£400 road bike for my girlfriend. Suggestions?

Cool4catz

Hi, looking for a good new or second hand road bike for about £400. She's 5'6" and like me new to the sport. Time she lost the wicker basket. Looking for a reliable, lightweight and cool looking bike and wondered if it needs to be a ladies bike or would any good fitting bike do. She's not really into pink. Thanks.

MattC59

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

fmoab

How about a Decathlon Triban 3, £300 buys you a perfectly decent starter bike. My wife bought one two years ago and has happily completed a number of substantial rides of up to 80 miles. I believe that you even get carbon forks these days for your money. If there is a Decathlon anywhere near you, give it a look.

g00se

Women specific frames are supposed to 'fit' the longer legged / shorter body stereotype but best have her check a few out to make sure.

A second hand Specilaized Dolce won't be pink and flowery if you do want a womens specific one. Giant and Trek also do decent WSD designs that aren't pink either.

rozzer32

£400 on a bike? Are you joking? Take that £400 and buy her a new iron, ironing board, a new set of pots and pans, washing machine etc. You get the picture

dru

Cool4catz wrote:

Hi, looking for a good new or second hand road bike for about £400. She's 5'6" and like me new to the sport. Time she lost the wicker basket. Looking for a reliable, lightweight and cool looking bike and wondered if it needs to be a ladies bike or would any good fitting bike do. She's not really into pink. Thanks.

How much did your bike cost?

Surely you should buy here something similar to what you have as long as you are happy?

Cool4catz

Dru wrote:

Cool4catz wrote:

Hi, looking for a good new or second hand road bike for about £400. She's 5'6" and like me new to the sport. Time she lost the wicker basket. Looking for a reliable, lightweight and cool looking bike and wondered if it needs to be a ladies bike or would any good fitting bike do. She's not really into pink. Thanks.

How much did your bike cost?

Surely you should buy here something similar to what you have as long as you are happy?

I have a nice Guess RB1 I got for £250 and a Claud Butler Dalesman (moves like a routemaster bus), I got for £500 last year. Just not sure whether to get a specific ladies bike like the Dolce or any bike would do.

Cool4catz

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

Interesting trade. Very tempting.

team47b

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

Five times as long... you do the maths!

Sorry, thought I would just get in first

MattC59

team47b wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

Five times as long... you do the maths!

Sorry, thought I would just get in first

eeerm...... I may have missed somehting here.

andrewjoseph

make sure the gearing is appropriate, if she is new to riding and wants to do more, get a triple or compact chainset and a decent cassette 12-25, 13-27 or similar.

I bought an ex-showroom 05 Dolce for my wife, she struggled up hills that she didn't think about on her mtb. After a while it dawned on me that even though it was a triple, it was higher gearing than my compact! Changed rings and cassette and that improved things, but now have mtb ratio crankset and cassette and the hills here in south wales are much less of a problem.

team47b

MattC59 wrote:

team47b wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

Five times as long... you do the maths!

Sorry, thought I would just get in first

eeerm...... I may have missed somehting here.

Explanation...'five times as long' ie 5x your normal performance time, length of time er engaged in an act times five is still not a long amount of time, I was being derogatory about your sexual prowess, suggesting that the total time was probably less than 3 minutes, so 3x5=15 or a hard boiled egg!

MattC59

team47b wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

team47b wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

Five times as long... you do the maths!

Sorry, thought I would just get in first

eeerm...... I may have missed somehting here.

Explanation...'five times as long' ie 5x your normal performance time, length of time er engaged in an act times five is still not a long amount of time, I was being derogatory about your sexual prowess, suggesting that the total time was probably less than 3 minutes, so 3x5=15 or a hard boiled egg!

aaah........ I see !
Well, it almost worked

Slack

None. Why would you want the whinge-bagging to follow you around on your bike - surely you would want some personal time for a break???

hulla the hulla

Slack wrote:

None. Why would you want the whinge-bagging to follow you around on your bike - surely you would want some personal time for a break???

Agree to a point, time spent out riding is mine. If and when I choose to ride with others they will at no stage be griefing me for leaving my clothes on the floor and moaning about the shelves that "....you have been promising to put up for months!"

to keep this on topic, I would suggest a better spec but 2nd hand bike for SWMBO

t4tomo

MattC59 wrote:

In answer to the title of your thread, my bikes worth about £2000, so does that mean I'd get your girlfriend for five times as long, or would she just be five times as dirty ?

whether its a permanent swao or just a temporary loan either way I think for your £2k bike you want his gf plus 4 of her mates.