Decent beginner bike for wife

As always, I'd say geometry is more important than travel. I spent much of yesterday flying up behind people on scary looking XC full suspension bikes on the downs on my Chromag hardtail in Squamish, but I guess I'm not a beginner. I can't think of anything better to kill the fun side of mountain biking than riding a steep angled short travel XC full suspension bike with a 300ft stem….

L.Ron - Not very familiar with them, would they be beneficial for a new rider? Def open to suggestions.

I think they're beneficial to most riders who ride "BC XC," and I've seen several beginner riders (my 5'2" girlfriend included) gain a ridiculous amount of confidence from them and really get into it. My girl is on an Element 950 (XS) with big tires, short stem, and wide-ish bars, and she loves it way more than the Fluid she was on last year.

Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth:

1. Geometry's the buzz word as of late, sure sure, it's been around forever with the varied manufactururers offering slight alterations to the same, but don't get hung up on it. Geometry for a BEGINNER means feeling comfy on the bike for a relatively decent period of time. Head angles and stems and all this stuff are inconsequential when we think back to what the pros were doing on bikes back 20 years ago. Your wife's a beginner, make sure she's comfy.

2. I've hooked many a girlfriend up to the scene of mountain biking over my years. Oddly enough, it often came down to colour and the seat. After that, everything else was secondary. No lies. Get a comfy seat/saddle, the rest is peanuts.

3. Definitely go full suspension. It's just nicer to get into on the onset. Nothing uber fancy, 4 or 5 inches front and rear.

4. Light. The bike needs to feel nimble and manageable in your wife's opinion - not yours. It's easy to get caught up in what YOU think is the right bike for her, this is not a good route to take. Give full power to your wife; hit a whack of LBSs and let her demo a mess of them. Once she's settled on a couple brands and models, scour the classifieds and CL and you're off to the races.

Peace
DS

PS - FWIW my wife rides a Brodie Awl that's pretty uber sweet :clap:

Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth:

1. Geometry's the buzz word as of late, sure sure, it's been around forever with the varied manufactururers offering slight alterations to the same, but don't get hung up on it. Geometry for a BEGINNER means feeling comfy on the bike for a relatively decent period of time. Head angles and stems and all this stuff are inconsequential when we think back to what the pros were doing on bikes back 20 years ago. Your wife's a beginner, make sure she's comfy.

I was a high level XC racer 20+ years ago and went through the 150mm stem and 22" bar phase, and while this set up was great for climbing, it totally sucked for descending. By '91 I was using a short (LOL) 120mm higher rise stem and a wider bar and the bike was way more confidence inspiring. I also had a re-welded second bike that was my proto-freeride bike which had a BMX stem IIRC and that was better still (not so good for the climbs though).

Bike companies, rightly or wrongly seem to assume that entry level mountain bikes never go off road, so set them up for road riding. When I worked at a Trek dealer, I felt like I was going to die just hucking off a kerb on an entry level Trek 'mountain bike'. Also, if you are bored, go into any shop and ask to see their selection of 'take-off' stems and you'll be shown what looks like a dildo collection.

As for 29ers, if you can find something within budget and doesn't look and weigh the same as a horse, then yeah, why not. But you probably won't.

As for 29ers, if you can find something within budget and doesn't look and weigh the same as a horse, then yeah, why not. But you probably won't.

This is true. I should have mentioned that you'll have to spend a solid amount more to get something light-ish for her. Worth it in my opinion but I'm biased as hell.

Duly noting my bias towards Kona (I think they offer great ride quality / geometry / value)… although I don't sell them anymore so maybe I don't need the disclaimer……

The Cove [HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]insert "oh really, the Cove had something on sale" joke here[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED] had some 2011 Tanuki Deluxe's on sale.

If they still have your wife's size they are either in your budget, or you can definitely talk them into your budget:

http://2011.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=tanuki_deluxe

68 degree headangle, 5" front and rear travel, Sektor air fork has plenty of adjustment, the rear shock is a house brand but works quite well. Even the wheels are quite decent.

All brand new with full warranty, so if anything goes wrong it isn't your fault.

A good neutral suspension platform to learn on (climbs well, descends well, uses its travel).

-D

4. Light…

PS - FWIW my wife rides a Brodie Awl that's pretty uber sweet :clap:

Really?

We have different definitions of "light."

Here's my 2 cents for what it's worth:

1. Geometry's the buzz word as of late, sure sure, it's been around forever with the varied manufactururers offering slight alterations to the same, but don't get hung up on it. Geometry for a BEGINNER means feeling comfy on the bike for a relatively decent period of time. Head angles and stems and all this stuff are inconsequential when we think back to what the pros were doing on bikes back 20 years ago. Your wife's a beginner, make sure she's comfy.

This thought seems to be going around a bit lately… when was the last time you road a 71-degree XC bike down "beginner" shore trails? Bridal Path, Sticks and Stones, Bobsled all have technical sections (yes, even Bobsled, but maybe just one).

As always, I'd say geometry is more important than travel.

That's always been my opinion, but then I am a hardtail guy too.

2. I've hooked many a girlfriend up to the scene of mountain biking over my years. Oddly enough, it often came down to colour and the seat. After that, everything else was secondary. No lies. Get a comfy seat/saddle, the rest is peanuts.

When someone is buying their first mountain bike it is always a matter of where they want to go, not where they are.

If all someone can ride is the lower trails on North Road a basic hardtail (that is the right colour with a comfy seat, of course) is fine, but if they aspire to join their friends for Squamish XC loops, or basic Fromme loops in six months then it isn't a very good investment.

Buy your wife a bike, within your budget, for where she is going to be riding in the next year, then you can make decisions on upgrades to the bike vs. replacement with higher end options when she loves the sport.

-D

[Brodie Awl]
Hey, she chose it, bought it, and comparatively, it's lighter than some.

[Head angles and 71 degrees and former pros]
What I'm trying to convey here is it's easy for people such as 'us' to collectively and individually obsess over geometry, but the OP said "she's showing some interest", this to me means lay off the tech talk and keep with the basics - a good solid comfortable bike.

[Not where she is but where she wants to go]
She won't go far unless she's comfortable. And comfort inspires confidence. And confidence inspires skill.

[Buy your wife a bike, within your budget…]
I buy my wife what she wants, and honestly, she buys whatever the hell she wants too :rocker:

It is what it is, I was just trying to offer my opine on the matter as I'd been down this road several time before…

Just sayin'
DS

The problem with comfort is that it links in with what Drew is saying. Too many people buy bikes / parts based on what feels comfortable NOW, rather than what will feel comfortable when the person is used to the bike. Sure some things will feel always uncomfortable to certain people but a wide saddle, big 'ergo' grips and a high stem will not necessarily work when 'proper' mountain biking. There is an essence of just hardening the feck up involved IMHO. I still remember riding down a flight of stairs on a random bike while wearing bagging pants BITD. The bike had a wide saddle and I couldn't back back on to it at the bottom and splattered myself over the concrete floor….

A person has to WANT to do it. When I started mountain biking I used to crash hard every time I went out. I just saw it as part of the process, and just got back on. There is a lot more kit choice these days but the hobby is still the same. You either want to give it a go and accept that it's going to hurt at times….or do something else.

I was selling an 06 fluid a little while ago, it was a very good all around bike. I got my cardio up by doing laps up and down sfu, took it to whistler and silverstar (bumpy as hell but controlled pretty well). The standover on the frame was quite high though and I lost a couple of sales because of that.

The problem with comfort is that it links in with what Drew is saying. Too many people buy bikes / parts based on what feels comfortable NOW, rather than what will feel comfortable when the person is used to the bike. Sure some things will feel always uncomfortable to certain people but a wide saddle, big 'ergo' grips and a high stem will not necessarily work when 'proper' mountain biking. There is an essence of just hardening the feck up involved IMHO. I still remember riding down a flight of stairs on a random bike while wearing bagging pants BITD. The bike had a wide saddle and I couldn't back back on to it at the bottom and splattered myself over the concrete floor….

A person has to WANT to do it. When I started mountain biking I used to crash hard every time I went out. I just saw it as part of the process, and just got back on. There is a lot more kit choice these days but the hobby is still the same. You either want to give it a go and accept that it's going to hurt at times….or do something else.

Well said. I suppose the position I'm taking is that we're not going to see the OPs wife get a Canadian Tire CCM special - I mean - her hubby's a bike nut (I presume from the attendance here at the forum). So I'm assuming (perhaps that's my flaw) that no matter what we're looking at, for $1500 bones, it's gonna be a solid bike as opposed to the weekend flyer special. Comfort in my mind also means "not necessarily a race specific or high performance" geometry, but a good "intermediate" level chassis.

Again, certainly not trying to trounce the scene - just defending my position of what I thought was good info.

Peace [HTML_REMOVED] Love,
DS

Too many people buy bikes / parts based on what feels comfortable NOW, rather than what will feel comfortable when the person is used to the bike.

i disagree with pretty much every part of this statement - esp. wrt women, too many of whom seem buy what the sales guy and/or their significant other tell them to get, all the while sporting a nervous and uncomfortable expression. then they don't ride the bike and why? because its not comfortable. too many newbs seem willing to buy bikes that aren't comfortable, and few of those bikes get ridden. if you want someone to ride a bike, they had better be comfortable on it or you'll be hawking it, complete with claims of "few rides" and "(barely) lady ridden!" in a few years on the buyandsell, ah garonti!

to the op: if your lady is the type, don't discount the power of a "pretty" bike. i built my wife numerous bikes over the years, but she wouldn't ride off road and never wanted to give up her old mtb commuter for something lighter/faster… now she rides around town on a flat bar road bike, and rides trails on a hardtail, both of which feature flower decals of some kind. coincidence? maybe. but whatevs; not trying to be sexist here, just hoping to pass along my experience on the chance that it helps

…

I think maybe you are reading a bit much into what Will and I are saying…

It isn't a suggestion that a bike should a flowerless concotion of baby-shit green and teal decals (unless if you are in to that) with an ass-hatchet for a saddle. Obviously a bike (for a dude or a chick) should be comfortable and comfort is absolutely personal (i.e. Saddle, Grip Thickness, Bar Width).

If your wife is happy pedalling a flat bar road bike and a basic hardtail, and DS's wife is happy on her Brodie Awl that is AWESOME. No one is trying to take away from your personal experiences.

I ride bikes too, and I have ridden (and still come to ride) with lots of people new to the sport. When I sold bikes for a living the object wasn't to upsell someone into something they didn't need (nice general dig there though) but to sell them a bike for the type of riding they want to do. No bigger waste of money then buying a bike you are going to out-grow in three months.

Anyways, to the OP, think about where you want to take your wife riding in the next year (be optomistic) and think about the ideal type of bike (travel, weight, geometry) that you would ride in those conditions and then find something that matches in your budget (new or used).

It's how myself, and most my friends, introduced our partners to the sport and I ride with a lot of couples for whom riding is absolutely an integral part of their relationship.

-D

I forgot the most important part…

Find a really fun ride group that also has some beginners/beginner-intermidiate riders in it. Nothing sells cycling like the social aspect.

And, encourage her to sign up for Muddbunnies. They have every level of riding from begineer to faster then I'll ever be and it is a super social, fun, atmosphere. It is also the best place for her to meet other people her level to start her own group of riding friends (which is important).

Cheers,

-D