Beautiful Girlfriends bike

[link1896]

riding trails at speed back before v brakes with elastomer suspension.

we regularly rode a fire trail in warrandyte, top of Webb Street called Boundary Track. We'd hit 70-80km/h down it. the crazy shit you do as a teenager

when we fitted v-brakes to our bikes, oh the amount of warnings before test rides. "be careful, you'll go over the bars"

 

[hellmansam]

if she's just going to grab the front brake and take her feet of the pedals everytime the trail points downhill she's going to wreck regardless.

How about some basic skills coaching sessions ? women seem to ignore their partners telling them how to do stuff

 

[Dales Cannon]

riding trails at speed back before v brakes with elastomer suspension.

we regularly rode a fire trail in warrandyte, top of Webb Street called Boundary Track. We'd hit 70-80km/h down it. the crazy shit you do as a teenager

when we fitted v-brakes to our bikes, oh the amount of warnings before test rides. "be careful, you'll go over the bars"

I got my old vee braked pos to speeds over 120kph! Luckily it didnt fall off the bike rack.

 

[nathanm]

How about some basic skills coaching sessions ? women seem to ignore their partners telling them how to do stuff

It was the first time she'd ever done anything like that, granted though the trails were the hardest she's ever attempted and she just got spooked. Is the unfortunate consequence of modern tech that the stoppers have so much power nowadays that you as much as touch the front brake it will lock.

Next ride we'll be finding some techie stuff and just sessioning it. teach her to trust the bike and drag the back brake.

 

[nathanm]

So took the useless girlfriend out to Glenorchy MTB park on the weekend to try and get her confidence back after the big stack on the Mtn.

Eased into it with some green trail and she did well, keeping her feet on the pedals and even trying some little rollers and drops.

Told her we'd get a photo for the site and she immediately tries to run me over in the process.

We ended the session with a crack at a double black diamond jump track. which she walked most of but had a crack at a couple of berms and tried some of the rollers which she loved and is keen to go again.

 

[Flow-Rider]

I hope your GF never sees this thread.

 

[nathanm]

I hope your GF never sees this thread.

I have told her all about it, well para-phrased, I don't want her to stab me in my sleep.

 

[Miguel75]

She seems less useless, and pretty awesome, given she keeps giving it a crack. Both my wife and daughter tried once and have given up

 

[Cardy George]

She seems less useless, and pretty awesome, given she keeps giving it a crack. Both my wife and daughter tried once and have given up

Wot he said!

 

[nathanm]

Wot he said!

She seems less useless, and pretty awesome, given she keeps giving it a crack. Both my wife and daughter tried once and have given up

I am proud of her for getting back on the bike and giving it a go. Though riding 4km of Green trail in just over 1 hour doesn't mean she's ready for the DH Word Cup just yet.
Luckily she does have my warped sense of humour and would probably (hopefully) laugh at my threads.

 

[SF Trailboy]

Luckily she does have my warped sense of humour and would probably (hopefully) laugh at my threads.

Or either start one about her useless boyfriends love making skills...

Or indefinitely ban you from pleasure town for many moons...

 

[nathanm]

So the upgrades on the Useless Girlfriends bike are now complete and I'm pretty chuffed with how it's now spec'd.

Bike now has some sweet Fox Fit4 120mm fork for a little more front end travel and slackened the Geo. Thanks to @Labcanary its now rolling on a set of Mavic Cross One hoops (as the fork was 15mm drop outs, so had to upgrade wheels to suit) and I've fitted a wider Hans Dampf tyre to the front with a High Roller rear for maximum traction.

stuck a 7" rotor out the back for maximum stoppage (7: front already) and did a proper full system bleed so the brakes are prime.

After selling the existing forks and wheels the upgrades only cost a further $80, so all up the bike has cost less than $650 to build which has been a pretty cheap and fulfilling project really.