The Kona Bike? It’s kind of a hybrid between new school and old school mountain bikes. Put some swept back bars on there and you’ve got a classy ride that’s easy(er) to throw your leg over.
http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=bike
Get that and a $50 Schwinn Conti step through off CL for comparison; I can’t imagine she’d choose that over the Kona.
Beat it, dummy. Or learn to read. She will be picking this bike out at an lbs. Just needs some direction.
I really like the tandem idea, but can’t endorse since no experience. Wife rode the shit out of her Trek 7100 'til she was ready for a road bike.
tc: I built a shitload of Townies and actually enjoyed them quite a bit on the test rides, never tried a hill though.
have him join so we can ridicule the townie shit outta him
[quote=Petr5]
tc: I built a shitload of Townies and actually enjoyed them quite a bit on the test rides, never tried a hill though.[/quote]
It’s a strange bike, unlike anything else. If I lived in Santa Cruz and could get ep pricing on a townie, I probably would.
What’s your budget?
Fave hybridy bike we sell is the trek allant.
Hybrid position but not super hideous
Parts on it aren’t great but the price is good ($569) for a bike that comes with fenders and a front rack and I’ve never seen someone come back with any complains overall.
We also sell Electra.
The Ticino is ok. I like it a lot style wise. Never ridden it. The ones with the racks are dumb cuz rack is attached to the fender, so it has like 3 1/2 lb weight limit.
Also they come in the following sizes Womens, Regular, and Large. The electra townies are the same way. You get either men’s size or women’s size, unless you get the 24" wheel model.
if gf can’t appreciate a custom built 650b bike = deal breaker
came in here to post this sentiment^
This is impossible with anything other steeper a 65* seattube (a la Electra townie). And, as mentioned above, fuck those bikes for anything other than beach boardwalks.[/quote]
This.
Just find a too-small frame to swap the 650b shit over too with a boner stem and slam the seat stupid low.
She’ll get over her bullshit soon enough and you’ll be able to raise the seat slowly and eventually swap the frame back.
[quote=Stupid]
Edit: The Tecino 7D doesn’t look too bad all things considered, and apparently it’s designed so the rider can put their feet down while seated. Are Electras POSes? It’s like $700 but I bet it would be easy to resell around here.[/quote]
The Ticino is amazingly awesome. I loved selling them and I really want one for myself. The best part is that they’re only around 23-25lb.
What Buffalo Bill said.
[quote=doofo]it’d be easier to get a better girlfriend than find a decent hybrid[/quote] sig’d
I had to go through 4 or 5 bikes, starting with a fucking walmart bmx she had when I met her to get my gf to enjoy riding a real bike. She’s crazy short though so sizing is nearly impossible.
Now she rides her track bike when she needs to get somewhere fast and wants a proper road bike.
The flat foot part isn’t true of the Ticino series, just Townies (and maybe other cruiser-y bikes).
Still, they’re nice bikes, could be just right in your scenario.
[quote=kevinwulf]Get a tandem.
My gf loves it (and I do, too). Way better than riding seperate bikes. All of her concerns can be negated: No need to worry about falling behind or being a bad cyclist/crashing, she can work at her own level of exertion and so can you, it’s easy to hear each other so you can actually have conversations. My gf often calls her friends for a chat while we’re riding along. They’re a blast.
Probs best to hire one first to find out if you like 'em. But they get a big thumbs up from me.[/quote]
this does sound pretty awesome.
as far as getting gf onto roadish bike, I never could have gotten now-wife to do it without interrupter levers. she wouldn’t go near brifters for years.
Taking her to see Electras on Sunday…I’ll let you know what happens.
By the way, I put interrupters on the bike I built for her, no dice
Going through this process with my girl too and she really likes the Electra Ticino. She loved the fucking $2000 one at first but I talked her out of that–I’m glad that one comes with downtube shifters because they’re equally terrifying for casual riders. She’s getting the 8d or maybe the Linus Mixte 8 (going to test ride that soon). Then if she starts riding lots I told her we’ll build something balleur, like a Betty Foy.
I dig the tandem idea too though.
Where do people, and women in particular, pick up this irrational fear of top tubes and getting off the saddle when you stop?
[quote=aek]I had to go through 4 or 5 bikes, starting with a fucking walmart bmx she had when I met her to get my gf to enjoy riding a real bike. She’s crazy short though so sizing is nearly impossible.
Now she rides her track bike when she needs to get somewhere fast and wants a proper road bike.[/quote]
When buying the Pacer, I noticed they go all the way down to a 42.
My guess is bike boom bikes and the fistful max of seatpost they sized you for.