Another LOTM bike search

Our Community › Forums › Bikes & Equipment › Another LOTM bike search

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • August 31, 2015 at 1:58 pm #1036753
    dasgeh
    Participant

    The bike Starduster’s wife has is pretty awesome, but it might be a bit higher than your budget… I think it was a Breezer?

    Phoenix is gearing up for the big sale at Big Bear Cafe. That sale (or maybe at Phoenix just before) might be a good source.

    I love that she’s the Queen and you’re a lowly Lord. :-)

    August 31, 2015 at 2:05 pm #1036763
    cvcalhoun
    Participant

    @lordofthemark 123142 wrote:

    Well sort of. The Kona Dew continues to work just fine for me. Now that I have finally donated the old beater MTB to Phoenix Bikes, I have begun to think about a second bike for my wife (hereinafter QueenoftheMark, or QOTM) She is enough into biking I am sure she would ride with me on nice weekend jaunts on trails. I doubt she will use the bike for transportation. I am thinking the ideal bike will be another hybrid, but since she will not ride as much, and since she will not be commuting on it, it does not need to be as good a bike as the Dew. I am thinking this time really spending less than $300 on it. Either a Schwinn (can I get a decent one for less than $300?) or a used bike, maybe a used lower end Trek. I wanted to take a look at such bikes when I was at Phoenix, but they were very low on for sale inventory – all they had were some old road bikes.

    Probably won’t get anything real soon, but since I take so long in bike searches, I thought I might as well ask for ideas now.

    I guess I know a good bit more about bikes, esp hybrids, now than I did then, but still not nearly as much as the hive mind here (or even as many individual minds here) Mostly I guess I am wondering if my intuition that less frequent riding translates into a cheaper bike being good enough is correct. (and yes, I do realize that she just might get the bug more completely and want to ride every day – I will chance that) (also that she has to have input and even final say in this decision – again, consider this an opportunity for the community to discuss the issues with these particular kinds of bikes, not a patriarchal imposition by me on what she rides)

    Bike and Roll DC has its annual sale in November. They buy a new bike, rent it for a year, then resell it. Because they have mechanics on staff and the bikes are only a year old, the bikes tend to be in good condition. And a Trek hybrid would be within your budget.

    November 12, 2015 at 9:58 pm #1041060
    lordofthemark
    Participant

    I will put some updates here – we haven’t actually looked yet, but QOTM has joined me for two rides in the last week – on Sunday we went to Great Falls, and both took (mountain bike) loaners that the NPS has (a donation program) Yesterday we stuffed my Dew in the back seat, drove to Brunswick, and rented a bike (beach cruiser type, fixed gear) for QOTM.

    She liked having no gears to worry about, although going down the hill by the Brunswick RR station to the towpath, she let out a louder scream than I had heard in a while – having not ridden a fixed gear bike since I was ten, I did not realize what an adventure it could be. She steared onto the towpath and was fine. Nonetheless, I expect we will get her a geared bike.

    She liked the posture on the cruiser better – she found both MTBs (we switched out because she wanted a softer saddle) to lean her too far forward which caused neck discomfort. She liked the more upright cruiser better. She also found some hand discomfort on the MTBs – though they had bar ends, she did not really ride using the ends.

    We agreed that trying out different bikes will be helpful in her knowing what issues to ask about.

    November 12, 2015 at 10:15 pm #1041062
    Steve O
    Participant

    @lordofthemark 127837 wrote:

    and rented a bike (beach cruiser type, fixed gear) for QOTM.

    I think you mean single speed, not fixed gear. She could coast, right? A fixed gear requires one to pedal whenever the rear wheel is turning.

    What that bike probably had was a coaster brake in which you push backwards on the pedals to brake the rear wheel. Many people have never ridden one of these or only did decades ago, so it’s not a normal way to think about braking. But not hard to get used to.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.