get her clipless pedals. It was a ride kller with my wife after a couple of tear laden falls at lights.
> 
> It would have been better for my wife to have been totally comfortable with the bike and traffic before I put pedals on


Great advice and I will take it. I got my 10 year old son pedals with flats on one side and SPD mountain bike style clips on the other side. I'm considering something like that for my wife as well. 

Thanks!


----------



## BunnV

kermit said:


> Well done! A matching kit would be a nice touch!


For sure. We've got to get her some proper bike shorts asap to start....


----------



## BunnV

shaochieh said:


> That is a great man!!! Many people in this world refuse to do something but you are doing it!!! I think it is a great start!!!!!!!


Thank you. I think you are right. She seems to like it way more than I though she would.


----------



## BunnV

kytyree said:


> I'll second the pedals, my wife is relatively afraid of them, and traffic as well, she is much more comfortable on a MUT. I also have to remember not to roll up to stop signs etc. and roll into a pseudo track stand as she tends to do what she sees me doing without realizing she might not be able yet.


I hear you kytyree. I'll let her decide when she's ready to go clipless. I'm hoping that since she was a skier that the transition won't be too hard.


----------



## BunnV

gcedillo said:


> Great looking bike, enjoy your date and do whatever you can to convince your lady "you da man".
> 
> Blessings:thumbsup:


LOL! Thanks!


----------



## BunnV

SilasCL said:


> Remember not to drop her on the first ride...or the first 10 rides for that matter.


You are absolutely right and I thought about that too. To make sure I didn't do exactly that, I took her for a ride AFTER I already did my normal ride with my regular group. I did 55 miles with the guys, then came home and did an easy 23 with her. She was psyched! Her goal for today was 20 miles.


----------



## Guest

sounds like its going pretty well so far, congrats


----------



## il sogno

If she's not used to riding give her a few helpful tips on drafting and bike handling. 

// nice bike!


----------



## BunnV

il sogno said:


> If she's not used to riding give her a few helpful tips on drafting and bike handling.
> 
> // nice bike!


Thanks!
We practiced drafting yesterday.


----------



## Andrea138

Make sure she visits a good fitter, too... that bike is nice! :thumbsup:


----------



## Loraura

> Remember not to drop her on the first ride...or the first 10 rides for that matter.


Or ever! What's the point riding together when you leave one person behind?


----------



## onlineflyer

BunnV said:


> You are absolutely right and I thought about that too. To make sure I didn't do exactly that, I took her for a ride AFTER I already did my normal ride with my regular group. I did 55 miles with the guys, then came home and did an easy 23 with her. She was psyched! Her goal for today was 20 miles.


Twenty three miles for a newbie is great. Sounds like you have a great plan and excellent execution. I wish my wife could ride 20+ miles with me.


----------



## Slee_Stack

Congrats on the bike purchase. I did the same for my GF.

One thing my GF told me is that she HATED to hear my rear hub clicking (I always ride behind and let her set pace). It made her feel like I was having too easy a time while she was working hard. She is very sensitive about being new and not strong 'enough' (in HER mind) yet. 

I now have a dead silent hub and she is much happier NOT knowing if I am having it 'too easy'.

PS - We actually looked at the bike you bought and she liked it alot, but we ended up getting a demo model of another brand. Very nice purchase!


----------



## David Loving

Get a tandem next.


----------



## ColoradoVeloDude

BunnV said:


> Hi ladies.
> 
> Long story short: My wife and I had hit a rough spot after 2 kids (10 and 7) and 11 years of marriage. :17:
> 
> We needed something to "spark" us up. :aureola:
> 
> We needed a common interest, a new passion....so I bought her a bike.
> 
> It's her first new bike since she was a kid (she's 47 now) and her first ever road bike.
> 
> It's a 2009 Specialized Dolce Elite (Woman's specific design).
> 
> She loves it! :thumbsup:
> 
> We're going on a riding "date" tomorrow. :blush2:
> 
> Do I get brownie points?





Nice going!

As for the clipless pedals, once on, practice entry exit on a trainer first. Then out somewhere on the road that is nice and quiet. Tell her that's she's gonna fall someday. it won't be nice, but preparation will help!


----------



## zriggle

Good job, man! I've got my eyes open to find 'una cyclista' -- I'm always worried that a girl that I meet that doesn't already "get" cycling won't get it in the future. Amazing to see somebody proving that completely false -- bravo!


----------



## Thommy

Well spoken words Loraura. I gradually got my significant other to use the Performance brand of platform/clipless pedals. I don't recall the name but it really helped to be able to use the flat non-clipless side of the pedal then clip into the other side after we get rolling along. I really enjoy going for a long hard ride but riding with my baby is the best ride.


----------



## BunnV

Thommy said:


> I gradually got my significant other to use the Performance brand of platform/clipless pedals. I don't recall the name but it really helped to be able to use the flat non-clipless side of the pedal then clip into the other side after we get rolling along.


I got the same pedals for my 10 year old son on his road bike. It was a pretty easy transition for him and I'm sure my wife will do well with the same set up.


----------



## Slee_Stack

Thommy said:


> Well spoken words Loraura. I gradually got my significant other to use the Performance brand of platform/clipless pedals. I don't recall the name but it really helped to be able to use the flat non-clipless side of the pedal then clip into the other side after we get rolling along. I really enjoy going for a long hard ride but riding with my baby is the best ride.


They are (or were) called 'Campus' pedals.

I think they are fantasticly useful pedals! I have them on both mine and my GF's hybrid bikes.


----------



## ragweed

Last fall my wife starting suggesting we buy each other mountain bikes (because we live right next to a large canyon preserve, which is a very popular MTB destination.) As an ex-road biker that had gone dormant for the decade I hesitated but then relented around Christmas time. 

Now fast forward to just yesterday when my wife thanked me profusely for saying yes -- she said that was one of the best Xmas gifts we had ever gotten each other and couldn't think of anything to top it. This in spite of her taking a brutal tumble on a wet road this past August and getting 10 stitches by her right eye where hear glasses cut her after her face plant on asphalt. Took my Dearest quite a number of rides to get her mojo back but she persisted and now couldn't be happier. Nice! And I also have to give her kisses for reintroducing me back to road cycling.


----------



## toonraid

My wife went straight into the deep end froma Daewoo hybrid she never rode to a Look 585 with Keo clipless pedals - she had a couple of falls, no tears just laughs and a red face but she got the hang of it - also got a trainers at home which is gret for praticing clipping in and out without any worry - its also great for her as she uses it for an hour most days when kids are at school - she is already getting the edge on me going up hills.


----------



## theBreeze

Loraura said:


> Or ever! What's the point riding together when you leave one person behind?



Well, at least until she drops him at some point, then all bets are off!


----------



## gardenrunner

SilasCL said:


> Remember not to drop her on the first ride...or the first 10 rides for that matter.



+1. Don't piss her off!!!!!!!!!!:lol: Cool bike. How does it ride for her?


----------



## 180

Practicing clipping in and out on the grass is always good. Just give her all the time she needs to really learn the pedals. The proper fitting is super impt. Try to guide her with a few simple things like don't put all the pressure into your wrists, focus on dispersing the weight throughout your body. etc. You guys may want to check out the local bike club together, she might want to meet a fellow female cyclist to ride with once in awhile.


----------



## BunnV

*She's come a long way..*

Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions and compliments! Here is the latest: 

She is riding clipless (SPD's)
She is doing a lot of spinning with her new Kinetic trainer (doing the "Spinervals" DVD)
She is enjoying her new strength, new skills and loss of weight!
She loves cycling jerseys!
She is clipping in and out of her pedals very well and has NOT crashed or even tipped over (yet )

Here she is on her longest road ride to date (30 miles) in Solvang California.


----------



## Trek2.3

Tell her "Congratulations!" from all of us.


----------



## 180

Wow! Right on! So great to hear a success story such as this. She's doin awsum. Please come ride with us up in wine-o country sometime!


----------



## andyaa

How did your wife adjust to the saddle ? 
I just got my wife a Trek Madone 4.5 WSD. She is a close to you wife's age and has been riding for many years, but her last rode bike was probably 8 years ago. Since then she has had a Trek 7300 with a big cushy saddle and a very upright position. She wants to ride more, and ride more with me. The 7300 was limiting us riding together. (I have a Madone 5.5) Her first ride on the Madone 4.5 was on 4/28/10. She went a short distance, maybe 6 miles, says it felt like she was sitting on 2 knife blades. Tried another longer ride yesterday. Same problem. Loves the bike but says she won't ride it again until she gets the saddle problem fixed. I told her we will take it back to the LBS and they will work on the saddle problem. The Bontrager R1 WSD comes in widths, maybe she needs a different width. It seems pretty well padded to me, so I don't know for sure what the problem is. She has biking shorts. The LBS did the fitting while I was there and I thought they did a good job except they didn't check the width of the saddle . I also told her the LBS has lot's of other saddles to try. Hope we can get past the saddle sore issue.

On another note, she is willing to go with clipless pedals. We don't have the clipless pedals on yet because the LBS didn't have the correct size shoes. She can get used to the new bike for a bit before she has to deal with the new pedals and shoes.


----------



## il sogno

andyaa said:


> How did your wife adjust to the saddle ?
> I just got my wife a Trek Madone 4.5 WSD. She is a close to you wife's age and has been riding for many years, but her last rode bike was probably 8 years ago. Since then she has had a Trek 7300 with a big cushy saddle and a very upright position. She wants to ride more, and ride more with me. The 7300 was limiting us riding together. (I have a Madone 5.5) Her first ride on the Madone 4.5 was on 4/28/10. She went a short distance, maybe 6 miles, says it felt like she was sitting on 2 knife blades. Tried another longer ride yesterday. Same problem. Loves the bike but says she won't ride it again until she gets the saddle problem fixed. I told her we will take it back to the LBS and they will work on the saddle problem. The Bontrager R1 WSD comes in widths, maybe she needs a different width. It seems pretty well padded to me, so I don't know for sure what the problem is. She has biking shorts. The LBS did the fitting while I was there and I thought they did a good job except they didn't check the width of the saddle . I also told her the LBS has lot's of other saddles to try. Hope we can get past the saddle sore issue.


IMO, what's important is firm padding on the saddle. Tons of padding on the saddle won't do her any good if her sitbones are resting on the hard plastic under the saddle.

Also check her body position. She's gotta have her weight on distributed on both the saddle and the handlebars, just like guys do.


----------



## antonlove

theBreeze said:


> Well, at least until she drops him at some point, then all bets are off!


Based on the video, I don't believe that BunnV has to worry about getting dropped. :lol: And, as she clearly stated there was a head wind. I'm glad that your marital aid is working and that she's enjoying your time together.


----------



## Tzvia

andyaa-
I second the firm padding. I've struggled with saddles for years (I'm a woman) and until the WSD thing took off, all the lightweight saddles were in thin mens sizes, and all the 'womens' saddles were beach cruiser things with couch pads. The selection is much better now- but have her sit-bones measured before going further. I thought that being a small woman, I would have narrow sit-bones. WRONG. I have wide bones and ended up with a Bontrager Inform RXL (yes the mens) in 154 and it is awesome. What, you say, no beach cruiser padding? Padding gets softer as it breaks down, and you end up sinking down till the bones hit the bottom shell and it hurts. Support is what makes a saddle comfortable same as it is for mens saddles. I used to have a Terry Butterfly TI saddle and it was great for about a month, then it got progressively worse. That's when I did a 180 and went with something firm with minimal padding.

It took about 8 rides to get comfortable on the RXL saddle, and now I have RLs on my MTB and commuter too (all the mens version in 154 thanks Bontrager). This saddle has enabled me to go on 4 hour rides without feeling anything other than tired from the ride. The bones are happy, and I'm happy.


----------



## toonraid

My wife tried many different saddles and she liked her old one which was a Selle Italia Lady and recently she got a Selle Italia Diva which she also likes. 25 tyres with modest pressure (90 psi) helps as does a gel padded bib short - box section or low profile wheels such as Campagnolo Neutron are also more comfy if you are willing to spend a little more.

At the end of the day it takes a while to get used to it so start her on short rides and gradually build it up - if she over does it and gets pain even sitting on a chair better to take a few days off to heal and start again.


----------



## andyaa

Just an update. My wife finally got her new shoes and practiced with the clipless pedals. This is going great. She rode for the first time with them yesterday. She did great, no problems, longer ride today, no problems. And we are making good progress on the seat. The LBS put on Selle LADY Gel Flow for her to try. This saddle seems to be much better for her. Hardly any discomfort on the last 2 rides. Now my wife wants to work on building up on distance.


----------

