So far, great advice here and I'll echo that. 1) Be honest, and find a middle ground where you can both get out together on occasion, but you still get your "me" rides in. 2) Put her on good equipment if you want to see her progress more.
I started showing my GF how to ride after we were together for a year or so. I knew progression was going to be super slow because this was a more aggressive sport with more chances of scrapes/bruises than she'd tried before. She was game, so I was too, but you need to have the mindset that YOU can't have expectations for her progression. If she had fun, mission accomplished. I was completely honest with my riding goals, to the point where she would ask if I had time for a "charity ride" this Saturday... I love those rides just for the joy of being on two wheels with someone I care about.
She slowly got better and better riding a hand-me-down 2002 Santa Cruz Chameleon with Psylo fork and Grimeca Discs (still worked surprisingly well). Then, after riding that bike for a couple years she got a bit of a settlement from a previous accident and decided this was the time to upgrade. From 2002 Chameleon to heavily upgraded 2015 Trance... Wow. Progression through the roof. We move to the shore a year or so later, and now she's tackling terrain she wouldn't have imagined. It took her 6 years of trail riding to get there, but probably less if she had a better bike sooner. That's OK though, because I bet she's meeting her own expectations, and our once per week (at least) couple ride is getting more and more entertaining for me, as she improves.
Aug. 9, 2018, 7:57 a.m. - Mammal
So far, great advice here and I'll echo that. 1) Be honest, and find a middle ground where you can both get out together on occasion, but you still get your "me" rides in. 2) Put her on good equipment if you want to see her progress more. I started showing my GF how to ride after we were together for a year or so. I knew progression was going to be super slow because this was a more aggressive sport with more chances of scrapes/bruises than she'd tried before. She was game, so I was too, but you need to have the mindset that YOU can't have expectations for her progression. If she had fun, mission accomplished. I was completely honest with my riding goals, to the point where she would ask if I had time for a "charity ride" this Saturday... I love those rides just for the joy of being on two wheels with someone I care about. She slowly got better and better riding a hand-me-down 2002 Santa Cruz Chameleon with Psylo fork and Grimeca Discs (still worked surprisingly well). Then, after riding that bike for a couple years she got a bit of a settlement from a previous accident and decided this was the time to upgrade. From 2002 Chameleon to heavily upgraded 2015 Trance... Wow. Progression through the roof. We move to the shore a year or so later, and now she's tackling terrain she wouldn't have imagined. It took her 6 years of trail riding to get there, but probably less if she had a better bike sooner. That's OK though, because I bet she's meeting her own expectations, and our once per week (at least) couple ride is getting more and more entertaining for me, as she improves.