need to buy my wife a bike

[sgtiger]

Those new-fangled silicon ones work very well for me, Zen.

[Zen]

sg

[maillotpois]

Norm -

You wouldn't be the only one who's gotten a "starter" bike and ended up with a cyclist on your hands. I think it's great she's taken to the sport and good for you for encouraging it. Too many men would not be as open to the mom taking up a pretty time-intensive sport. You're recognizing that "stay at home mom" is a job and that she needs her recreation/hobby/leisure time. That's great!

Since you mention Wildflower, I am assuming you're in Northern or Central CA (I know what they say about assuming ). anyway, if you're a little more specific about where you are (geographically), perhaps someone can give you some bike shop pointers as well.

Good luck.

(Oh and my husband has given me TWO bikes as anniversary gifts over the years. I have no jewelry. Just bikes. I like it that way. )

[SadieKate]

I think he's talking the Wildflower Triathlon in SLO.

Good goin', Norm!

[maillotpois]

I knew that! (I may not DO tris, but I am generally AWARE of their existence. )

[SadieKate]

Yeah, I'm always afraid of what hair-brained adventure is going to occur during your rehabilitation(s).

[Veronica]

We could do a tri together MP.

V.

[maillotpois]

Don't hold your breath on that one.

[Veronica]

Let me guess, you get water up your nose when you swim.

V.

[VeloVT]

Norm --
one more thing...
so, full disclosure here, I've bought two of my three bikes without meaningful test-rides. (The first one, I wouldn't have known the difference, the second I did choose through test rides and I think I chose well, and the new one, well, that was a lark and I think it's going to work out, but I knew a fair amount about what I was looking for...).

BUT --- you learn so much about bikes, and about your preferences, from test rides. It really makes a HUGE difference. My boyfriend bought a new bike last year, and we probably demo'd at least 10 bikes in the processs. Roubaix, Cannondale System Six and Six13, Cervelo R3, Trek Madone, Trek 5200, others... And my take-away lesson is, that while fit and on-the-page geometry ARE important, there's something elusive the actual riding experience that cannot be gleaned from geometry charts. Our mutually favorite bike, the Cervelo R3, we ultimately decided against because it was so much more expensive than the Madone for the same components, and the pleasure of riding it fell into the frosting category, not the "really makes a difference for what we'll be doing" category -- but it was truly special. The Cannondale System Six was a very nice and expensive bike -- but I thought the handling was sluggish and inferior to the less expensive Six13, and the acceleration wasn't as macho either. The Trek 5200 we looked at was spec'd fairly similarly, component-wise, to the 2007 (pre-compact geometry) Madone 5.2 he bought -- but the carbon was very different -- no way to understand this without riding.

So I think she really should be involved in the test-riding process. Partly for fit reasons, but also because ride feel and handling characteristics vary widely between bikes in the same price bracket, and preferences regarding these variables can be personal -- they can fall into the "is chocolate better or vanilla?" category.

That's my rant for now. I totally support what you're doing though.

[Starfish]

Get Over it!!!!!!!!
Dont be so paranoid!!!
Dont be overly sensitive!
Dont be too too serious!!!

Physician, heal thyself.

And heck, who needs a ban when there are ignore tools?

[smilingcat]

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.

talk like that and if you wren't married (happily or otherwise), I'll marry you in a heartbeat

So considerate. I wish other men would get this point.

smilingcat

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So considerate. I wish other men would get this point.

smilingcat

They are out there. I got one.

[Veronica]

My guy is a creep. I don't know why I've been with him so long - 25 years. Geeezzz...

Do you know what he got me for Christmas - a generator hub and a light! Where are the diamonds?!? At least the light glows.

For my birthday - carbon fiber fenders. I guess that's vaguely in the diamond category, carbon and all.

He thinks all I want to do is ride my bike. That's just crazy talk.

Do you think the rainy season is over and I can take the fenders off now?

V.

[Veronica]

Oh and it gets worse... when I do go for a ride, say a short little 200 miler. He's out there in the car following me around. What's up with that?

V.