Newbie having problems. Advice please?

[TrevA]

My wife took up cycling about 8 years ago and we bought her a Specialized Dolce road bike. We spent quite a bit of time deciding which one to have. Initially she thought she didn't need a women's bike but after ordering and trying 4 different men's bikes from Evans, she tried out the Specialized at the Birmingham Concept store and was finally convinced that it was right for her. She's still riding it 8 years later. I'm a life long cyclist but I let her make the decision about what bike to have.

We were recently in London and went to the Cycle Surgery shop between Liverpool St station and Spittalfields Market. They had a decent selection of women's bikes and a young girl was in there buying one whilst we were there. The staff seemed very helpful.

[eileithyia]

PS slogan on a van in alcudia; Life's too short to ride sh1t bikes' so go out there and get a decent bike

[UAVDave]

Easy this one!

1. Cycling should be fun.
2. To be fun you have to be happy on the bike.
3. You are clearly not happy on this bike.
4. Ergo - you need a new bike!

Simples!

So,....start looking around,....try out some bikes you like, note that "you like" bit! Its you that is going to ride it, you have to be happy with it - and only you can decide that.

Dave

[Perky]

Hello all,

Seriously people, you're all fab! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond and share your ideas and advice. I really appreciate all the comments and they have really helped me.

You have given me the extra knowledge and confidence I needed to take control of the situation. I will do exactly as you have suggested; I'm going to go shopping alone! Despite how it might sound, I really am not 'under the thumb' at all so quite happy to say to my partner that I'm off to buy my own bike and he's not invited. You have reassured me that is ok to insist on doing things at MY pace rather that my partners and this doesn't make me a wimp. I think it's all relative; my female friends think I'm active and very adventurous (compared to them) whereas my partner thinks I'm over-cautious and risk-adverse (compared to him). He loves a new hobby and throws himself into anything new headlong, whereas I like to learn incrementally, ideally whilst feeling safe and not making a total ass of myself! Just different learning styles. I also think his military background colours his expectations somewhat! And no, he's not on this forum so he won't read this.

I'm definitely going to visit some of the shops you have mentioned and start researching the brands suggested. I'll update you in a few weeks when I have made my choice. I don't need a super-light hypersensitive bike, but definitely something I can lift, move and control confidently and is properly fitted for me so that it feels like MY bike. Then I think I will be in a much better position to brave the traffic and resurrect my youthful confidence! Thank you all again - so glad I chose to join this forum.
Perky

[elPedro666]

This forum really does give the best advice!

Only thing I can think to add, is before you go into [whichever bike shop makes you feel welcome, confident and pressure free], have a good think about exactly what type of riding you want to be doing. There aren't many rubbish bikes left out there, they're basically all excellent so what you're looking for is the one that fits a) you and b) your chosen style of ride most closely. For example, personally I'd hate to be road riding any distance on flat bars, but around traffic their more upright position can be a boon - it's all about picking the balance that works best for you. Don't limit yourself to female specific bikes either - after A LOT of tweaks my partner is much more comfortable and confident on a nominal 'gents' frame. A really good bike shop will go through all these possibilities with you. If it doesn't feel like they're happy to explore the options with you, go somewhere else where you feel valued.

Straight in with 25mile rides is pretty awesome too, give yourself some serious credit!

Good luck and let us know how you get on...

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[eileithyia]

Hello all,

Seriously people, you're all fab! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond and share your ideas and advice. I really appreciate all the comments and they have really helped me.

You have given me the extra knowledge and confidence I needed to take control of the situation. I will do exactly as you have suggested; I'm going to go shopping alone! Despite how it might sound, I really am not 'under the thumb' at all so quite happy to say to my partner that I'm off to buy my own bike and he's not invited. You have reassured me that is ok to insist on doing things at MY pace rather that my partners and this doesn't make me a wimp. I think it's all relative; my female friends think I'm active and very adventurous (compared to them) whereas my partner thinks I'm over-cautious and risk-adverse (compared to him). He loves a new hobby and throws himself into anything new headlong, whereas I like to learn incrementally, ideally whilst feeling safe and not making a total ass of myself! Just different learning styles. I also think his military background colours his expectations somewhat! And no, he's not on this forum so he won't read this.

I'm definitely going to visit some of the shops you have mentioned and start researching the brands suggested. I'll update you in a few weeks when I have made my choice. I don't need a super-light hypersensitive bike, but definitely something I can lift, move and control confidently and is properly fitted for me so that it feels like MY bike. Then I think I will be in a much better position to brave the traffic and resurrect my youthful confidence! Thank you all again - so glad I chose to join this forum.
Perky

Ditching him, was slightly tongue in cheek. Guess I was just lucky my first boyfriend got me into cycling as he was already a club cyclist. Both small he had a spare bike which i rode until i had looked around, absorbed a lot of knowledge and looked at what was on the market, then bought my own bike.

This is one of the reasons why we have the Women's Section, there is a lot of advise on that section about bikes for women that you could scan through to give yourself some ideas.
As mentioned above a women's specific may not be what you want, it will be down to you and your individual size etc., For what it's worth I am 5'2 fairly petite but often ride small men's bikes... rather different sizing to the 22" spare Pollard I rode back in the day....

And for what it's worth, when I was in the market to buy a bike for myself the Dawes Galaxy range had just come on to the market, The Dawes Galaxy came in male and female specific frames (ie crossbar and mixte) or the Super Galaxy only with a crossbar. B/f wanted me to have the female Galaxy, but I knew enough by then to know that the Super Galaxy was by far superior and more along the lines of what I wanted.
These days no serious cyclist, male or female ride mixte frames, though lowered top tubes are around and great for those who for whatever reason cannot swing their leg over the crossbar anymore.

Good Luck in your search.

[tykeboy2003]

Perky,

I wouldn't think that the problem is the weight to be honest, I have an Edinburgh cycle coop tourer which weighs a good 15kg (33lb) and I don't find this at all unwieldy I also have a Giant hybrid of similar weight. Obviously a heavy bike will require more energy to get it going and more braking force to stop it but consider the fact that even if you're a waif of a thing weighing 7 stone wet through, you still weigh 3 times the weight of the bike. The problem is much more likely to be mechanical, ie the flexibility of the frame and the geometry. The gear skipping problem could be simply bad adjustment of the mech or possible a badly worn chain or cassette or both.

My advice would be to get your partner to fix the gears, make sure that the bike fits you (saddle and bar position) and then take the bike out on a traffic-free route (a good excuse to get out of town for the day) to get the feel of it and gain confidence.

Best of luck and keep at it.

[mercalia]

I can understand if you dont feel comfortable on the bike you have been given why London road scare you as a wrong wobble could put you under a car or lorry or just get knocked off. so take your time to get to feel happy

[LollyKat]

The problem is much more likely to be mechanical, ie the flexibility of the frame and the geometry.

So there is not much point in fixing the gears.... I agree that within reason the weight is not so important unless you have to do a lot of carrying up and down stairs, but it is very unpleasant riding a bike that does not handle well. And for all we know Perky's second-hand bike may have been in a prang and be out of track.

[tykeboy2003]

So there is not much point in fixing the gears.... I agree that within reason the weight is not so important unless you have to do a lot of carrying up and down stairs, but it is very unpleasant riding a bike that does not handle well. And for all we know Perky's second-hand bike may have been in a prang and be out of track.

It would be worth trying to adjust them. It could be as simple as a bent gear-hanger which is readily fixed. I suspect that if the bike just doesn't feel right then the solution would be to properly adjust the fit. Mind you, I've never ridden one of these and I'm skeptical about the requirement for front suspension on a hybrid anyway.....

[Vorpal]

I wouldn't think that the problem is the weight to be honest, I have an Edinburgh cycle coop tourer which weighs a good 15kg (33lb) and I don't find this at all unwieldy I also have a Giant hybrid of similar weight. Obviously a heavy bike will require more energy to get it going and more braking force to stop it but consider the fact that even if you're a waif of a thing weighing 7 stone wet through, you still weigh 3 times the weight of the bike. The problem is much more likely to be mechanical, ie the flexibility of the frame and the geometry. The gear skipping problem could be simply bad adjustment of the mech or possible a badly worn chain or cassette or both.

My advice would be to get your partner to fix the gears and then take the bike out on a traffic-free route to get the feel of it and gain confidence.

Best of luck and keep at it.

For one thing, no one of us is alike. Weight will make more difference to some, more than others. Maybe when she gets used to it, weight won't make much difference, but it can certainly be an impediment to learning. Also, a heavy bike is harder to handle. If the front suspension is a bit worn, it's even harder to handle. She hasn't said how big she is, but such things will certainly make more difference to a small, slightly built person, than to a large, stockily built one.

Would you want lug around a third of your weight in metal?

I agree with what others have said. Go out and try some bikes. The worst that can happen is that she finds out that what she's got is basically ok, and reverts to trying the bike somwhere quieter until she builds up her confidence.

On the other hand, she might find a bike that she absolutely loves.

If it were me, I would try
http://www.everyonebikes.co.uk/ first. It's female-focused bike shop in Battersea.
Other places to try (besides those previously recommended):
Decathlon
http://www.bikeworks.org.uk/
http://www.stationbicycles.co.uk/

The best thing to do is try bikes. Lots of bikes. And not just a few circles round the carpark, but a decent ride, at least a couple before buying.

[9494arnold]

I'd add that you might like to Consider some form of Training like the CTC offers.
I am a Trained CTC trainer,I was involved in the initial stages of the start of a Club targetted at Lady Riders,
(Stourbug) a lot of the work we use to do (haven't done it for a while) revolved around building confidence on the road, a few hours spent on a decent sized local park with metalled roadways and quiet housing estates adjacent thereto plus a bit of Bike familiarity including how the gears work,why you have them (and indeed if they worked!!) and how to deal with a Puncture. Met with a very wide spread of Age,Fitness and Capability. Plus the chance to borrow a decent bike and compare with what you have (More Modern Bikes aren't quite so bad but there were a lot of people turning up with bikes that were too big for them and that weighed so much it wasn't true! )(Bike position is a very personal thing, ladies often need a smaller frame and sometimes shorter cranks too. My wife has a weak back and rides with "Butterfly" Handlebars to give an upright riding position, and 165 mm cranks)
One of our "triumphs" was a lady in her mid 20's two young children, had a bike when she was little but parents effectively discouraged her. She wanted to learn so as she could get her kids riding. Slow but steady progress from virtual novice (not competent enought to be safely on the road) to taking part in a Sponsored 80 k ride and loving every minute. And many more personal successes along the way.
Don't give up!!!!!!!!

[elPedro666]

At the risk of being glib, that bike is a big floppy tank, by all means sort it out and keep it for towpaths and the like, bit it's never going to be lively or much fun.

I think Perky mentioned being 5'3 and pretty flyweight...

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly using hovercraft full of eels.

[Vorpal]

I'd add that you might like to Consider some form of Training like the CTC offers.
I am a Trained CTC trainer,

Yes! I meant to add that the OP might want to consider Bikeability. That can certainly help with confidence in traffic.

[531colin]

Its an effing tank.
The lass is 5' 3"......look at the height of the forks, that height won't scale with the bike size, so the handlebars will be up under the poor lasses armpits.....no wonder it wants to run off with her.
The tank has 700c wheels (at least, the ones that came up with a Google have) Now, 700c wheel bikes can be made small enough for somebody, 5' 3" tall, but here we have the top tube rearing up at an alarming angle just to get above the forks......75mm travel forks, which nobody needs for roads.
If the "partner" was either interested or competent to fix the gears, he would have done it before sending her out to fight the traffic. (Not that I regard being female as a disability.......I'm sure Perky could fix her own gears, but i don't think its a substitute for a bike that fits.)



Female building wheels ....from that Battersea bike shop linked......respect.