Does anyone sell womens specific frames only?

[Starfish]

And, I'm really looking forward to welcoming your girlfriend to TE, and getting to know her when she signs on in the Getting To Know You forum.

I hope you've told your GF about TE and encouraged her to log on so we can support her and welcome her to the women's cycling community.

If you've checked out many of the other forums and threads on TE, you know how much support and encouragement we offer to each other and our newer women cyclists!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I second what Starfish said.

If your girlfriend is anything like many of us women, she'll want to learn as much as she can about biking as she begins to ride. Not saying you can't teach her plenty about cycling- but there many MANY issues, tips, and experiences related specifically to women cyclists that just can't be taught by one man.

Hope you find a good bike for her!- Tell us when you do. And do tell your GF about the forum here.

[skunk]

Thanks for everyones help and advice. I ended up getting her a Trek 1600 WSD. She wanted a bike yesterday so I found a Trek dealer that was pretty helpful. She ended up with a WSD 51 and all she needed was a slightly longer stem.

I rode around the neighborhood with her last night and she seems to be comfortable. I'm going to take her to my training crit tonight so she can ride around traffic free.

I'll tell her to check out this forum!

[Grog]

Thanks for everyones help and advice. I ended up getting her a Trek 1600 WSD. She wanted a bike yesterday so I found a Trek dealer that was pretty helpful. She ended up with a WSD 51 and all she needed was a slightly longer stem.

I rode around the neighborhood with her last night and she seems to be comfortable. I'm going to take her to my training crit tonight so she can ride around traffic free.

I'll tell her to check out this forum!

Good to read about all that Skunk! Send her our warmest welcome into the beautiful world of cycling.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Way to go!- she's got her own bike now and she's comfortable and she's riding!
I'm glad you stepped back from the idea of building her a bike for now. It's really more about her and clearing the way for her to enjoy just having fun on a bike at first. Other bikes can come later.

Now your challenge will be to know when to hold back from the temptations of too much "teaching/correcting" and to just let her have fun without inviting your ego along. I say this not as an intended insult to YOU- it's not just you- it's human nature in general and we can all struggle with such issues. She'll have plenty of her own questions for you to answer, all in good time.
She is lucky to have someone who cares about her, like you, to ride with and be there for her.

[skunk]

I spent a good 15 minutes explaining the gearing to her. I told her not to worry too much about it and after a couple of rides it'll feel like second nature.

How long do guys think I should wait before introducing her to clipless pedals? My original plan was to wait till she was comfortable with riding on the road with traffic but I'm up for any suggestions. She already hates the fact that her feet slip off the flat pedals.

[Starfish]

How long do guys think I should wait before introducing her to clipless pedals? My original plan was to wait till she was comfortable with riding on the road with traffic but I'm up for any suggestions. She already hates the fact that her feet slip off the flat pedals.

I would say the sooner the better. I rode with cages for the first year because the man who introduced me to cycling was comfortable with them and I didn't have the confidence to just go get my own clipless peddles.

A year later, I got started with some double sides Shimano SPDs, and I loved them immediately. Immediately.

But, the one big question mark is all about your GF's readiness. If she complains about the slipping feet, tell her there's a good option, and let her decide. Some people are more timid and like to make changes more slowly. Some want to dive in. She has to go with what level of risk-taking she is ready for.

That said, there are many, many threads here on TE all about making the transition to clipless, and she might be encouraged and comforted to read about other newbies who have gone through this decision.

I'm so glad your GF has her bike, and I second what Lisa said. Anyhow, here's to many happy rides together as your GF gets more and more confident, skilled, and enthusiastic.