Newbie Bike

[pooks]

So I've been trying to convince my friend to buy a bike so she can ride with me. She insists she A) doesn't want one, and B) must have coaster brakes if she gets one. (Mixed message, much?)

Her only experience on a bike since she was a kid was a few years ago when she borrowed a road bike from a friend and did an endo, trying to use hand brakes for the first time. That's all it took for her to decide she was 'too old to learn new tricks,' etc.

And of course I've had a few spills and she knows that, so that probably doesn't reassure her any.

So here's my question. She is more comfortable with the idea of getting something like this:

http://www.raleighusa.com/items.asp?deptid=15&itemid=326

And they have one (or a similar one -- it's a Raliegh and looks like that) at my LBS. It's only around $300 so I think I might could convince her to get it. But my question is, if she gets it, will we be able to ride comfortably together or will I be having to fight to go slow enough on my hybrid? I'm assuming it's so heavy and clunky that won't be an issue, but I thought I'd ask.

Would I be better off continuing to work on her re: getting a more normal bike, if I want us to be able to ride together?

[nicole309]

My suggestion is to let her get the kind of bike she wants. Try and talk her into getting something used. That way when she gets used to riding and realizes that she needs to upgrade she won't feel like she is out too much money.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

We all have friends that we would just LOVE to get to ride bikes with us. But sadly, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink, as they say.
Your friend sounds like the kind of overly cautious person who even if you could get her to buy a bike, probably wouldn't ride it more than a couple of times. The first scare she has and back to the garage the bike will go I bet.
We just can't always get people to behave the way we'd like, or to do the things we know are good for them. ;)
I predict that even if you did convince your friend to get a bike and ride with you, she would likely only want to ride a mile or two at a speed so slow it would drive you insane.
My advice?- just appreciate your friend for how she is without trying to change her.... and look to find a riding buddy among people you encounter who are already cycling.

[pooks]

I think in general what you say is definitely right, Lisa. In this case, she's a heavy-duty hiker/walker and loves the outdoors. I don't think she'd mind taking the kinds of fun rides I do; in fact one is a place we used to walk together. I think she's gotten kind of interested, but time will tell.

nicole, good point. I'll drag her to that LBS to look and also see about borrowing a used bike for the nearby bike trail. (When I say "drag" I kind of mean it. We've known each other since 3rd grade, have been through EVERYTHING together, and have been known to drag/nag each other and it's all in fun.)

[farrellcollie]

My girlfriend has one of the raliegh retroglides. She bought it three years ago and it got her to ride. It is not light or fast - but for my gf - it was the only type of bike she would even look at - even a regular hybrid caused her great fear. SO, although it would not have been my choice - she got it and rides it for 8-10 mile rides on pavement or hard earth (katy trail for example). Just htis summer my gf tried one of my folding bikes and immediately declared it was hers - lighter, felt zippier etc - but it has taken awhile. When I ride with her - I have to adjust - but I am so glad she is doing some exercise - I do not complain. So - the retroglide has been a good bike for my family.
When I ride with gf - I put my bike in a tougher gear and I ride my hybrid or folder - no way to ride road bike and not be driven nuts by slowness.

[pooks]

Good info. Thanks!

[Torrilin]

Coaster brakes might not have appropriate stopping power for your situation. They can also fail silently which I didn't know as a kid, but judging from my parents' rules about where I could ride, they were very aware of it. Make sure your friend is aware of these dangers.

Also, show her something like the various state cyclist manuals. The ones based on Effective Cycling really helped me understand braking better. When I went out to apply what I'd learned, I found I was handling the bike better. Spent a couple weeks boggling that no one had taught me to downshift for stops before. And until I read the manual, I'd had no idea that one brake had more stopping power than the other. I probably should reread and get in more practice time on other cool tricks.

If it seems like she'd like biking, any kind of bike that gets her out there and trying new things is good. Well, within reason. Friends don't let friends buy 45 lb bikes :)

[pooks]

I need to track down that Effective Cycling info for ME. If Texas doesn't have a state manual, which state does?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think in general what you say is definitely right, Lisa. In this case, she's a heavy-duty hiker/walker and loves the outdoors. I don't think she'd mind taking the kinds of fun rides I do; in fact one is a place we used to walk together. I think she's gotten kind of interested, but time will tell.

Oh well if she is an outdoor hiker, that's different. Yes I agree about helping her find a cheap or used bike to start out with.

[Torrilin]

Bah, I remembered the name a bit off. The PA manual (and several other states) are based on Street Smarts (http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/index.htm). Same principles as in Effective Cycling, but a different author. The bike handling techniques will apply in any state, but the legal advice will not. For some reason the laws of physics are more inflexible than state law *g*.

I know the overall legal advice applies in Wisconsin and California. I've found it's very helpful to do searches like "WI bicycle manual" with Google to learn local law and make sure it's the same as what I'm familiar with. Trying the same with Texas should get you useful results.

If you find that Texas law is standard bicycle law (bikes are vehicles, act like it), PENNDOT makes their bicycle manual available online as a PDF.