Bought a cruiser for my daughter and. . .
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Bought a cruiser for my daughter and. . .
So my adult daughter wanted a cruiser bicycle for her birthday. She never expressed any interest in cycling before so this was a new thing that came from I don't know where. I guess they sell a lot of these because they had plenty of them at the bike shop. I rode four different ones around the parking lot and bought her a Fuji Crosstown 1.3. It rode a bit better than the others they were selling and I liked how Fuji has specific frame geometries for the three sizes, which showed at least some attention to detail or quality. It's a pretty basic machine. Still I'm sure many people get great enjoyment, recreation, or utility from these. I also know from long experience that most bikes sold new end up sitting in garages or basements, rarely or never ridden. My daughter isn't really an exercise person. I used my experience with cycling and my credit card to get her a decent bike of the type she wants. I have no idea what I can do, if anything, to show her the joy of riding and to maintain her motivation, beyond just another new toy from dad. Any advice would be most welcome.
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Wow, that is a heck of a nice Birthday gift. Good for you for getting her such a nice bike, If she is going to like cycling, she has a better chance on a nice bike like that.
As far as advice, unless she asks for input or help, stand back and be there if/when she asks. Not that I am any expert. Make sure the tires are aired up if and when you have an opportunity.
Good luck.
As far as advice, unless she asks for input or help, stand back and be there if/when she asks. Not that I am any expert. Make sure the tires are aired up if and when you have an opportunity.
Good luck.
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If you have a scenic rail trail (or route suitable for a beach cruiser) near you, invite her to ride with you. Since she is new to the bike and maybe even to cycling, try to choose a time when the trail/route will be less crowded. If her first ride is enjoyable, she will be more likely to develop an interest in cycling.
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Don
#4
Mustard
Offspring often has no interest in “hanging out” with parents.
your offspring will more likely follow a lead if there is one.
I’m not using the word children because I don’t know how old your daughter is.
I recommend finding yourself as many group rides as you can because I believe it will be easier to graduate from a group ride to solo rides with your daughter. Than the other way around.
Then go on a few by yourself doing some reconnaissance on which groups are a good pace for her. Take pics and tell her how much fun you had.
if she then shows interest. Without warning take her to the next ride.
your offspring will more likely follow a lead if there is one.
I’m not using the word children because I don’t know how old your daughter is.
I recommend finding yourself as many group rides as you can because I believe it will be easier to graduate from a group ride to solo rides with your daughter. Than the other way around.
Then go on a few by yourself doing some reconnaissance on which groups are a good pace for her. Take pics and tell her how much fun you had.
if she then shows interest. Without warning take her to the next ride.
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What I've found over the years is that one thing tends to lead to another, in other words, if I simply try a new thing once and like it, it tends to lead to it becoming a part of my life. That said, it also helps to have real goals (eg "lose 10 pounds in one year"), this helps with stickiness.
There's a great book by James Clear called "Atomic Habits" which you and your daughter might find helpful. I read it and it made a huge difference in my life.
There's a great book by James Clear called "Atomic Habits" which you and your daughter might find helpful. I read it and it made a huge difference in my life.
#6
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Watch out for cheap tires. I've bought a few bikes in the sub $1K prrice range and not surprisingly, they cut costs where they can. The tires they come with aren't always terrible, but they can have shortcomings. For a rider who isn't looking for high performance on a certain surface or terrain type, the puncture resistance ranks high as a priority to avoid the bike being unavailable when they want to ride. They decide to ride on a whim, but the tire is flat so they quickly change plans instead of tubes because they're not that dedicated. Unfortunately, the cost cut tires they sell on the bike aren't the most resistant to joy-ending flats.
A good set of balloon tires can cost over $100 and I can be reluctant to swap out perfectly good, brand new tires, but if I don't, I know from experience that a series of flats will ensue until I concede. I like Schwalbe tires if I'm looking for a trouble-free tire. I just put a set of Marathon Plus on a Trek Verve 1 (pretty similar to the Crosstown). On my wife's Cannondale (again, a similar comfort/cruiser/hybrid/fitness type bike), I put Schwalbe Big Ben Plus. With her sub 100 pound weight, she can ride these 50mm tires at 24 psi and they're luxuriously cush. They're also very puncture resistant -- not as much as the Marathon Plus but I haven't had issues. Whereas the Trek's original Bontrager tires suffered more than a dozen punctures this summer on the same routes the Big Ben Plus had none. I have old utility/beater bike Schwinn with Marathon Green Guards. Those have been dependable too. There's a few different models that Schwalbe rates as 6 or 7 for puncture resistance so there's more than one style that will be trouble-free, and I'm sure Continental has some comparable also.
I use Continental Hermetic Tour Plus tubes when I can get them for the wheel/tire size. These tubes lose less air over time, so if the bike sits for a week without being ridden, it won't need to be pumped up before it's ready for a ride. They use them on rental bikes. They're a bit heavier, so gram weenies dismiss them, but they're great for non-competitive cycling.
Get trouble-free tires and tubes so the bike is constantly ready to go. Be thankful she didn't want an e-bike. Consider getting her a basket or a rack and panniers to make the bicycle practical for more things. I put racks on my bikes and got my wife some Specialized Cool Cave panniers. She often just uses one, but has a second for more capacity if she wants. Get a little handlebar mount for those rectangle things that people stare at these days. I don't know why that delights people, but it seems to.
I don't know how old your daughter is. I'm guessing she might be an adult. My kids don't have their license yet so bikes are valuable to them for transportation and not just exercise or recreation. They ride them to the gym, to the library, to club meetings, church, martial arts, and more. They found out how brutal traffic can be and how dangerous motorists can be -- even more so when I took them cycle touring with me. Maybe that will help them be better drivers. They think riding in traffic is insane. Now they mostly stick to the MUP and suburban neighborhood streets, but that gets them most places in our small town.
A good set of balloon tires can cost over $100 and I can be reluctant to swap out perfectly good, brand new tires, but if I don't, I know from experience that a series of flats will ensue until I concede. I like Schwalbe tires if I'm looking for a trouble-free tire. I just put a set of Marathon Plus on a Trek Verve 1 (pretty similar to the Crosstown). On my wife's Cannondale (again, a similar comfort/cruiser/hybrid/fitness type bike), I put Schwalbe Big Ben Plus. With her sub 100 pound weight, she can ride these 50mm tires at 24 psi and they're luxuriously cush. They're also very puncture resistant -- not as much as the Marathon Plus but I haven't had issues. Whereas the Trek's original Bontrager tires suffered more than a dozen punctures this summer on the same routes the Big Ben Plus had none. I have old utility/beater bike Schwinn with Marathon Green Guards. Those have been dependable too. There's a few different models that Schwalbe rates as 6 or 7 for puncture resistance so there's more than one style that will be trouble-free, and I'm sure Continental has some comparable also.
I use Continental Hermetic Tour Plus tubes when I can get them for the wheel/tire size. These tubes lose less air over time, so if the bike sits for a week without being ridden, it won't need to be pumped up before it's ready for a ride. They use them on rental bikes. They're a bit heavier, so gram weenies dismiss them, but they're great for non-competitive cycling.
Get trouble-free tires and tubes so the bike is constantly ready to go. Be thankful she didn't want an e-bike. Consider getting her a basket or a rack and panniers to make the bicycle practical for more things. I put racks on my bikes and got my wife some Specialized Cool Cave panniers. She often just uses one, but has a second for more capacity if she wants. Get a little handlebar mount for those rectangle things that people stare at these days. I don't know why that delights people, but it seems to.
I don't know how old your daughter is. I'm guessing she might be an adult. My kids don't have their license yet so bikes are valuable to them for transportation and not just exercise or recreation. They ride them to the gym, to the library, to club meetings, church, martial arts, and more. They found out how brutal traffic can be and how dangerous motorists can be -- even more so when I took them cycle touring with me. Maybe that will help them be better drivers. They think riding in traffic is insane. Now they mostly stick to the MUP and suburban neighborhood streets, but that gets them most places in our small town.
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Practically all cantilever-frame bicycles with wheels larger than 20" are cruisers. Even if mine have aluminum frames and 1.25" slicks. Retrotecs could arguably be considered both racing bikes and cruisers.
Some 20" wheel cantilever frame bikes are cruisers if they don't have hi-rise bars or a banana seat.
Some straight-tube diamond-frame bikes are cruisers, if they have fat tires, typically no suspension, a relaxed setup, and flatland gears. Here the line between cruisers and mountain bikes gets rather blurry.
I suppose almost any bike could be converted into a cruiser with enough parts changes and determination. Placing the fattest fitting tires and swept or paperboy bars on a carbon racing frame would move it greatly toward cruiserhood. Handlebar streamers would definitely be a bonus.
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