Bike recommendations for a mature newbie female

[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.

[SadieKate]

"Gee-aunt" - yes, my SIL called to tell me some friends had given her bike. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what she was talking about so I had her spell it.

I should report in about my friends. I had my 2nd ride with them Wednesday morning. They are going like a house a fire. I'm really pleased with their progress. I'm trying to get Marty to start looking at road bikes. The other isn't so committed to the whole idea but I think the two of them are going to sign up for the 30 mile route on the Tour of Napa Valley which they can do on their current bikes. They're doing 20 mile rides now and are going to expand this to 25 miles with the climb up to Folsom Lake. This should put them in good shape for the ride. I also think that having done the Tour of Napa Valley that they'll have hit some milestones that will increase their confidence and just spur them onwards.

So, we have good progress and Marty is just bubbling every day!

[SadieKate]

Marty just picked up her Specialized Dolce Elite(? - the one with the 105 group) today and we went for a little ride in the friendly invisible hills (i.e., winds) of Davis. She pedaled into the headwind pretty fast and then really cranked it up when we turned around and held it at a steady 20. You gotta love tailwinds!

I am so happy for her. She seems just like a kid. I think she really feels that this is the activity that brings her the most joy and that she'll be able to do for a long time. She and Candy have signed up for the 30-mile route at the Tour of Napa Valley which they'll do on their hybrids. Candy will be buying her road bike in the next few weeks when she sees Marty zipping around on her new wheels.

Joe, the owner of the Wheelsworks in Davis, spent an incredible amount of time taking measurements before he ever put her on a bike and then took a great deal of time setting up the one she tried as a demo. That was last week. Today, he went through a detailed fitting session again on the real bike and showed her how to use a CO2 cartride and even put together her tool bag even to the point of putting her tubes in ziplocks with talcum powder. He was really good about putting her on a frame with the proper length top tube but a tall enough headtube to keep her bars at the right height. I was very impressed with his attention to detail and fit for a rider of her fitness and flexibility. The rest of the shop staff were in the team effort also. I can't say enough about their efforts. Marty left the shop just feeling like the red carpet had been rolled out for her. They're even having a basic bike maintenance class in a couple weeks - great timing.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice and words of wisdom. Only time will tell, but I think we got her on the right bike for the purpose. Once she gets better acquainted with the handling and the gearing, I'll bring her to my house with the trainer and get her set up with clipless pedals. Told her she was going to be riding inside for a couple hours that day so enjoy her outdoor riding for right now!