Bike for lady beginner

EwanMonaghan

Hello, my wife is looking to learn to cycle and is probably going to try and start to commute in and out to work as I do. Its only going to be road riding, around the city (kerbs, potholes etc) and a few towpaths. She is keen to get a specifically designed womens frame but I'm having trouble finding reviews of them and working out what the best one might be. Anyone got any recommendations on a decent entry level womens bike for a total beginner? Ideally I want to spend £600 max, but less would be great if its possible. Cheers.

cycledad2

Hi,

£600 smackaroons is about perfect to buy a really nice purpose built for life , good second hand resale value, commuter\city bike.

A few questions:
-Is your area flat? Do you want a bike that can handle hills?
-How far is her commute and is it stop starty?
-Do you\her intend to do other rides aside from the commute?
-Is your wife going to prefer a bike with a gentle graceful ride or is she the athletic sprinter\marathon runner\gym bunny type?

My gut feel is that as your wife is brand new to cycling simplicity is key. I'm hoping you'll say flat\<5 miles\ not too stop starty\ gentle graceful ride. If so , then i'd heartily recommend a european style city bike (as endorsed by my wife , myslef, nearly every womens fashion mag and most of mainland Europe). If so i can point you to several sites and some good local bike shops in the UK.

If shes more the athletic gym bunny type and your going to do hills etc i can point you to a few women friendly web sites, which should help you in the right direction.

PS Any kids to move around on the bike?

EwanMonaghan

Thanks for your response. My other half is definitely a gentle ride rather than aggressive sprinter type of cyclist, the commute is short (3 miles) and she will only ride it to commute to and from work. If I do take her out it would be quiet country lanes, that sort of thing. The only issue is that there are a few hills on our route, though nothing too massive. The city bike sounds good - where can they be found?

cycledad2

Hi,

So for classic city bikes just type dutch bikes into google, you'll get loads of hits. Most shops that stock these bikes will also stock british, american or german equivalents which give often have a more modern twist on the dutch models. You shoudl be able to find something near you. These bikes have a wow factor, coupled with a big ease of use that will hopefully make your wife want to get on it.

You probably want something with 5 to 8 gears for the few hills and all the practical low maintenance features of these bike types. (hub gears, hub brakes, hub dyanmos, built in locks, fitted racks etc).

For women specific stuff check out:
-Shecycles.com
-Cyclechic.co.uk (and some of the sites they like)

For a special mention, and for the more modern look:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com has some very good bikes inclduing a women specific range. Theyre not very glamorous but consistently produce very good value bikes that do the job

EwanMonaghan

Thanks so much! That info is exactly what I was after - absolutely brilliant!