need to buy my wife a bike

[steelynorm]

About a year and a half ago you ladies helped me out.
Now my wife is doing a half iron man, and i want to start bike shopping for her, because she would never buy a nicer/newer bike for herself.

We are not looking for a tri specific bike, however I am looking for a triple.

We got her fitted she needs a 45-47cm bike. I would love to buy her a used bike, but i have had no luck finding one. Any ideas on where to look?
I have tried Craigslist, there are not very many on there on a consistent basis.

Option 2 is buying new, I am looking for a bike spec'd out in 105. Any help with suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

She tried a Trek 2.3 WSD retailing for 1599? She like it a lot better than the POS i bought her, too big too long etc. etc. In my defense, I was not going to outlay money for something she had never ever done b4

I would love to have a couple of options so she test ride a couple of them.

Thanking all you estrogen laden humans for your help

Norm

[tulip]

I recommend that she go with you and ride several bikes to determine which ones are the most comfortable.

You're very nice to buy her a bike, but it's important that she be in on the action.

[shootingstar]

I would not respond to him. If you look at his previous posts (which is not many), this is a joke/prank.

Just to get a pile of women riled up. Not worth it.

[Zen]

Hmmm. Sounds like an offense that could/should result in termination.

[tulip]

Yeah, report him. Meh, not worth it. I'll just ignore him.

[snapdragen]

I see nothing in norm's previous posts that leads me to believe this is a prank. What makes you think this?

eta - norm, take your wife out bike shopping, have her try a number of different bikes. A lot of the ladies here seem to like Specialized bikes. Once you know what she likes, maybe you can find a used one on ebay or craigslist, or find a good deal on last years model.

[Mr. Bloom]

Norm, if you're sincere, why don't you edit out parts of paragraph 5 and maybe you'll get a decent response...even I'm suspicious of your wording.

If you're not sincere, just edit it out for good taste

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

eta - norm, take your wife out bike shopping, have her try a number of different bikes. A lot of the ladies here seem to like Specialized bikes. Once you know what she likes, maybe you can find a used one on ebay or craigslist, or find a good deal on last years model.

Good advice. You really can't buy jeans for someone of the opposite sex and expect them to fit well, even if you know their general size....it's even harder with bikes. She really NEEDS to get on the bikes and test them out. Once you find one that she feels fits well (and she has over a year of riding now under her belt, so she'll probably know a bad fit when she feels it) then you can look within that size and brand and model for used or on sale ones.
She really needs to be part of the trying-on process.
Then, there is always the possibilty that she doesn't WANT a new bike. If that's still the case even after discussing it with her, then I'd suggest respecting her wishes. Maybe she'll even surprise you and tell you a year from now about a new bike SHE wants to buy!

[Trek420]

eta - norm, take your wife out bike shopping, have her try a number of different bikes. A lot of the ladies here seem to like Specialized bikes. Once you know what she likes, maybe you can find a used one on ebay or craigslist, or find a good deal on last years model.

At norm's expense I hope you'll forgive the slight thread-drift. Maybe we can all get something out of this subject.

I know this is done, our LBS's know it; the customer who tries bike after bike, jots down sizes and models .... gets it on Craigs or E-bay.

I've always objected to this because it takes advantage of the shops time and expertise.

Cycling can be expensive and we all need to save a buck or two... thousand. How do you save on this expensive addiction

And yes snap, getting last years models at the beginning of the year is a great way to start. When do the new ones arrive? Guess I'll look for the balloons on the dealers lot and the big tent.

And norm, you don't know if she'll do another tri, or if she'll just take off. My vote is find the upgrade-worthy frame at a good price that fits. Upgrade the bike as her skills, more challenging rides dictate.

[GLC1968]

Norm - Speaking from experience, I agree that buying a smaller size bike used IS difficult. There just aren't that many out there at any given time. I do agree that SHE needs to try out the bike for fit, but if you aren't adverse to buying off ebay or craigslist and then reselling it if it doesn't fit (my DH's favorite past-time!), then it's a great place to 'shop around'. Patience is a virture though.

The other thing to consider is how the geometries of all the different brands affect effective top tube length and how this compares to your wife's measurements. Once you know what works best for her in terms of the major dimensions of the bike (height, TT, seat angle, etc), it's easier to buy a used bike with a bit more confidence and improve your chances of getting a decent fit that can be dialed in. Of course, this doesn't take a lot of other comfort factors into consideration, but again...it's a start.

Good luck with it!

[steelynorm]

Too all those (sensible) women out there who posted constructive information thank you very very much. My wife and I appreciate it.

Firstly, I will not lay down any money until she does a test ride. Unfortunately, my first post did not explain that well enough(sorry).

The reason for the original posting was to gather information on the types of bikes that members of this forum have had luck with. Bikes spec'd out with Shimano 105 components or better, should put my potential anniversary gift in a price range of 1500-2500 dollars.

Whether it be Giant, Trek, Specialized, Felt, Orbea, Kestrel etc etc. I was looking for some information to go to my LBS looking for models recommended via the forum. Hoping however unlikely that there could be a consensus on a few models.

If you have any specific models you have ridden and have any additional feedback whether positive or negative would still be greatly appreciated.

... [edit by moderator] ...

I work very hard so that my wife can stay home to raise our children, because we believe that we can offer better care to our children than some stranger at an institution who collects a monthly stipend from us.

My wife gave up her career, because she loves children and we are trying what seems like in vain at times to raise children with both strong morals and character.

My wife works part time from home, manages to keep the house clean while our children try constantly to undermine her efforts.

I encouraged her over a year and half ago to do the Wildflower, because I believe that she needed something that was hers, not mine or our kids but was something that she owned. I do not want her to become lost as a person and have a midlife crisis. I believe that if she is a triathlete, not just a mom and a wife she can be a better/happier mom and wife.

We do not have a lot of money and my wife did not even know how to switch gears, so I bought her a used bike for Xmas 2006. The Cannondale(R500?), it was both too long and too short and stretched her out too much, but it was better than the alternative mtb for the olympic distance at Wildflower.

Fast Forward to the present: I love my wife, she does not care about the specifics, she doesn't know ultegra from dura ace. She does not know carbon fiber from titanium. She does however like to ride bicycles now, and i want to buy her a bicycle, she would never want me to buy her a bicycle of this level even if it is for our anniversary.

If I offended you, lighten up.

I know that there are some people out there who have malicious intentions or massive insecurities and get a rise out of screwing with innocent people on forums like this. I am not one of them. I came to this forum looking for advice from what i thought was a friendly community to help me make an informed decision on a bike purchase for my wife.

I was just using the internet as it was originally intended, to share ideas and information freely amongst people from all over our world.

Thanks,

Norm

[kelownagirl]

Norm - I love my Giant OCR1 (2006). It was an entry-level road bike but came with ultegra components for the same price that others might pay for 105. It is a WSD and fits me well. I am 5-3 and I think my bike is an extra small (maybe a small). Anyway, it would be a great buy as a used bike if you happened to come across one.

[Blueberry]

Norm-

Any chance you could get her in for a bike fit, without letting her know what you're intending (ie, buying a new bike). Maybe just have it be an "evaluation of her fit on the current bike."

Most bike fitters can then recommend which stock frames work best for a person.

Just a thought

[VeloVT]

I read a very favorable review of this women's specific Felt in Bicycling a while back:

http://www.feltracing.com/08/product...,1508&pid=8688

It's a good price for Dura Ace too, although the two models below it are good as well (FW25 with Ultegra and FW35 with 105).

I started riding on a Felt and they are fast bikes at a good value.

Definitely make sure you look at the geometry tab on on that Felt page though. The frame sizes seem misleading to me -- the virtual TT on the 45cm frame is the same -- 51.5 cm -- as the virtual TT on the 49cm bike I just bought.

Trek, Cannondale, Specialized etc are all making smaller women's frames now. I don't have experience with most of them but my BF bought a 2007 Trek Madone which I really like (he likes it too ). The Madone 4.5 is in your price range and it is carbon (though Trek's TCT carbon is a little wooden feeling -- OCLV is much livelier if you can swing the price difference).

Bianchi also makes a lot of smaller women's bikes. I have no experience with their WSD bikes (I'm 5'6" and Bianchi ONLY makes WSD bikes in smaller sizes), but I have a Bianchi cyclocross bike which is very comfy and quick-handling, and I've tested a few others that I liked.

Good luck!!!

[boy in a kilt]

Norm,

I understand where you are coming from.

Here's my advice.

Encourage your wife to participate in the forum and ask the sorts of questions you are. She will be more satisfied with the whole experience.

Also, when my wife bought her bike, I acted as a technical consultant only. There were issues that weren't my place to solve, but there were also issues where I could provide useful feedback. For example, she'd never liked the way the Shimano STI shifters felt (neither did I). A few months before she bought her bike, I'd built mine up with Campy. She agreed to give Campy a shot so I worked with the guys at the shop picking out components.That's about it.

Here are the take-home points.

Find a good shop first. A good shop will work with your wife to find a model that she likes and will make minor adjustments to improve the fit. They may charge for things like swapping out stems but in the long term, it's worth the money. Also, once a good shop learns the bike is for your wife, they will pretty much ignore you.

Second, encourage your wife to choose a bike that she wants but don't get too involved with the actual process. It's her bike. Be supportive but your two cents shouldn't extend beyond telling her that a bike she likes and is comfortable for her is your only concern.

Finally, if she says something doesn't feel right, believe her and encourage her to explore options until things are right. This particularly applies to saddles. You may have to spend some money to find a saddle she likes, but the money is well spent.