Bike recommendations for a mature newbie female

[CorsairMac]

Well you know me - I'll throw in for Trek. When I first got back into riding I told the kid I hadn't ridden road bikes in years and I was going to use it for commuting blah blah blah. Bless his heart he listened to what I said - which wasn't what I meant! (my bad) He sold me a 26" comfort bike which was sweet and heavy as an ox and not at all what I wanted. I probably would've been happier with the Trek Hybrid which is heavier than a road bike but uses skinnier tires and is built more for speed than a comfort bike. It also sits up vs a road bike if she's concerned about flexability.
She might do better going to different bike shops and talking to them. I'm currently riding a vintage Trek 50 cm frame which fits my 5'2" height perfect but it isn't a WSD nor have I ever ridden one. Maybe offer to go with her if you have the time and she seems intimidated by the process.

[SadieKate]

She might do better going to different bike shops and talking to them. I'm currently riding a vintage Trek 50 cm frame which fits my 5'2" height perfect but it isn't a WSD nor have I ever ridden one. Maybe offer to go with her if you have the time and she seems intimidated by the process.

This is the reason I'm collecting info. The endless variety of bikes available now can be overwhelming if you know nothing about them and, as many of you remarked, the LBS' lack of knowledge when it comes to fitting non-hard body older women. I'm trying to narrow down what people like and I really want input from this older group of women coming to riding from years away from fitness activity.

I will be going with her at some point but I want to get better 'larned myself on the complete bikes out there (don't think she'd like my approach of buying a frame, piece-mealing the parts, and then trashing my kitchen as a bike shop). I am very worried about the drop bar position for her but I don't think she'll be happy riding longer distances on anything less.

I'm going out with her for the first time later this week to talk about things like shifting, cadence and cornering. This will tell me a lot! I think she also tried to get in a 14-20 mile ride on Saturday so I'll get a ride report from that.

So, you girls who have been away for a long time, how did you handle the drop bar position? How far below the saddle are your bars and are you comfortable?

[JanT]

Well, being a "mature" woman who got into biking a few years ago, I'll throw in my two cents. I started off mountain biking about five years ago, and bought an entry level bike. After a year, I was disappointed with it, and upgraded to a better bike, but nothing classy--a couple steps above entry level (TREK 6700). It still meets my needs. When I decided to get a road bike, I figured a step above entry level would suit my needs. I'd already had the experience of riding the straight handlebar on the road with the mountain bikes, and know exactly what people mean about the importance of having different positions for the hands. So I bought a true road bike, a Specialized Allez Sport, triple. The various hand positions also allow me to get my back into different positions, which is important for me for longer rides. The seat is about the same height as the handlebars, with the nose tipped slightly down.

I haven't ridden much with groups, but when I rode the mountain bike, even with semi-slicks it was hard to keep up with anybody. With the road bike, I keep up with what appear to be the "average" riders (not racers!) without much difficulty. While your friend might find the hybrid type bike easier to ride, in the long run, she might be happier with a true road bike. TREK has the 1200c and 1500c comfort models, that are road bikes designed more for comfort and have a suspension seatpost and brakes on the tops as well as the hoods. Sometimes I wonder if I'd have liked one of those better.

Good luck to your newbie friend; she's lucky to have someone like you to show her the ropes!

[SadieKate]

Thanks, Jan, for all your comments. Someone on another forum recommended the Trek bikes with the softtail suspension. I've been intrigued by these but need to check out the weight. She complains about the weight of her Milano but better gearing and high pressure narrow road tires may take away that issue. I had a small fit session at my LBS Saturday and learned a bit about hip angles which comes from the bar to saddle setup. It matches with what you're saying. Good to hear it from someone who isn't young, male and negative 5% bodyfat .

[bikerz]

I have the "extra" brakes on the top of my drop bars, as JanT mentions, and I used them all the time when I first started riding, since I spent quite a bit of time in an upright position.

[Geonz]

So, does she have that bike yet :-)

IMHO the critical factor is FIT, FIt, FIT. It's going to be a different bike for different people. I'm beginning to appreciate my good fortune in having found good LBS people (unfortunately I recommended the joint to a friend who went there when the owner was staffing it and *he* was more of the "this is the bike I'm selling, therefore it's what you want" breed - oh, he went out of business...) They were really gracious to a newbie, told me all kinds of stuff (including a detailed, clinical dissertation on the importance of not putting pressure on soft tissues) even though I was buying (shudder!!) an entry-level hybrid.
I liked the feel of a Bianchi and didn't know why - and they'd sold the one I had test ridden, which was the last of the last year's models I could afford - so they suggested the difference might be the angle of the stem, and traded off stems and sold me a nice Giant (pronounced Gee-aunt since it's part Bianchi) because it really *did* put the angles where they felt good. It's got about 18000 miles on it now. It is a hybrid but with 28's instead of 35's tire-wise which was the best change in the world. REally, tire size is much more important than weight.
She might even try switching off tires on the bike she has, first (especially if she could borrow some).
I also think you don't really know what you like in a bike until you've been riding, so starting at the high end would be risky.

[KatieBelle]

Glad to know the proper pronunciation of Giant. I would have made a total fool of myself at the LBS tomorrow.