Results 1 to 25 of 32
Thread: What bike for the spousal unit
-
12-13-2020, 07:48 PM #1
What bike for the spousal unit
What up kooks,
Will be getting a bike for my wife this winter/spring and curious what the collective says.
Details
- 5’2”
- new rider (rode beach cruisers her whole life)
- competent skier with good athletic ability
Last summer we had her on 2 bikes a small 29er from pivot (switchblade?), and a XS/27.5 from REI. She liked the sizing of the XS/27.5. Which I feel is better from a control/confidence building standpoint.
Anyways, I want her to enjoy it and I know that a cheap bike will pedal like shit and the likelihood of her liking it will be less. The dilemma is this size frame doesn’t show up often on Pinkbike and fuck retail prices.
Things I’m also throwing around...
- any good youth bikes that aren’t shit?
- anyone have a XS/S 27.5er that they are trying to dump?
- ideally 120-140 rear / 120-150 front
No tits but here is a pic for stoke
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
12-13-2020, 08:18 PM #2
You don’t want a youth bike, for sure
-
12-13-2020, 08:24 PM #3
Why? Geometry strange? Poor quality?
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
12-13-2020, 08:31 PM #4Not a skibum
- Join Date
- Aug 2002
- Location
- PA
- Posts
- 2,648
Would recommend steering away from youth bikes as well. Either heavy w crap components or more expensive than a grown adult small size bike bc they don’t have same manufacturing scale. Kids bikes tend to cap out at 26” and adult start in 27.5 these days.
Don’t have great suggestions for used market it’s real tough, especially this year’s bike market. Also extra small used bikes get snatched up quick for kids these days as well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
12-14-2020, 08:19 AM #5
buy new (used are selling for inflated value, and used = parts that dont work as well as new)
buy what you can find (limited stock for next summer, and no old stock)
buy what she like is options exist
-
12-14-2020, 09:01 AM #6
My SO is 5'2" as well. I ended up getting her a Canyon women's specific bike. It's still a little too long in the cockpit for her. I'm looking to change the stem and bars to correct that. It's a really nice bike though.
https://www.canyon.com/en-co/women-b...ountain-bikes/
-
12-14-2020, 09:06 AM #7
Definitely get a 27.5. Small vs. XS will depend on the specific bike. For newer, longer bikes she'd probably benefit from an xs, but if you find something used that doesn't have modern stretched out geo, she might be good on a small. Look at the effective top tube and reach measurements on the bikes she's ridden and use that to guide your purchase.
And I'm not sure buying used is a terrible option right now. If she was buying a medium or a large, I'd say she's out of luck. But buying a small / xs might be more possible.
-
12-14-2020, 09:29 AM #8
If you're looking to go through a local shop, go see Cathy at Bicycle Butler. Great people, lots of experience. Cathy is probably around 5-2 or 5-3 so will be able to relate to your SO. They do pretty well on getting deals together for people. Good shop.
-
12-14-2020, 10:00 AM #9
Woah, that’s a deal!!
Likely will be going this rout at the price — that’s nuts for a carbon frame!!
Good points on sizing, I’ve only been biking for a year so im not up to date on nuances of frame geo!
Perfect, we will swing by and pick her brain!!
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
12-14-2020, 10:12 AM #10
All good advice. My lovely wife and my daughter at 5'2". I actually am tryign to keep their 26" bikes moving along - I would never buy them 29". Geo is too big. Modern geo with a longer wheelbase will make a 27.5" fit a small woman ok, but 26 is still better. If I get them new bikes I'd get the Juliana Rubion or Furtado in 27.5" wheels. Look into that. You can usually find them used in XS or S which is what you'd need.
If you find a kids bike with a high quality frame and fork you can live with long term you can replace all the components and have a sweet bike. I made a very small cyclocross bike like that once.
-
12-14-2020, 11:42 AM #11
I tend to be a big proponent of the cheap bike train, so take this with a grain of salt, but I am going to recommend a cheap 27.5 hardtail for under a G. Diamondback (which was the original recco I got here for myself) makes a bunch for example.
The reason: She hasn't had that first good fall yet. This will happen eventually. My wife, hearty Maine woman that she is even, took one solid digger and basically decided if her body is going to take that much punishment, a baby better be popping out instead. She likes cruising beginner trails (and having babies) at most these days.
Just my food for thought given she's a never ever before dropping a couple grand on a bike sized to prevent easily selling it if she bails. Then if it sticks, this hardtail becomes the sweetest beach cruiser around so all is not lost.Live Free or Die
-
12-14-2020, 03:40 PM #12
-
12-15-2020, 10:03 AM #13
I’m just gonna plug this again, going to a weekend Trek Women’s Dirt Series camp was a game changer for my wife. She finally
got to focus on fundamentals of basic body positioning, sighting corners and features, speed control etc. It made her comfortable with the idea of going out for shop or other group rides that were women’s specific, other workshop/clinic rides etc. It gave her the freedom to feel it’s okay to stop at a feature and session it 4-5 times and not feel in a rush to “keep moving” for the sake of trying not to slow me down or what not. Most importantly it lowered the stress level and vastly increased the margin of safety/control for any time we ride together.
This doesn’t answer your question, it just affects your budget. The more you guys spend on these kinds of clinics and training, the more you can get out of a bike, no matter what you spend on it.
Do you have a budget yet?_______________________________________________
"Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.
I'll be there." ... Andy Campbell
-
12-15-2020, 01:06 PM #14
-
12-15-2020, 01:24 PM #15
I wouldn't discount a 29er. My wife is 5'2", rode a ton in the 90's and mid-00's until we had kids and recently started riding again (esp now that kids are riding). After much research, she got an Ibis Ripley. She was worried the big wheels would be too unwieldly but she doesn't even notice them. The updated geometry is not the clown bikes of the past and they are really dialed. A 27.5 would be great as well, but mid-travel 29er fit her style more. I would get 29/27.5 based on what she will ride. Check out https://www.probikesupply.com/. They usually have decent pricing. You need to call them to get inventory, lead-time - their website kinda blows.
If you want to go cheap, I highly recommend a plus sized hardtail. My daughter (5'4") is on a Rocky Mountain Growler. Great bike, about $1200 and the plus size tires add some cushion.
-
12-16-2020, 03:42 PM #16_______________________________________________
"Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.
I'll be there." ... Andy Campbell
-
12-21-2020, 07:46 PM #17
Another great option for all women's clinics is the Ladies Allride series- I helped out at the one up at Targhee. Coaches for every skill level from newbies to jumps and downhill, great vibe. https://www.ladiesallride.com/
Sent from my SM-A600A using Tapatalk
-
12-21-2020, 07:53 PM #18
Such a good idea, the first big crash has gotta be sobering for most gals!!
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
03-02-2021, 11:39 AM #19
Trigger pulled this morning. Was waiting for Canyon to restock the XS Neuron CF6.
Solid components for the price $3700 shipped to me. Wife is stoked on the color. I’m stoked on how capable this bike looks.
Thanks for all the help gents.
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
03-02-2021, 12:03 PM #20
I like how that stand over height looks for 5’ 2”.
Well done.Forum Cross Pollinator, gratuitously strident
-
03-06-2021, 01:54 PM #21
What bike for the spousal unit
Wicked fast shipping — showed up yesterday!
Spousal Unit waiting on medical clearance (had baby 3.5 weeks ago) then she will take it for the maiden voyage!
Thanks all for the recommendations - I’m really impressed with the components on this bike for the price!
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
-
03-06-2021, 03:53 PM #22
Sick!
-
03-06-2021, 04:17 PM #23
Very nice!!!
-
03-07-2021, 08:44 PM #24
That thing looks hawt!!! Congrats on the little one too!
See my thread on mountain biking with a 1 year one! Started doing really short pavement rides at 8 months and smooth off road rides around a year._______________________________________________
"Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.
I'll be there." ... Andy Campbell
-
03-08-2021, 07:34 AM #25
Looks like you got a rad bike at a great price, congrats!
So, this anecdote is too late for you but maybe helpful for someone else? My lady is 5'5" or so, which puts her in the "small" frame size category for nearly all brands. After demoing several bikes in small, a shop employee suggested that maybe she try one of those same bikes in a medium due to her specific body geo. She's more torso than leg, like the inseam of someone 5'3" and the torso of someone a couple inches taller. Put her on the medium and BAM! big difference. It should be noted she's also pretty athletic and flexible, which also plays a part. Anycrap on the small, she was too upgright and felt cramped even with a long 90mm stem. On the medium, we dialed the stem back to 70mm (more reasonable for the slacker geo bike anyways) and swapped the 125mm drooper for a 100 and it fits her great.
Since then, we've also sized the crank arm length down ~5mm to help address some lingering knee pain she was having, and that has also helped quite a bit. She has sensitive knees that don't like having a load when at right angles, and something about her femur length and the crank arm length was putting her knee in a bad position right when she needed to apply power to the pedal.
Anycrap. Nice bike!
Bookmarks