Recommendations: Wifey needs bike for general use or light trail riding

[jbrine]

Looking to find a used or relatively inexpensive bike for my wife. I am not a bike guy, so looking to learn how to go about buying used. What should I look for? What should I watch out for or things to avoid? Brands? Materials in frame? Components? I realize I dont know yet, what I dont know...

Intended to use this for some light trail riding on vacations and then out with the kids around the area and at some parks around MN.

Have been checking FB marketplace and there are just such a wide variety of options I am lost... help?

She is 5'7" and ~130LBS (thinking medium frame would fit)

[Peruvian]

By light trail riding, do you mean rail-trails, crushed gravel paths, etc or actual single track mountain bike trails?

[jbrine]

By light trail riding, do you mean rail-trails, crushed gravel paths, etc or actual single track mountain bike trails?

likely crushed gravel/rail trails. I would see her following our 6 year old as the only way to get to a single track...

[Peruvian]

In that case any bike with tires about 40mm/1.5” wide will do. Some gearing might be nice. Older mountain bikes will have more aggressive geometry than a townie/commuter/hybrid style so she should ride some to see what she likes.

Pick a price point (sub-$150 on craigslist or FB marketplace should give you lots of options) and check that the bike has minimal rust, shifts and brakes easily, and appears to be generally well kept.

[huckbucket]

If you have a LBS that you like, I suggest talking with them about your needs. Sometimes they have customers that are freeing up old rigs. More importantly though, you can pay them to do the once over and fit her to it.

[toast2266]

For occasional, light use for a wife on mostly graded trails, fit is gonna matter more than pretty much anything else. Have her ride a few bikes to get a feel for what she feels comfortable on.

[jbrine]

Thanks all - heading to some bike shops this weekend to see what she likes.

[iriponsnow]

Wife’s new rig. Should get me out of some trouble….

[Sandbox]

Wife’s new rig. Should get me out of some trouble….

Damn…. That’s a nice build. I assume you did something you have to make up for?


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[adrenalated]

Damn…. That’s a nice build. I assume you did something you have to make up for?

Yeah no kidding, is OP trying to make up for boning the housekeeper or something?

[iriponsnow]

Damn…. That’s a nice build. I assume you did something you have to make up for?


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Just insurance

Our daughter is stepping up to her old bike. Couldn't see spending $$ on a kid bike.

[jbrine]

Yeah no kidding, is OP trying to make up for boning the housekeeper or something?

No doghouse issues here…
Trying to keep the illusion of an even field to offset my ski quiver expansions.


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[Duffman]

Bumping this because i'm in the same boat here, want to get something for the wife for our SE PA trails, but she rides only occasionally so putting any real $$$ into this is foolish. But we have lost of rocks and roots so for comfort reasons would prefer to go FS, (she currently has a really old Cannondale hardtail circa 2005ish). Looking for a size small, likely XC travel range is more than enough, but not looking for a XC race machine at all. Lighter more important than bombproof if given a choice. 1x drivetrain preferable for simplicity as I know she hates dealing with her current 3x8 setup. What should I be looking for in the used market and where, and at what target cost?

[toast2266]

Bumping this because i'm in the same boat here, want to get something for the wife for our SE PA trails, but she rides only occasionally so putting any real $$$ into this is foolish. But we have lost of rocks and roots so for comfort reasons would prefer to go FS, (she currently has a really old Cannondale hardtail circa 2005ish). Looking for a size small, likely XC travel range is more than enough, but not looking for a XC race machine at all. Lighter more important than bombproof if given a choice. 1x drivetrain preferable for simplicity as I know she hates dealing with her current 3x8 setup. What should I be looking for in the used market and where, and at what target cost?

Something like a ~5 year old specialized camber (shorter travel) or stumpjumper (a bit more travel) would be a good option. They're simple and pretty common, so they're easy to find and fairly cheap. And they came in both 29" and 27.5" versions, so you can decide which wheel size you'd want. For a small person on moderately techy trails, I'd probably go 27.5 - the big wheels can make the bike feel very un-maneuverable for a smaller person. As with most bikes, you can scale the price up or down based on the fanciness of the parts hung on the frame.

[Lvovsky]

Consider Polygon for the wife? I have T8 that’s been perfect for my novice riding. Wife has a hard tail that she barely uses but enjoys when she does. There are even cheaper options. Good prices, direct to consumer.

[Duffman]

My issue is that lighter weight is probably better for her than more rough trail capable components and suspension, but dropping weight gets spendy in a hurry. The Polygon T7 and such look pretty heavy for a under 5 5 woman

[Dee Hubbs]

I keep checking back in this thread, and not one photo of said wife...

She is 5'7" and ~130LBS (thinking medium frame would fit

[Lvovsky]

My issue is that lighter weight is probably better for her than more rough trail capable components and suspension, but dropping weight gets spendy in a hurry. The Polygon T7 and such look pretty heavy for a under 5 5 woman

Valid point. My T8 is around 33-35lb. No idea if their ‘down country’ bikes are lighter. Wife’s hard tails Xtrada 7 is 30lb for what it’s worth.

[singlesline]

What about this weird "path" bike from Canyon?

https://www.canyon.com/en-us/hybrid-...te-6/2792.html

Oddball part set...XT derailleur and crank?

Full Shimano 12x group for $599.

If I were in this scenario, I'd consider this bike (and just take the XT parts for myself, give my SLX version to the wife). Goofy fork, but that's fine for a gravel path bike (and its a legit air fork, not some coil pogo stick).

[Duffman]

Any thoughts on 29 vs 27.5 wheels for the smaller frame sizes? Looking at the entry level Giants (stance 1) and while the 29 wheel seems more appealing to me since I really don't want another wheel size in the house , would a 5'4 to 5' 5 rider struggle with that size wheel? Looking at the geometry charts , the smaller 29 stances seem to get a little wonky with high stack vs short reach, and a fairly high standover at 730mm. Unfortunately neither the 27.5 or 29 are available locally in a size small to check out.

[toast2266]

Any thoughts on 29 vs 27.5 wheels for the smaller frame sizes? Looking at the entry level Giants (stance 1) and while the 29 wheel seems more appealing to me since I really don't want another wheel size in the house , would a 5'4 to 5' 5 rider struggle with that size wheel? Looking at the geometry charts , the smaller 29 stances seem to get a little wonky with high stack vs short reach, and a fairly high standover at 730mm. Unfortunately neither the 27.5 or 29 are available locally in a size small to check out.

Just based on my wife's preferences, I think it depends on the rider and the trails she's riding. For techier trails, my wife has always preferred a 27.5 just because it feels more maneuverable and she has an easier time making the bike do what she wants it to. But she's fine with a 29er on another trails where she's mostly just kinda pedaling along. She's 5'7", so I would imagine that would be amplified a bit if she were shorter.

[Duffman]

Consider Polygon for the wife? I have T8 that’s been perfect for my novice riding. Wife has a hard tail that she barely uses but enjoys when she does. There are even cheaper options. Good prices, direct to consumer.

Bumping this since we have been looking at the Polygon T8 and none locally available to try out. What kind of trails have you been riding with this? Want to make sure that it pedals decently since most of our trails while very rooty and rocky , and undulating pedal fests. Not a lot of long sustained uphills then downhills.

[Lvovsky]

Bumping this since we have been looking at the Polygon T8 and none locally available to try out. What kind of trails have you been riding with this? Want to make sure that it pedals decently since most of our trails while very rooty and rocky , and undulating pedal fests. Not a lot of long sustained uphills then downhills.

T8 pedals just fine on New Mexican rocks. But I am a noob and have nothing to compare. I’m on the road bike more often than on the T8.

FWIW Polygon is running a sale. T8 is $2000. I paid $2200 in ‘21.

https://www.bikesonline.com/2023-pol...xoCNUkQAvD_BwE

[Duffman]

T8 pedals just fine on New Mexican rocks. But I am a noob and have nothing to compare. I’m on the road bike more often than on the T8.

FWIW Polygon is running a sale. T8 is $2000. I paid $2200 in ‘21.

https://www.bikesonline.com/2023-pol...xoCNUkQAvD_BwE

Yeah, was.excited by that pricing but no smalls in stock. The Marin Roft Zone 2 is a similar.price also now, so considering that also

[Lvovsky]

Yeah, was.excited by that pricing but no smalls in stock. The Marin Roft Zone 2 is a similar.price also now, so considering that also

It’s in stock in charcoal color but not in purple.