Help me seal the deal!

[caimg]

So after my cycling obsession took hold in February I've been trying to convince SWMBO to get into it too. It started well - by early April she'd bought herself a god-awful Universal Stowaway 3, a heavy, badly-folding folder, and slowly but surely she's got more confident.

I let her try my Carrera Subway hybrid last week, having neglected it since buying my lovely Triban 3. The difference in efficiency, fun and general effort made her perk right up and announce 'I want a new bike!'. So now, I'm trying to convince her to move to a road bike, so I need some advice.

She's the same height as me at 5ft7/8, so I think she could feel more at ease in a men's road bike than a shorter woman. My Triban 3 is a 54cm frame so I'm thinking of something similarly sized and a female-specific saddle.

Are there women here that found the leap from hybrid (or something similar) to road bike off putting? SWMBO is apprehensive about the higher seat position but I think she'd get used to it with time (like we all do / have).

Any advice appreciated

 

[compo]

In the interests of marital harmony give her your road bike.

Then get yourself a new bike.

Simples

 

[Recycler]

Let her try your Triban. Then she can make her own mind up.

Of course, it's possible that you won't get your Triban back!

 

[musa]

Good plan compo

 

[caimg]

In the interests of marital harmony give her your road bike.

Then get yourself a new bike.

Simples

We're not married so am I safe from that clause?

Mmm I could sell her my Triban 3 and get a Triban 5. Would it be unbelievably sad to have us riding round on matching Triban 3s...? :/

 

[caimg]

Let her try your Triban. Then she can make her own mind up.

Of course, it's possible that you won't get your Triban back!

Actually, I'm slightly concerned that her prejudgment of a road bike's position would make her dislike my Triban if she tried it. That's why I've said we'll go to decathlon tomorrow - that way, if she doesn't like my size frame she can try others until she feels pressured to buy it by the cycling bliss of the general atmosphere.

 

[caimg]

It's important to bear in mind that she's not sold on the idea of a road bike - but I've convinced her she'd enjoy it more than a hybrid and then she might be able to keep up with me when we go out together...

 

[derrick]

My other half is loving her road bike now, she came from her mtb to the road bike, it's taken a little while to get it right for her. We went for a ribble sportive non women specific, it was just a case of getting it setup correctly for her, she started with the saddle to low bars to high, she has now got more confident on it, the saddles gone up the bars are down, changed the rear cassette for a 12/ 27 it was origanaly 12/ 25, she is now thinking about going clipless, thinks nothing about doing 30 mile + rides.
She has fallen in love again, with the bloody bike.

 

[musa]

poor derrick

 

[caimg]

My other half is loving her road bike know, she came from her mtb to the road bike, it's taken a little while to get it right for her. We went for a ribble sportive non women specific, it was just a case of getting it setup correctly for her, she started with the saddle to low bars to high, she has now got more confident on it, the saddles gone up the bars are down, changed the rear cassette for a 12/ 27 it was origanaly 12/ 25, she is now thinking about going clipless, thinks nothing about doing 30 mile + rides.
She has fallen in love again, with the bloody bike.

Ha! This is my aim! Well done, sir

I think the only way it's gonna work if she has the bars a fair bit higher than the saddle to begin with...would this affect frame size choice or is it as straightforward as just lifting the bars on what would be the best frame size for her anyway?

 

[DCLane]

So after my cycling obsession took hold in February I've been trying to convince SWMBO to get into it too. It started well - by early April she'd bought herself a god-awful Universal Stowaway 3, a heavy, badly-folding folder, and slowly but surely she's got more confident.

Hey - I had a Universal Stowaway 3; despite the near-impossible folding action it proved a useful lugger on last year's holiday, adding comedy effect as a BSO.

Now gone for a silly sum via eBay in April. Erm ... not sold to your SWMBO I hope!

 

[derrick]

Deb's is only 5ft 4ins the frame size i think was 44cm frame, i put it together myself so i did not cut the steerer down till she was completely happy with where everything was. but there is quite a lot of adjustment if you buy ready built, ie stem angle, stem lengh and hight of stem.
The smaller frame made her feel safer, she has a bit of distance between the top bar and her crotch.
She still can't keep up with me but she is trying,

 

[biggs682]

i can see this getting expensive

 

[caimg]

Hey - I had a Universal Stowaway 3; despite the near-impossible folding action it proved a useful lugger on last year's holiday, adding comedy effect as a BSO.

Now gone for a silly sum via eBay in April. Erm ... not sold to your SWMBO I hope!

I suppose for what it is (and she didn't pay silly money for it thank god!) it's okay, but my god on anything other than totally flat it's exhausting to ride!

 

[caimg]

So today I managed it - we've just come back from picking up a second hand Carrera TDF limited edition for her (which she loves cos it looks like a bumblebee...) which I'm now fettling ready for a test ride later...

We've gone from 0 bikes to 4 within 3 months. WINNING!