Cycling UK Forum

We had some friends visit us recently and we took them for ride on our local bike paths(Nidderdale Greenway). My wife and I took our tandem and our friends took my mountain bike and my wife's AM Jubilee Moulton. Now our lady friend absolutely loved the Moulton (no surprise) and is now wanting to get a bike for herself. I had a chat with her on the phone this morning explained how much a Moulton would cost (not what she was expecting) and discussed suitable options and then said I would come up with some recommendations. I should point out that I fitted my wife's AM with Belleville Handlebars (flat swept back) to give a more upright riding position. Our friend who is around 70 years of age would definitely need such a riding position as well as a low step through frame. The things she particularly liked about the bike were its light weight, the riding position, the comfort and the step-through frame. I've had a quick look at some hybrids thinking that I might find something suitable, i.e. reasonably light, good range of gears, tyres wide enough to give some comfort and a step-through frame. However finding such a beast is proving to be difficult. I think a budget of up to £1000 would be acceptable. Any thoughts?

I've seen this but not much else

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-fx-3-s ... e-EV311946

Mrs H bought a Ladies Lightweight online from Temple Cycles in Bristol. The only change I/we've made was to swap the 28mm Schwalbe Road Cruiser tyres it was supplied with for some lighter & more supple Vittoria Voyager Hypers as I found there was enough clearance for them (& I already had several in stock). PlanetX (who seem to be the only place with any stock left) seem to be down to 35mm only now but I used the 38mm ones which fitted fine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/283144262251
Maybe have a pitch at something like this then fettle and change the bars. Though whether you want to get drawn into a project...

I recently bought one of these from Bikefix in London:

https://bikefix.co.uk/S300

It's not cheap but the components are all top quality and it will require little maintenance if properly cared for.

I swapped the rear sprocket for a 22T giving a gear range of 24" - 75" with the 38T chainset. I am 60 years old and find this OK. I can't imagine your friend would need a higher top gear.

The step through frame is a real bonus.

These bikes are also available from Chris's Bikes in Cambridge and direct from the manufacturer,but best to try before you buy and get it set up just right.

iandusud wrote:Any thoughts?

Lightweight ladies? I wish I was married to one

Personally, I'd be looking for a vintage step-through/mixte for £100 to £150, then be prepared to spend up to about another £150 getting it just right (cables, brakes, tyres, bearings, saddle ...). There's always plenty to choose from on Ebay and Gumtree.

Top-end lightweight steel mixtes such as the Raleigh Royale, Claud Butler Majestique, Dawes Galaxy tend to be particularly good value for money in today's market.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I would happily customise something for her but she lives in London and I live in Harrogate so it's not really that practical. I just want to be able to point her in the direction of a shop who can look after her.

The APB on Ebay is tempting but it's a bit ratty.

The bike from Temple in Bristol is lovely but not very local to her.

The Bikefix is a well speced bike but very pricey for what it is and not as light as I would hope for at that price.

Here's a couple of other bikes I've spotted that might fit the bill.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Dawes-Discover ... 119521.htm

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/ ... 7-5-frames

I do wish they would fit them with a double chainset though. No need for top gear above 80" IMO for a such as these.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Ridgeback-Mete ... _98590.htm

would be my choice rather than the Dawes as it has an 8 speed cassette hub rather than a 7 speed screw on freewheel. Also 10% cheaper and a tad lighter.

Or find her a good charity bike re-use project. I'm not London based so of no help in that direction.

iandusud wrote:The bike from Temple in Bristol is lovely but not very local to her.

Bristol isn't local to us either, it was ordered online (& delivered promptly). Once unpacked, it just needed the front wheel fitting & handlebars turning (possibly pedals fitting on too I can't remember). It has a traditional threaded steerer & quill stem so no (re)setting of the headset needed.

tod28 wrote:https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Ridgeback-Meteor-Open-Frame-Womens-2017-Hybrid-Sports-Bike_98590.htm

would be my choice rather than the Dawes as it has an 8 speed cassette hub rather than a 7 speed screw on freewheel. Also 10% cheaper and a tad lighter.

Or find her a good charity bike re-use project. I'm not London based so of no help in that direction.

That Ridgeback looks nice but they only have it 21" which I think would be too big for her. I don't think the Dawes uses a screw on freewheel looking at the specs.

I would happily do up a charity bike (we have a very good bike recycling charity nearby) but as I'm over 200 miles from my friend it's not a practical solution.

RickH wrote:

iandusud wrote:The bike from Temple in Bristol is lovely but not very local to her.

Bristol isn't local to us either, it was ordered online (& delivered promptly). Once unpacked, it just needed the front wheel fitting & handlebars turning (possibly pedals fitting on too I can't remember). It has a traditional threaded steerer & quill stem so no (re)setting of the headset needed.

I would feel happier directing her to a local bike shop rather than buying mail order. The links I've given to on line sellers such as Tredz are only examples of suitable bikes. I would have her buy such a bike as a Dawes or Ridgeback from London based dealer.

Something like this https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/hy ... &gclsrc=ds
or https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV306281
or https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-fx-3-s ... gL1E_D_BwE

I acquired this 10 years ago for my partner, a specialized globe pro, tricked out with some purple bits and even with rack pack and 42mm tyres it's under 10kg.

Thanks for those suggestions. I've sent her a few links, including the Trek, which is my pick of the bunch, although I've suggested that if she does go for it that she gets the shop to swap the tyres out for something a bit wider, 35 or 38mm. I've avoided bikes with disc brakes as I consider them an unnecessary complication for the leisure usage that she has in mind.

Brompton?

iandusud wrote:Thanks for those suggestions. I've sent her a few links, including the Trek, which is my pick of the bunch, although I've suggested that if she does go for it that she gets the shop to swap the tyres out for something a bit wider, 35 or 38mm. I've avoided bikes with disc brakes as I consider them an unnecessary complication for the leisure usage that she has in mind.

Hydraulic disc brakes should be less maintenance than rim brakes according to most that use them. Personally I'm happy with Vs/mini Vs fully loaded though they are higher end arms and pads..

The good thing about the Trek is that it has carbon forks, it'll help dampen some of the vibrations, the description says it comes with 35mm tyres, so odd that it has 32mm in the spec further down
I would also get rid of the aluminium riser bar which I reckon will be too stiff and too wide, a narrower (56cm) carbon fibre one would be perfect, they aren't that expensive and they really are beneficial for increasing comfort for the hands, arms & shoulders. I've been using a carbon flat bar on my daily for the last 10 years and it's one of the best investments I ever made.

good luck with it all.