Wife Bike Recommendations (entry level)?

Discussion in 'Bike Reviews' started by StrandLeper, Sep 30, 2016.


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  1. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Alright. So the wife is digging our afternoon beach cruiser rides on the Balboa Peninsula and on the tree streets in Laguna and is now asking if "Maybe I can ride the fire road at Aliso and LCWP?"

    She is very fit (does cardio about four-five hours per week on cycling trainer, stair stepper and treadmill), but not a great bike handler (worse than me) and not very confident in her riding skills.

    I am thinking a front suspension plus-tire bike that will be easy on her back. Don't want to dump a ton of money into this as she isn't sure how much she is going to like doing it. Assuming that she likes her maiden voyage this weekend (on a rental bike), do we have any suggestions for a high quality, non-budget busting entry level bike for a petite (5'1" 94 pounds) petite woman?

    TIA!
     
    Mikie and mtnbikej like this.
  2. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Hate to say it, but go to the LBS and see what they have. Small size frames are usually pretty cheap this time of year.

    Any of the big 3 is gonna have something in the Entry Level+. It is a bit of a drive, but I have heard great things about Fullerton Bikes. Everyone we have referred over there has had nothing but praise for Mike and his crew. They are a Giant and SC dealer.

    Another shot at Blasphemy would be to go to Performance and look into some of the less popular lines, like Fuji. Again, blowing out last years models might get you something a bit nicer for a whole lot less.

    27.5 is gonna be the wheel size.....29 is doable, but tougher. She will be in the XS/S sizings.

    Most of all, good luck with it. It is great having a spouse to ride with....even if it's not on a death march.
     
    StrandLeper and Mikie like this.
  3. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I was hoping that someone with plus tire experience would chime in. I have a set, and I like them, but they are more of a downhill novelty. They are significantly harder to spin and maintain momentum than normal tires. She may like the feel, or she may notice the constant monster truck noise and prefer something more standard. At her weight, you'd be able to run some pretty low pressures in a normal 27.5 tire to get the grip and a little cushion to the ride.

    As J says, I'd take her to the local LBS and see what they have... Guys who have been successful at this all insist that it's important for the wife to pick the bike. I'm not that smart, unfortunately, and learn the hard way. I have my opinions about Performance, but they have some decent entry level bikes. The Charge hardtails were on my short list when I bought the el Mariachi and the Fujis are decent. I believe the Charges come in 29 and 27.5+ now, so you could see and feel the difference. Solid, simple bikes... And as J mentions, all of the big names have entry level bikes with very similar component packages. If she's on the fire roads, any of them will last a long time, or at least until she's ready to upgrade.

    Good luck with the test ride this weekend! I hope she takes to it.
     
  4. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    if the Kona Fat Honzo is sized right, the Kona geometry is comfy and confidence inspiring...just wondering if anyone does plus tires in extra small.
     
    StrandLeper and Mikie like this.
  5. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    Marin Pine Mountain is a really cool B+ bike. They have the rigid model for under $1K, and the PM2 with a fork for a bit more. I don't know if someone her size would reap the benefits of a B+ wheel though.

    FYI REI is having their garage sale tomorrow, see if there are any close outs there or in the store. Some of the Novaras are decent bikes.
     
    StrandLeper, Mikie and DangerDirtyD like this.
  6. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    StrandLeper and Mikie like this.
  7. noLungs

    noLungs Member

    Location:
    West Covina
    Name:
    Robert
    Current Bike:
    About to flip a coin
    I have a plus bike that I find myself riding more and more. It's also the bike I loan to people when I take them riding for the first time. Every single person I have ride the 29+ loves it. Most people's concerns surrounding mountain bikes come from traction, and there is certainly no shortage of that with +bikes. I'm in no way in great shape but don't find plus tires that much harder to spin. I just started my foray into 27.5 and echo your opinion of stardard tires aired down as her weight will allow for nearly 20psi (if not less) pressures.

    Definitely check REI as I just saw some decent deals there.

    P.s. I'm going to build a 27.5+ set to see what the fuss of that size is about.
     
    kioti, Danmtchl, StrandLeper and 5 others like this.
  8. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Riding with spouse...awesome!

    No specific recos, but will say that 26" wheels with 2.4 tires was a great combo for my petite lass to become confident. Suspension played a big part as well, although I understand you are not looking to charge technical trails.

    Good luck tooling up for fun!!!
     
    kioti, Danmtchl, StrandLeper and 3 others like this.
  9. Tips for spec'ing a bike for your wife:
    1. Color is super important, like way way important. Take her around to 2-3 shops to view the different brands/styles to see what she leans towards and bring home catalogs to stare at.
    2. Don't buy a $240 XC racing saddle just because that was the only woman's specific saddle the shop had in stock. Let her pick a nice saddle after a few rides on the stock saddle.
    3. The first trail ride maiden voyage should not involve snake encounters, water crossings, or mud of any kind.

    I built a 26" scott contessa hardtail for my wife years ago before we had kids and had time to ride. The stock spec was heavy, so I went light wheels, magura disk brakes, and some light bars. the rest super affordable stock parts. It rode great for her, and I would put on some maxis 2.35 high rollers on it if we went to mammoth or elsewhere. A FS bike would have been overkill given the basic fireroad stuff she wanted to ride. Actually a couple trails at Morro bay she road great that were more challenging.

    Some of my friends have bought the Giant LIV FS bikes for their wives and love them.
     
    kioti, Danmtchl, mike and 5 others like this.
  10. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    ^^^Tip #1^^^
     
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  11. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    @StrandLeper My wife has a small Titus Motolite that your wife could borrow. It might give her an idea of what she would like or not like before buying a bike. It is a 26" full squish however.

    IMG_0070.JPG
     
  12. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Nice bike @herzalot and thanks for the generous offer! I will get in touch with you.
     
    herzalot likes this.
  13. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Great idea to borrow a bike and get a reference point for a future buy. Riding just one or three bikes before buying is bound to somewhat future-proof the purchase. If she really gets into it and desires an upgrade? I think that's the desired result beyond just liking her current bike.

    The Weasel had a cheap HT, so I upgraded it to a very nice HT. Bad move! Once she got a FS, that was it. She went from a 4" to a 5" bike with 150mm fork, and you could not pry that Turner 5.Spot away from her now. She demo'ed a couple of 27.5 bikes and still prefers the Spot. Flat pedals of course. Plushness is they key; my gal does not like/want trail feedback, she wants a smooth, controlled ride. But yes, she does ride all sorts of chunk and technical terrain.

    Here's to your riding-together future...
     
  14. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Thanks all for the input. Was at box store (Performance) buying a cushier saddle for her cruiser and she hopped on a GT hard tail 27.5 (XXS) and started riding around the store... couldn't get her off of it, so I tossed it in the back of the van. If she gets into it, we will upgrade to full squish and the local boys and girls club will get another bike. Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and input. The next entry related to this issue will be in the "I rode my bike today" thread.
     
    Oaken, herzalot, kioti and 11 others like this.
  15. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    That's awsome....enjoy the trail time together.
     
    StrandLeper and Danmtchl like this.
  16. fos'l

    fos'l Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Bob
    Current Bike:
    2005 Santa Cruz Superlight
    Good choice; GT is producing some nice bikes again, and I'm sure the price was right.
     
    StrandLeper and Danmtchl like this.
  17. noLungs

    noLungs Member

    Location:
    West Covina
    Name:
    Robert
    Current Bike:
    About to flip a coin
    You just threw it into your van without paying!?!? That's ballzy :D congrats to her on her whip.
     
  18. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Actually, very little money changed hands. But I might have stopped briefly at the register prior to leaving the store.
     
    herzalot and Danmtchl like this.
  19. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Bikes R fun, but not as fun as biking. Here's to safe biking so Mrs. Strand keeps her mojo anabolic :thumbsup:
     
    StrandLeper and Danmtchl like this.
  20. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Also remember.....you probably shouldn't take her down 5 Oaks on her first ride. :cautious:
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?