wife wants to learn to ride ( what bike)?

My wife finally says she wants to ride a bike again.
She has not ridden a bike since she was a kid in Lillooet .

I suggested she take a different bike intro course,
so she try a FS bike.
Should I get her a hardtail , or get her she a fs bike and hope she sticks with it..
Some body here must have gone through this here Im sure.
Btw she is fairly fit and is 5'4.
Thoughts??

That's awesome!

I suggest she take a lesson or two, it really will help her feel more comfortable and confident on the bike in short order.

As someone who is heavily involved in women's mountain biking, ignore every one of your buddies who says "go the hardtail it'll maker her a better rider" / "I learnt on a hardtail" / "etc" Get her started on a full suspension, when she gets really stoked on mountain biking that n+1 rule will come into effect and she may want to try a hardtail at that time.

Also get her hooked up with a ride group (hint hint Muddbunnies) Having other Ladies around her who are in various stages of "getting into the sport" will give her more people to ride explore and learn with.

having dealt with this same situation a couple of years ago, i agree with the FS route. The point is to get her into the sport, hence make it easier in the beginning. My significant other is quite small and light and fit, so the specialised Myka FSR was a good fit for her. That said, after two and a half seasons riding, she wants a bit tougher bike. maybe get a bit more "burly" bike in the beginning if you don't want to upgrade early.

Teaching your wife to ride yourself might be cause for bickering. IME, it's better for both of you if she gets some independent tutoring/lessons. somehow teaching my girl to ride myself did not quite work out well.

The better her bike, the better her clothes, the better her lessons, the better her chances of enjoying it.

The better her bike, the better her clothes, the better her lessons, the better her chances of enjoying it.

This

Definitely get a FS bike. Either a 27.5 or you can probably get good deals on second hand 26" bikes if you're not sure if she's going to love it. Something with 140-150mm travel that pedals and descends well.

Lessons are a great way to learn. I wish I'd done some sooner. Endless Biking has good lessons and remember their motto "Saving marriages one lesson at a time".

That being said go riding as a couple and encourage her to ride. It's good to do the activity together. Accept the fact you'll say something stupid and make her angry at you.

NSRide is another riding club to consider. It has beginner and girls ridges on Tuesday's a co-ed on Thursdays.

Let her choose the type of riding you do together.

Lots of choice; gravel paths/rail trail, dykes, double track, XC singletrack, flatish, gentle climbs, tech climbs, alpine, forest, coast wet, interior dry, local, trails that require a road trip, etc

I'll third (or fourth?) the recommendation to get lessons, preferably with a female only group to start.

I have been trying to get the wife back into bike again as well, especially now that both our boys are really enjoying it too.

Did a few laps on Bobsled, she seem to like that, then the boys wanted to hit Floppy Bunny, the sight change in difficulty put her off for a while.

Got her out again last week on the Richard Juryn trails and into Circuit 8. The further loop on Circuit 8 was just her speed. The closer loop with all the roots was a bit much. She was happy to be out and just walked over what she couldn't ride. Good fun to have her out.

I have to resist the urge to say try this or try that and only give advice if / when she asks. Being the husband / coach doesn't work for many couples. Best to simply enjoy the ride together. Delta Water Shed is another great option for newer riders.

As for the bike, agreed with above, go FS. Any reasonably new bike that fits properly and is not too heavy will work. Make sure it is not a full on XC race bike with a super steep head angle, having a new rider feel like they are going to go OTB on every little descent does not inspire confidence. On the other side your old 40lb freeride bike is likely not advisable either.

Good luck

Delta Water Shed is another great option for newer riders.

Just a heads up, the Shed is currently closed due to fire danger.

As an alternative, the bottom trails on Burnaby Mountain are similar, although there is more elevation gain and loss.

My wife loved the Dirt Series when she first started riding, although Whistler intimidated her somewhat. She also did lessons with a female coach (Claudia?) up at Silver Star, which she really enjoyed. She preferred Silver Star's learning environment as well. She started on a Trek Fuel (great climber, ok descender), moved to a Transition Syren (slacker, fun descender, ok climber), and is currently on a Rocky Instinct (very good all around bike for her style of riding). I never put her on a hardtail though.

I have been trying to get the wife back into bike again as well, especially now that both our boys are really enjoying it too.

Did a few laps on Bobsled, she seem to like that, then the boys wanted to hit Floppy Bunny, the sight change in difficulty put her off for a while.

Got her out again last week on the Richard Juryn trails and into Circuit 8. The further loop on Circuit 8 was just her speed. The closer loop with all the roots was a bit much. She was happy to be out and just walked over what she couldn't ride. Good fun to have her out.

I have to resist the urge to say try this or try that and only give advice if / when she asks. Being the husband / coach doesn't work for many couples. Best to simply enjoy the ride together. Delta Water Shed is another great option for newer riders.

As for the bike, agreed with above, go FS. Any reasonably new bike that fits properly and is not too heavy will work. Make sure it is not a full on XC race bike with a super steep head angle, having a new rider feel like they are going to go OTB on every little descent does not inspire confidence. On the other side your old 40lb freeride bike is likely not advisable either.

Good luck

Sounds like our wives are similar level based on the trails you described. I'll second Burnaby Mountain as having some mellow single track which is great for learning skills on, and it's never crowded. I've heard Wonderland in Squamish is a good trail to check out as well. My wife isn't interested in lessons at this point although I am pushing her into doing some as I don't like trying to coach. I want her to get better but as long as she is out riding and enjoying herself I am happy.

As far as bike, we went with a '14 Giant Trance 2 which was on sale last season for under $2k new. Good value as I can't see needing to change anything other than adding a dropper if she wants it.

My Wife got into riding about four years ago. Started out on a Specialized Myka FS which was a good starter bike. We found that it was great for Squamish, Bend Oregon, and other places that had more flow to it. Wasn't so great for the Shore with 4" suspension etc. I thought it would be because she is only 5'4" 120 pounds.
So last year bought her an 27.5 Enduro bike. 6" etc, it is a huge step up, soaks everything up and she is having a blast. Its not the greatest climber but she does fine.

During this 4 years of "Everything my fault." She did women only Camps and lessons, plus women ride groups.
Dirt Series Whistler
Sun peaks Womens camp ( which I will say is pretty much a one on one for cheap because they don't get a lot of numbers showing up).
Endless biking
Mudbunnies

It was a long process, finally this spring the wife has turned into a pretty good rider. Highlight so far passing guys on Phils Trail in Bend. Just rippin

The bitching and arguing has finally stopped. It's a pleasure to ride with her, never thought that day would come.

Anyways good luck, hope it works out.

My wife finally says she wants to ride a bike again.
She has not ridden a bike since she was a kid Lillooet .

I suggested she take a different bike intro course,
so she try a FS bike.
Should I get her a hardtail , or get her she a fs bike and hope she sticks with it..
Some body here must have gone through this here Im sure.
Btw she is fairly fit and is 5'4.
Thoughts??

How I did it. Keep in mind my wife is not exactly the average woman- ex national team vball player.

Initially she thought to get a road bike in 2003 because I was racing Triathlins and Duathlons. Was okay but she was nervous on the roads. The road bike we got was a second hand one.

In 2005 let her ride my MTB while we rode around the neighbourhood. And she liked it more than the road bike. Went looking for a used MTB and took her for a trail ride for the first time in 2006. It was a river side piece of single track. Flat with no hills or tech. Easy trail and was maybe 30 minutes. Then went had coffee. Result…she liked that more than road. And we went for more during 2006. Never forced her to ride tech just focused on the fun and keeping it short.

Sept 2006 whe did her first downhill ride in her life at Collingwood. It was only one run but she liked it and wanted to do more in the future.

Now she has a better bike than what she started on.

Let her choose the type of riding you do together.

Lots of choice; gravel paths/rail trail, dykes, double track, XC singletrack, flatish, gentle climbs, tech climbs, alpine, forest, coast wet, interior dry, local, trails that require a road trip, etc

I'll third (or fourth?) the recommendation to get lessons, preferably with a female only group to start.

Also pay attention to what she likes to ride. My wife enjoyed the DH run she did and prefers the less endurance end of the spectrum.

And keep all rides short. Better she wants more than to hate it because it was to much.