Entry Level Bike for my wife

[splat]

There is no major difference between men's and women's bikes. Women's bikes do have more feminine colours. Most important is fit. Women's bikes do have a shorter reach, but that can be found in other brands which are not marketed solely towards females. Best is to apply your standard knowledge and make sure the fit is good. Comfort is what will keep your wife on the bike. Saddle selection will be different though. 

 

And I second the Liv suggestion. They have some fantastically priced bikes and have been amazed at the value. 

 

Generally women have longer legs than men of the same height, so the bars end up being higher. To accommodate this, some women's bikes have taller head tubes and shorter top tubes.

 

Some of the bike brands also make changes to the shocks to accommodate generally lighter riders, the cranks are shorter, grips smaller and bars narrower and of course the saddles are wider.

 

Some of them just add some pink, light blue and green and say that its Women Specific, but  that can come across as patronising and/or condescending. they are also generally lower end bikes.

 

Some women are more comfortable on std geometry, but it depends on their build. 

 

29" vs 27.5" wheels might depend on how tall she is - it probably wont work very well is she was short and you put her on wagon wheels.

 

Seeing as she is new to cycling, take your wife shopping or get her involved in the purchase - it's important that she likes what she ends up with.

 

If I were to buy my wife a new MTB, I would start with the Liv brand for many of the reasons listed above.

[dasilvarsa]

Merida sells the Juliet Series Lady's Bikes for Reasonable $

More Bang for your Buck

 

Scott and Fuji also sell Ladie's Specific Bikes.

[Simon123]

You can also check out the Liv range from Gaint... Great bikes for the ladies, better esp if she is on the petite side.

Did this for my GF who is shorter and got her a LIV hard tail from Giant Cape Town.

 

Highly recommended.

[bleedToWin]

Dammit, now I'm tempted to retry getting my wife to start cycling.
First step would be to teach her how to ride a bike...

[Fruity]

Giant has the Liv range for ladies, and they seem pretty alright. My sister had a Liv and she said it was one of the better mountain bikes she's ridden.

 

The Liv Tempt's seem okay to start with:

https://www.liv-cycling.com/za/bikes-tempt

[Lurch the stalker]

First step would be to teach her how to ride a bike...

I went through this with my sister.

My sister and I wanted to murder each other. If you can, get somebody to teach her for you, or have the patience of a saint.

 

Search the forums, you'll find my desperate cries for help, haha.

[eddy]

My problem is I dont even know where to start for women's bikes...i just got into the grove for men's bike and I kind of knew what I want :-)

 

Bash me for this ;-)

 

size: Small

price: up to 15k

terrain: Table mountain trails - mainly starting from Vredehoek side. 

Time : 4-6 hours per week in the saddle

 

 

 

if this ^^^^^ is your aim, seriously consider this:

 

 

 93e8_41_myka_fsr_comp_char_wht_fuschia_spzld_13_z.jpg

 

Buy my wife's 2013 Specialized Myka FSR Comp. Size small. I bought it brand new four years ago and she has ridden it a total of four times. It's in amazing condition. R9000.

 

 

 

Contact him and start a negotiation. His price may be ambitious but the size looks right and that is first and most important consideration.

[splat]

Giant has the Liv range for ladies, and they seem pretty alright. My sister had a Liv and she said it was one of the better mountain bikes she's ridden.

 

The Liv Tempt's seem okay to start with:

https://www.liv-cycling.com/za/bikes-tempt

Try and squeeze an air fork into your budget.

I regret not shelling out the extra $$ on my wife's bike.

Now looking for a cheap 2nd hand one

[Christofison]

Oh great. 

 

Let me know if you get here :-) 

I got here:

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/316404-specialized-myka-fsr-comp/

[Dexter-morgan]

Go for a Dual, any wheels size, she will thank you later and get her a proper Shorts and Lady specific seat, I have just been through it, bought a Silvernack spectra and recently she hinted towards a Dual(just to save all those bumps)

[PhilipV]

My suggestions are as follows: the right size, Light, and has air suspension.

 

My wife started out on a small spez hardtail I built up out of cheap parts, hand me downs and bits from friends. It had an Air fork, disc brakes and 3x gearing with flat pedals. She loved it. 6months layer she felt confident enough for clipless pedals and shoes, and six months after that we got her a 2nd hand giant Anthem at a great price.

We've spent some money on it (replaced drivetrain and a blown damper,) but it is light, fast, comfortable and has great handling. She also loves the dropper post I gave her for her birthday. That thing unlocked bags of confidence.

She is relatively competitive (she loved reminding men at meerendal that they were being overtaken by a pregnant woman) but doesn't care for the racing scene, so the wheelsize issue is moot.

[Eugene]

My wife decided she wanted to cycle. At her request, she got a hardtail. She rode it 5 times and figured a road bike was better. Sold the mtb and bought a road.

 

The road bike sat in the garage for about 3 years unused. Suddenly the bug bit again and she wanted a mtb. Back to a hardtail. Probably rode it twice. Luckily my daughter grew into it.

 

The bug bit again, this time she wanted a granny bike. The type with a carrier and a basket in front. After much searching, we found one.

 

It is now rusting in the garage.

[Fruity]

My wife decided she wanted to cycle. At her request, she got a hardtail. She rode it 5 times and figured a road bike was better. Sold the mtb and bought a road.

 

The road bike sat in the garage for about 3 years unused. Suddenly the bug bit again and she wanted a mtb. Back to a hardtail. Probably rode it twice. Luckily my daughter grew into it.

 

The bug bit again, this time she wanted a granny bike. The type with a carrier and a basket in front. After much searching, we found one.

 

It is now rusting in the garage.

My wife had a Merida hard tail a few years ago, had a very bad fall on it and that put her off bicycles, so she took up running. Got her a second hand Spez hard tail last year to try to get her back on a bike - she rode it around the driveway a few times and never touched it again. She got herself new running shoes last month. Happy wife, happy life.

[stefmeister]

Let your wife/girlfriend buy her own bicycle. If she really wants to start cycling she’ll use her own money and do her own research on the topic. Otherwise, I’ll bet some good money that the bike will just become a dust collector.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chingy182]

I've been through the same minefield with the gf.

 

She's been reluctant on cycling due to the absurd cost of R10k for a bicycle, nevermind the running costs... So if and when I die there will probably be an amazing bargain available on my Santa Cruz which she probably thinks is worth R15k.

 

Anyway, I have tried many times to get her into cycling as her knees are giving problems from running. I don't want to invest on a dual suspension which becomes a dust collector.

 

I got her a good spec 650b hardtail. I've had considerations of getting a top end 26er dual for under 10k, but reselling becomes an issue IMO.

 

What has helped for us is going on easy rides around Koeberg reserve, which she loves.

I think a coaching session with someone like Joanna Dobinson would be money well spent, because any advise coming from you will just sound like her dad teaching her to drive all over again.

Then go for a bike fit. 

 

I am hoping my investment pays off.

[Schnavel]

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/316661-titan-calypso-elite-2015/

 

Decent spec for a good price!