Bike for wife- some expert advice needed

menthel

Right, the wife has been riding a trek hybrid for the past 18 months. It weighs a ton and I am fairly convinced it is the wrong size for her. She can't adjust the bike so that the has a good pedal stroke (her knees are still rather bent) and can touch the floor when at a stop. Having fiddled with the seat etc I can only conclude that the frame is too large.

So we were in Evans at the weekend (needed some brake pads for said hybrid) and she tried out a specialised dolce in her size (rather small- she is only 5' 1") and found it very comfortable. However, she now thinks that a road bike like this wouldn't be "practical". She wants something that can handle pannier racks, mudguards and can also take our son's bike seat and a little later his trailer bike. It would also be nice if it could be stripped down and used for a day out on the bike too. She also wants something she is not afraid to lock up outside.

I wonder if a steel framed light tourer would be better for her. Sturdy and multifunctional in all respects. The only problem will be finding one in her size and that is not so expensive that she will be happy to lock it up.

I have suggested going to somewhere like Pearson's or Condor (I think a nice fratello may be ideal) but I think that they way fall outside of the "not afraid to chain up" category!

Ideas? Suggestions?

(The only real problem I see is that she will have 3 bikes and I will only have 2 and that she is also likely to be faster than me on something stripped down and better fitting!)

owenlars

Surly Pacer, go and talk to Brixton Bike Co-op.

veronese68

Is this the woman that's taking QOMs and does competitive yoga? She needs a really heavy dutch bike made of girders.

menthel

Veronese68 wrote:

Is this the woman that's taking QOMs and does competitive yoga? She needs a really heavy dutch bike made of girders.

That is the one. She doesn't actually do competitive yoga, justs gets competitive whilst doing yoga!

I will have a look at the surly bikes and see if we can manufacture a trip to Brixton. We may have to do a full trip round all of the bike shops that sell these types of bikes.

The Rookie

menthel wrote:

Bike for wife

Pics so we know if the swap is worthwhile!

If the seatpost won't go high enough, it sound slike teh frame is too small?

Decathlon do an excellent fast Hybrid with carbon forks etc for about £350....I wouldn't go steel, quality aluminium is just as good in every respect except weight - when it is better.

menthel

However, please do take into account her shortness!

menthel

The Beginner wrote:

menthel wrote:

Bike for wife

Pics so we know if the swap is worthwhile!

If the seatpost won't go high enough, it sound slike teh frame is too small?

Decathlon do an excellent fast Hybrid with carbon forks etc for about £350....I wouldn't go steel, quality aluminium is just as good in every respect except weight - when it is better.

Skinny, short, pretty, always right, expensive tastes and enough shoes to fill up the house with. I would want a pretty darn good bike for her. Something in Ti would suit...

The seatpost goes high, the problem is she can't touch the ground once it is in a decent position for pedalling!

Decathlon are a problem as we don't have a store nearby and she really needs to try these things out. She keeps talking about getting a bike fit but I am not sure that will be as useful as just sitting on the bloody things!

Ben6899

menthel wrote:

The seatpost goes high, the problem is she can't touch the ground once it is in a decent position for pedalling!

I can't do this on my bikes, either. But they're the right size.

I'm not being flippant, just pointing something out which might help you.

menthel

Ben6899 wrote:

menthel wrote:

The seatpost goes high, the problem is she can't touch the ground once it is in a decent position for pedalling!

I can't do this on my bikes, either. But they're the right size.

I'm not being flippant, just pointing something out which might help you.

No problem, its all useful info. The problem really is that she has trouble stepping off at lights, especially when the boy is on the front mounted seat. He tends to get in the way.

I am sure this is just a way for her to go N+1 again now that we have 2 bikes each!

The Rookie

menthel wrote:

The seatpost goes high, the problem is she can't touch the ground once it is in a decent position for pedalling!

Obviously, as your leg should be pretty much straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke, then how on earth is it meant to reach the floor without getting frequant pedal strikes.....(the pedal thickness taking away another 1/2" of ground clerance by itself).

We have 9 bikes in the family, only on one can the rider touch the ground when in the saddle, but it's the wifes bike and she insists on sitting like that (despite me keep moving the saddle up 1/4" when she's not looking).

menthel

I can with mine and my seat and pedalling position are fine. Anyway, she does not feel stable with the positions that work for pedalling- this was much different on the specialized she tried on Saturday.

The Rookie

menthel wrote:

I can with mine and my seat and pedalling position are fine. .

I do doubt that very much indeed.... Suggest you get your riding position looked at!

supersonic

Whether you can touch the floor is irrelevant to saddle height - if you can you may just have large feet, or a short height for the bottom bracket. Saddle height is a function of the pedal position, though many people are comforted if they can reach the floor, but this can result in an inefficient riding position.

I agree with the above, take a look at the Decathlin Fit 5.

veronese68

The Beginner wrote:

menthel wrote:

I can with mine and my seat and pedalling position are fine. .

I do doubt that very much indeed.... Suggest you get your riding position looked at!

I can touch the ground on all of mine. Well tip toe to the ground, aris slightly to the side and the bike leaning a fraction. It's a bit uncomfortable for any longer than the average traffic light as I am stretched out but I don't need to jump out of the saddle to stop.
No, I don't have really long feet and clown shoes.

UndercoverElephant

Veronese68 wrote:

The Beginner wrote:

menthel wrote:

I can with mine and my seat and pedalling position are fine. .

I do doubt that very much indeed.... Suggest you get your riding position looked at!

I can touch the ground on all of mine. Well tip toe to the ground, aris slightly to the side and the bike leaning a fraction. It's a bit uncomfortable for any longer than the average traffic light as I am stretched out but I don't need to jump out of the saddle to stop.
No, I don't have really long feet and clown shoes.

I do think you could go up a frame size, though.

slowbike

menthel wrote:

she tried out a specialised dolce in her size (rather small- she is only 5' 1") and found it very comfortable. However, she now thinks that a road bike like this wouldn't be "practical". She wants something that can handle pannier racks, mudguards and can also take our son's bike seat and a little later his trailer bike. It would also be nice if it could be stripped down and used for a day out on the bike too. She also wants something she is not afraid to lock up outside.

Docle is a nice bike - not everyones cup of tea, but if she finds it comfortable then it doesn't matter.
I believe it can handle racks & guards - but even if it didn't have the fittings you could just get p-clips.
A bike seat is slightly more tricky - depends what the seat is and how it fixes - sounds like it goes on the cross bar - which doesn't sound very practical for a bike that is trying to get you more horizontal - for a cross bar child seat you need more of a sit-up and beg bike ..
If the seat was behind it wouldn't be an issue.
As for a tag-along or trailer - I've towed a trailer with my Spec TriCross - it fitted with the quick release clamping it up - other trailers have clamps that go around the stays. iirc tag alongs connect to the seat post - so you just need clearance on that.

EKE_38BPM

I'm after something similar for my wife.

She wants drop bars and a step through/mixte frame but they don't seem to exist any more. You can have step through or drops but not both.

I'm trying to talk her into letting me buy a new mixte frame and a road bike to act as a donor for groupset, chainset, wheelset etc and then I get a frame to build up in the future/sell, but she ain't having it.

Need to bring her budget up and find a cheaper donor.

liz545

I got a Dawes Galaxy a couple of months ago and it sounds like it might fit the bill. It's capable enough of fast rides but it also handles luggage well and it's a good mid-point between a hybrid and a road bike. I'm 5' 2" and the 43cm frame fits well, plus the 2012 models are heavily discounted at the moment (mine was £1200 down to £800). I think Dawes also do the Horizon Plus (slightly more budget-friendly tourer) in a 43cm frame. Failing that, you could look for a vintage mixte Galaxy on eBay and fix it up, so she could have something a bit more custom?

menthel

Thanks all. I think a tourer is looking favourite. She may be stopping the frame mounted seat soon anyway as the boy is getting a bit big for her to hoist up. Or trailer bike mounts on the seatpost. I use my charge for towing duty and it is more than up to the job. We shall continue to look and find some places to try a few things out.

EKE- condor do a step thru version of the italia. Just saying...

london-red

Exactly the conundrum I'm faced with at the moment, and I can't seem to pull my adoring gaze away from the Genesis Croix de Fer... Want.

asprilla

**Blatant Plug**

Well if any of you think a Civia Bryant might the bill I have one on eBay at the moment.....

Small frame, disc brakes, guards, rack, drops, steel, Alfine 8, swappable vertical / horizontal dropouts, carbon belt drive.

menthel

Nice try!

menthel

Don't hate me for replying to myself but have done a little more research.

Liking the look of either the Tifosi ck7 or a kinesis t2. Size may be doable- any experience out there of these?

veronese68

Would have been a better plug if he'd posted a link.

jejv

jejv wrote:

Bikes have gotten higher.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f ... 0&start=24

5'1" is fine for a big wheel bike, but some messing about with the stem and bars may be necessary to get a sensible riding position. Our 12YO has upside-down Raleigh trekking bars on a -40 degree stem - so the grips are below the headset. And about level with the seat. Visually, the effect is a bit like ace bar on a motorbike. His bike gets unsolicited compliments about the bars.

She'll have short legs. So ideally she'll have short cranks to match. Maybe ~160mm ??
I had a 175mm 42-32-22 Alivio chainset cut down to 155mm by Highpath Engineering for 12 YO (a couple of years ago). Sun-{Tour/Race?} do a cheaper 42-34-24 in 152.4mm. If you have shorter cranks, you need lower gears.

I'd be wary of the fancy tourers. They could be very good. But some of the designers think the wheelbase should scale down with the rider. Oops. SJS do a 25mm stem (25.4 clamp), and you can reverse that if you like. It won't affect the intrinsic stability.

Small riders on big-wheel bikes have some advantages. The triangle between the contact points and the centre of gravity is flatter, so static stability under braking or on steep hills is better.

Her bike doesn't sound obviously too big to me. Maybe a bit of tinkering is in order.

The bike seat is on the back, right ?

EKE_38BPM

After much googling, I've got a mixte build to a spec SWMBO is happy with down to about £600. Add a bit extra for things like bar tape and it should all come in at about £630 assuming everything is in stock.

I am looking forward to the build and Mrs EKE is looking forward to being able to customise it with things like matching coloured anodised nuts and bolts.

UndercoverElephant

EKE_38BPM wrote:

After much googling, I've got a mixte build to a spec SWMBO is happy with down to about £600. Add a bit extra for things like bar tape and it should all come in at about £630 assuming everything is in stock.

I am looking forward to the build and Mrs EKE is looking forward to being able to customise it with things like matching coloured anodised nuts and bolts.

Eke, did you miss the half-price, step-through Ridley frame I linked to on the other thread?

EKE_38BPM

UndercoverElephant wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

After much googling, I've got a mixte build to a spec SWMBO is happy with down to about £600. Add a bit extra for things like bar tape and it should all come in at about £630 assuming everything is in stock.

I am looking forward to the build and Mrs EKE is looking forward to being able to customise it with things like matching coloured anodised nuts and bolts.

Eke, did you miss the half-price, step-through Ridley frame I linked to on the other thread?

Thanks for that, but I found a mixte frameset for £90 that floated her boat.

I'm still looking for cheaper wheelsets and groupsets than I have found on Ribble though, so recommendations wanted for them.

veronese68

EKE, from the bargains thread:

YIMan wrote:

denniskwok wrote:

probikekit.co.uk has 105 stuff at 40% off. You have to buy eight lots to get the full discount, but could be worth a good group buy? If you buy four lots, you get 20% off. The individual prices are a little higher than merlin or ribble to start with however..

£45 cheaper than Ribble for the groupset (£348), to save anyone else adding it all to basket.

The Rookie

EK, I'd get a good 'barely used' bike and use that, much better value than buying new!

EKE_38BPM

The Beginner wrote:

EKE, I'd get a good 'barely used' bike and use that, much better value than buying new!

Agreed, but she wants a new bike. I'm sure we can all understand that.

I stopped off at a bike shop near Old Street (can't remember the name*) and they were offering wheelsets using Mavic Open Sport rims and Tiagra hubs that when I add rim tape and a pair of tyres were coming in at about £20 cheaper than the wheelset (inc tyres etc) that I've been looking at on Ribble.

I also stopped at London Fields Cycles (overpriced and rubbish customer service from what I could see**) and asked them for a rough idea for everything I would need for the build. They were coming in at around £400 excluding wheels, pedals, saddle. I asked why they were so high and it seems they don't sell all of the components you'd need to build a bike, despite selling framesets. e.g. They don't sell groupsets,

I'm currently looking at probike. The wheels seem cheap. I'll be coming back on here with a shortlist and asking for advice a bit later.

* eta the shop is called Cyclelab. If I'm going to bad mouth a shop with bad customer service and rubbish pricing, it is only fair that I name-check a shop with good service and pricing. So, Cyclelab and juicebar on Pitfield Street, just off Old Street.

**A dad came in just before me with his young son. The dad was carrying the kid's tiny Ridgeback (Ridgeback do good kids bikes BTW) that still had the stabilisers on because one of the tyres was flat. After waiting a couple of minutes to get served the dad (who didn't speak English very well) explained that the tyre was flat. This lead to the sales monkey explaining to him in a Basil Fawltyesque manner that the tyre was flat (duh) and tried to pump it up. After a minute or two of faffing around the sales monkey deduced a puncture. The dad asked if it could be repaired and monkey said the workshop was busy so if he left the bike there he should (not will) be able to pick the bike up on Thursday. In the time he took to attempt to pump up the tyre and explain the problem to the dad (who already knew what the problem was), he could easily have replaced the innertube with a new one.
I was in there for about 10 minutes before any of the staff acknowledged me and that was to ask me to move out of the way.
I will not be going there again.