Bringing the Better Half Mountainbiking!

[CeeBrady]

Hello Girls

This is another post from a guy looking for advice on a bike for my other half.

Now this is not a last minute gift idea and we have some time on our hands to gather the information that we need to make the decision on what type/level of bike would be best for her. She has begun riding and enjoys my 2007 giant reign, as she is of a smaller build and 155cm I have been thinking that she would probable get a bit more out of a slightly lighter bike such as a trance, I have seen that there a few advocates for this model in this section of the forum, and ideally that is what I would get for her as I see the trance to be good value. However I am a little concerned about cash that we will have to layout for this purchase that she may or may not get the anticipated enjoyment out of therefore we are considering some of the budget options as well such as the Yukon fx. Is it likely that she will get satisfaction and enjoyment out of the Yukon as I did out of my low to mid level hardtail when I first started riding regularly or should we drop the extra dollars on something that will be lighter and a bit more dialed?

Please share your opinions girls, and guys who are reading the girls only section.

 

[Amber]

Hi,

Why not check out 2nd hand options? That way you can get a cheaper, but quality dually at the same price as a new one. Alternatively, you could seek a small frame from a previous year e.g. 2010. Generally the small frames are in shops for longer (guys are taller), so it could be worthwhile phoning around and seeing what is out there, especially with 2012 just around the corner.

Having finally jumped on an trance after having an XTC & anthem, it's certainly worth the cash! Most enjoyable xc bike I've owned so far!

Good luck,

Amber

 

[CeeBrady]

Amber thanks for your opinion, the 2nd hand option is probable the way we will go, just got to start the search.
Cheers.

 

[Norco Maniac]

i don't do a huge amount of mountainbiking as my main sport is BMX, but i did a bit of research myself (on here, mostly) and ended up on a second-hand '07 Norco Manik. i'm 162cm but fairly strong so 16.8kg of medium-frame hardtail didn't phase me, tho i did do a few adjustments with stem height, bar width and a better saddle to make this big bike more workable for me.

i use it as my commuter, i gate at the track on it for fun, and i pretty much take it everywhere, it's been a great all-rounder.

just recently bought the same bike (also second-hand) but in the XS frame, and i love it. best part of the deal is i get to give my other half my medium Manik and drag him off his bmx to ride tracks with me :clap2:

 

[CeeBrady]

Thanks,

Thank you for the input, We will probably be going for something with dual suspension and not too heavy duty, she likes my current bike (probably for the comfort more than the other benefits of dual suspension) and then she is not the strongest of riders. do you girls have any suggestions of other models that we should be looking in to?

Cheers Again

 

[cleeshoy]

Thanks,

Thank you for the input, We will probably be going for something with dual suspension and not too heavy duty, she likes my current bike (probably for the comfort more than the other benefits of dual suspension) and then she is not the strongest of riders. do you girls have any suggestions of other models that we should be looking in to?

Cheers Again

Have you looked at any of the Specialized women's bikes? Men's bikes tend to have a slightly longer top tube which used to be torture on my wife's back. We got her a Specialized "Safire", then got her on an "Era" which improved her riding spectacularly. We have the Era up for sale if you are interested.....
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?236441-2011-Specialized-Era-Comp-Carbon-(Size-M)

 

[Katdog]

It sounds like she’s already invested enough in the sport to make it worth spending the dough to get the best bike you can. Second hand can be really good value, especially for smaller bikes because they’re harder to sell, and have quite often (not always) had an easier life being ridden by smaller riders.

If she likes your dually then I don’t see any reason not to get her a dually too.

Being of a smaller build it’s worth getting something light (I’d try not to go over 13kg) and checking out female specific bikes, or at least paying careful attention to top tube length and standover height to make sure it suits.

I’ve had my xc bike for a few years so I’m a bit out of the loop in terms of what’s available now, but the Trance looks to be a light fun dual suspension “do it all” trail bike. Any other bikes you’ve come across so far that looks good..?

 

[CeeBrady]

Katdog and Cleeshoy,

Thanks for the brilliant advice on the women’s specific bikes and the geo to look out for. Really the women’s bikes was an oversight I had made to this point, will be performing further research along this line. I had just been thinking of the 'men’s' models. Are the women’s models difficult to find 2nd hand?


Clesshoy, thanks for letting me know about the 'Era' that you have available, it's just a bit out of the range that we are thinking of.

Cheers and Happy Holidays.

 

[Get Mounted]

+1 for the Spesh Era. My wife started with an entry level GT Avalanche hardtail then moved on to the Era and hasn't looked back. I think buying a relatively cheap second hand rig to start off with is a good idea. If she decides (it sounds like she already has) that she's a born again dirtpig then getting a decent womens specific bike will IMO increase her performance and enjoyment significantly. Check out the Spesh website to see the points of difference between the women and mens bikes. They dont just shrink 'em and pink 'em like a lot of other brands. A couple of other brands that invest in women specific RND that come to mind are Trek (lush) and Cannondale.

Good luck with it, if you can get her hooked then that's your laminated MTB leave pass stamped for life :whoo:

 

[cleeshoy]

+1 for the Spesh Era. My wife started with an entry level GT Avalanche hardtail then moved on to the Era and hasn't looked back. I think buying a relatively cheap second hand rig to start off with is a good idea. If she decides (it sounds like she already has) that she's a born again dirtpig then getting a decent womens specific bike will IMO increase her performance and enjoyment significantly. Check out the Spesh website to see the points of difference between the women and mens bikes. They dont just shrink 'em and pink 'em like a lot of other brands. A couple of other brands that invest in women specific RND that come to mind are Trek (lush) and Cannondale.

Good luck with it, if you can get her hooked then that's your laminated MTB leave pass stamped for life :whoo:

My wife actually has more bikes then me, and all of them are female specific bikes with the female geometry, etc. She would never go back to a male bike - they are simply not set up for her.
There is no leave pass to go riding because she is always riding with me (which is ok with me!)
We thought female bikes would be harder to sell (smaller audience, etc) but we have managed to sell 2 of them quite quickly. I think its just a case of 'right place, right time'. If you (or anyone) interested, we have entry female road bike coming up for sale when we are back from hols.....

 

[CeeBrady]

Hi all,

Thanks for the valuable advice and opinions, please feel free to continue to share them.
we will be definately checking out the womens specific range of bikes.

Cheers

 

[sydmick]

I have recently done a lot of research into getting a new trail/xc bike and being a 157cm female my options were severely limited. I previously had an xs womens specific Giant Anthem which was still to big for me so I would advise against this model for your wife who is shorter again than me. From the research I have done the standover on the womens Trance is still to high as well so I would steer clear of the Giants for her. I looked into Specialized Safire and the new Trek Lush series of bikes both of which had suitable geometry for a real shorty. The Lush SL won out in the end due to having a local Trek dealer who looks after me very well with pricing and service and I could not be happier with it. It is so much more confidence inspiring than the Anthem, the suspension is amazing in comparison to any xc bike I have ever ridden. It has a bottomless feel without compromising on the climbing. There is a cheaper model that has decent specs for $2499rrp. Maybe check that out. Like Cleeshoy I managed to sell my xs womens Anthem in a couple of days so secondhand ones are hard to come by and tend to get jumped on by people in a similar situation to you very quickly. You will need to be very proactively looking to find one secondhand. Good luck with it all.

 

[CeeBrady]

Sydmik,

Cheers for the advice, we might have to rethink our ideal models list.
We still have some time up our sleeves at this stage.

Cheers Again

 

[cleeshoy]

Sydmik,

Cheers for the advice, we might have to rethink our ideal models list.
We still have some time up our sleeves at this stage.

Cheers Again

I took a look through this thread again but couldn't find mention of budget (managed to sell my wife's Era over Xmas which was nice ).
A couple of other women's specific bikes to consider....

Fate (maybe out of the price range but if you can get one second hand, you will be on a guarenteed winner - wifey has one and on flat sections she absolutely flies. Its good watching her burn past guys . She has the "Expert" version with a few additional upgrades (sub 10kg on a 29er) but the "Comp" version is pretty well spec'ed...
http://www.specialized.com/au/gb/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=61544&scid=1100&scname=Mountain

Myka FSR - a more recreational version of the "Safire" -> http://www.specialized.com/au/gb/bc/SBCBkFamily.jsp?sid=12MykaFSR&scid=1100&scname=Mountain

Jett - a more recreational version of the "Fate" -> http://www.specialized.com/au/gb/bc/SBCBkFamily.jsp?sid=12Jett&scid=1100&scname=Mountain

One thing I have forgotten to mention is don't "skimp" on buying her a cheapish bike. A cheap bike will feel like a cheap bike which can lead to more frustration and less ride time!
I know my wife would feel a rather pissed if I got her a lower end bike whilst I was strutting around in an S-Works (hence it's my turn for a decent roadie!).