Need a bike for the wife.
 

So let’s try this yet again.

Was off to a good restart last year myself after many years off due to injury many years earlier and many failed restarts. Was actually having fun again not just trying push through and look forward to restart again.

Last year didn’t end up allowing me quite as much bike time as I’d like and I didn’t reach my goals for the year between more injuries, lots over time at work (my team member at work passed), and the birth of my baby boy, time was at a premium.

But happily for Christmas the wife bought me a trailer so my son can come along and my daughters getting better on her bike. And additionally the wife’s FINALLY expressed interest in joining our rides. Which brings me to where I need help.

She is 31 and has not ridden a bike since her early teens. She qualifies as a athena and will definitely need a bike. She’s never ridden anything but a big box store Cheepy. Would like to get her a good starter bike for her b day in April. Budget is not much (did I mention baby) ,aka likely less then a grand. But no idea what to even get her. She’s 5’6 and on the northern side of the 200’s lbs. Her inseam is far too short to even throw and leg over either of my large framed bikes.

Projected use is just neighborhood rides and bike paths.

So any recommendations for a ride for a all intense purposes a new rider?

Availability is going to limit you as much as anything, but most of the big brands make "fitness bikes" (Trek FX series, Cannondale Quick et. al.) and given your inseam comments, you probably want to find a mixte style frame, which is more of a step through.

example: Quick Women's 6 Remixte | Fitness Bikes | Cannondale

My wife is in the same situation with regards to having short legs and not being able to climb over a regular diamond frame bike. So I found her a low-slung beach cruiser type bike which she has no trouble getting on. Now if only I can convince her to get on it more often...

I would suggest looking at Marin bikes, specifically the Stinson, it has a fairly low step-over which I think might be your biggest hurdle. It's a bike that I've known to work for a lot of riders with similar needs to your wife.

I think you are reading TinyBear’s post wrong. It’s not that his wife can’t fit on a diamond frame. She can’t fit on his bikes. She can probably fit on a bike that is the proper size.

I think you mean “trailer”. Otherwise I have this image in my head of you on an indoor trainer with the kid in a child seat furiously pedaling to no where;)

Your best bet is to go to a bike shop. You’ll likely have to make an appointment but a bike shop is your best resource. Brand doesn’t matter but do not go to HelMart! Cannondale, Specialized, Trek, Giant, etc are all good choices. I’d probably look at hybrids like the Trek FX series, Cannondale Quick, or Specialized Sirrus. Any of these would be very good bikes without breaking the bank. I wouldn’t necessarily go with the cheapest model (around $500) but you don’t have to go with anything too expensive either.

Sorry. After reading the thread's title, I thought you were looking to make a trade, so never mind.

I second Trojan Horse's suggestions. Trek calls their FX step-through frames "Stagger." I ended up with one on my FX 7.3 because the dealer was selling it at a good discount... stagger frames are great, but seem to have a limited audience. Hope she buys a bike she loves and rides the heck out of it!

She’s been doing awesome on the exercise bike and has been very dedicated. I doing my best to be supportive and am a bit surprised how much more she can do than myself (to be fair she’s injury free, younger and has a bit more time she can dedicate to it).

Showed her a bunch of different options. Seems she like the look of comfort bikes. And Surprisingly she seems like the look of Simone frames bikes over the of step threw bikes.

In spring I think best to do is get her out to the LBS to try a few. She’s just nervous and embarrassed (I remember that feeling myself). Both about going into a bike shop as a overweight person and trying a bike having not ridden one in over 10 years.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...-thru/p/28080/

https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2021-stinson-1

Bikes like the trek fx or the ds series are the way to go, look for the bikes that has 8sp or more. 7 speed bikes will typically have a freewheel and feature a single wall rim, 8speed bikes are going to be cassette equipped and typically a double wall rim is a part of the wheel upgrade that comes with 8sp. Double wall will be stronger and require less maintenance.

The most important aspect of selecting a bike is fit - obviously The Wife does not fit on large size frames, but a Small or maybe Medium would work ok.

Aside from fit, the main concern for us larger riders is wheel durability, and specifically the rear wheel. Make sure that whatever you buy has a 'freehub' style rear hub because they are much stronger than the old-style 'freewheel' type. It is also a good idea to have the spokes on the wheel retensioned as most bikes come with machine built wheels where insufficiently de-stressed spokes will loosen and result in early failure. A knowledgeable bike shop can do this for you.

IF The Wife is not an avid cyclist then a hybrid bike is likely the best choice. They can be ridden almost anywhere and are generally light and efficient, as well as having an upright riding position that many people find easy to get used to. If you can find a bike with no suspension than that is also a good idea. Suspension, especially lower cost suspension, is of limited value but adds to the weight, complexity, and maintenance requirements. A decent suspension fork costs ~$500, so you seldom find them on bikes under $1k, and even then, they really don't help at all unless riding off road. Wider tires at slightly lower pressure is a better way to make a bike more comfortable.

I'd agree with this. My wife just got a Marin Kentfield 2 ST. She hates having to swing her leg over, so the stepthrough was great. It's a 1x, so she only has to deal with one shifter, and it will climb pretty much anything. The Stinson is great too (I'd say it has a bit more flair), but the Kentfield has a wider gear range. She's pretty much gone from 1 ride every two months (on her old Public stepthrough) to 2 rides a week since this purchase.

https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2021-kentfield-2-st

check and see if your local bike shop sells the LIV brand of bikes for women, this model here is priced at $500 and the step through frame might be a good fit for her with this style

https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/suede-2