Women's Fitness/Flat Bar Road Bike with Thru Axles?
#1
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Women's Fitness/Flat Bar Road Bike with Thru Axles?
I'm looking to buy a bike for my wife - she's not big on cycling, so no point in recommending a Pinarello, but I want to get her a reasonably nice flat-bar road bike. Selfishly, I want her bike to have disc brakes and thru axles, mainly because I want to upgrade her bike with my Vision Team 30 wheels, and get myself a pair of LBW between seasons.
It seems like there's very little out there that meets that requirement - the only bike I've been able to find is the Marin Terra Linda 3. Are there any other options that people are aware of?
My wife is 5' 0.5" (about 153cm), so it's unlikely that there's a men's/unisex frame would fit her, unless sizing goes down well below the 49cm frame sizes that I see.
So basic requirements:
- Flat bar road bike
- Women's frame, or available in very small sizes
- Disc brake, thru axles
- Ballpark ~$1k
- All other specs/features can be considered
Looking forward to hearing what people have. Thanks!
It seems like there's very little out there that meets that requirement - the only bike I've been able to find is the Marin Terra Linda 3. Are there any other options that people are aware of?
My wife is 5' 0.5" (about 153cm), so it's unlikely that there's a men's/unisex frame would fit her, unless sizing goes down well below the 49cm frame sizes that I see.
So basic requirements:
- Flat bar road bike
- Women's frame, or available in very small sizes
- Disc brake, thru axles
- Ballpark ~$1k
- All other specs/features can be considered
Looking forward to hearing what people have. Thanks!
#2
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It can be very annoying on longer rides to only have one hand position. You can add horns and other stuff to flat bars to give more positions for hands. But then why spend that money when you can just get a drop bar bike with a high stack if that is what is desired.
If the riding isn't going to be much longer than an hour, then maybe not the big issue I make it out to be. <grin>
If the riding isn't going to be much longer than an hour, then maybe not the big issue I make it out to be. <grin>
#3
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Thread Starter
It can be very annoying on longer rides to only have one hand position. You can add horns and other stuff to flat bars to give more positions for hands. But then why spend that money when you can just get a drop bar bike with a high stack if that is what is desired.
If the riding isn't going to be much longer than an hour, then maybe not the big issue I make it out to be. <grin>
If the riding isn't going to be much longer than an hour, then maybe not the big issue I make it out to be. <grin>
#5
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Someone else ask about these the other day.....
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sh...wheelsize:650C
They look like nice bikes, though they have the flat bar I dislike so much. But on their plus side, they have 650B wheels and tires that will probably be better for some one < 5' 4" or somewhere there about.
I've also been trying to get my wife to check out these bikes............
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...=%3Arelevance#
I'd actually get one for myself if she does buy it. I feel that if I'm on that same type frame that it might curb my need for speed somewhat. And note that most have sweptback bars that IMO will be more comfortable. Wheel sizes might vary on those, but I think most are smaller diameter than 700C.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=blue
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sh...wheelsize:650C
They look like nice bikes, though they have the flat bar I dislike so much. But on their plus side, they have 650B wheels and tires that will probably be better for some one < 5' 4" or somewhere there about.
I've also been trying to get my wife to check out these bikes............
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...=%3Arelevance#
I'd actually get one for myself if she does buy it. I feel that if I'm on that same type frame that it might curb my need for speed somewhat. And note that most have sweptback bars that IMO will be more comfortable. Wheel sizes might vary on those, but I think most are smaller diameter than 700C.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=blue
Last edited by Iride01; 05-12-21 at 06:23 PM.
#6
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Thanks, but was definitely hoping for something a bit sportier, specifically with thru-axles. Definitely plenty of options without thru-axles, even if they're not really available at dealers.
#7
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Sounds kind of selfish to make her get what you want. But maybe you aren't. Just seems from the posts that your wants are the overriding concern.
My wife won't even look at a bike with 700C wheels anymore after having a very small framed bike with 700C wheels. It just didn't fit her short 5' 2" height like she wanted. So if those wheels you want to put on your wife's bike are 700C, then you might find she won't ride much.
But if your wife has always been a very active person she may not mind the bigger wheeled bikes.
My wife won't even look at a bike with 700C wheels anymore after having a very small framed bike with 700C wheels. It just didn't fit her short 5' 2" height like she wanted. So if those wheels you want to put on your wife's bike are 700C, then you might find she won't ride much.
But if your wife has always been a very active person she may not mind the bigger wheeled bikes.
#8
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Thread Starter
Sounds kind of selfish to make her get what you want. But maybe you aren't. Just seems from the posts that your wants are the overriding concern.
My wife won't even look at a bike with 700C wheels anymore after having a very small framed bike with 700C wheels. It just didn't fit her short 5' 2" height like she wanted. So if those wheels you want to put on your wife's bike are 700C, then you might find she won't ride much.
But if your wife has always been a very active person she may not mind the bigger wheeled bikes.
My wife won't even look at a bike with 700C wheels anymore after having a very small framed bike with 700C wheels. It just didn't fit her short 5' 2" height like she wanted. So if those wheels you want to put on your wife's bike are 700C, then you might find she won't ride much.
But if your wife has always been a very active person she may not mind the bigger wheeled bikes.
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#10
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I somehow missed that. Shame on the price... and the availability. I would've thought that with lockdowns relaxing and vaccines being distributed, the bike boom would be petering off this year - really doesn't seem like it.
#11
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I picked up this on the used bike market for my wife and then put the Bontrager Aelous Pro 37's on it. She loves it. Trek FX 4 Sport Carbon. She likes it cause it is a 1x setup. I replaced the 11-34 as we do not need that much climbing cogs, to a 14-28, which is perfect for her. Could go with a 11-28, but I had this one on hand. She does like it though as we get lots of wind, and she can find the perfect cogs as it has 1 tooth jumps to from 14-21. I also recently put a Bontrager Verse saddle on it, which she found much more comfortable. My wife is 5-3, barely.....she thinks she is 5-4.
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Brian | 2023 Trek Domane SLR 7 AXS | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
Brian | 2023 Trek Domane SLR 7 AXS | 2023 Trek CheckPoint SL 7 AXS | 2016 Trek Emonda ALR | 2022 Trek FX Sport 5
Last edited by jaxgtr; 05-14-21 at 08:37 PM.
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#12
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https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/thrive-2-2021
My wife was considering this bike but I convinced her to go with a drop bar road bike instead, the Liv Avail AR 4.
My wife was considering this bike but I convinced her to go with a drop bar road bike instead, the Liv Avail AR 4.