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]
No… they have other bikes with the BB/seatube set back thing. Also though the Ticino doesnt have that, the seat tube is super slack so it’ll be a lot easier for her to put her toes down.
Plus aesthetically the ticino is a winner. I tried to sell one to a guy the other day but he was actually looking for a commuter bike so I felt a little weird about it cuz impractical commuter (he was going to be putting panniers and such on it). Turns out he was already commutig on a dutch bike though.
My guess is bike boom bikes and the fistful max of seatpost they sized you for.[/quote]
Maybe they bought a boom bike without knowing about sizing and was therefore very difficult to get off and on.
Maybe it’s an aggression thing? Bikes on which you can sit flat footed =/= aggressive race bike.
Or a balance issue? Big cheap heavy bikes are harder to balance so stopping and starting are awkward.
Maybe the only bikes they had when they were kids were ill fitting bikes and that’s the standard to which they return.
Or dick co-habitants that ride too fast so they can’t keep up which results in frustration, fear and crashes.
I would guess people ultimately don’t want bikes they can sit on and put their feet down but maybe more of a lack of articulation and that’s their best description of the level of comfort they want to feel. When I get that question I make suggestions as to why that’s a bad idea and people seem to go along with it. It’s all about encouragement. “Oh yeah, your leg looked like it was in the perfect position.” “Yeah, you look great on that bike,” etc.
have him join so we can ridicule the townie shit outta him[/quote]
He’s read a few threads on here. He knows what most cyclists think of his bike, and he utterly, profoundly does not give a fuck. Like I said, I’m happy he’s got something he’ll ride.
He’s read a few threads on here. He knows what most cyclists think of his bike, and he utterly, profoundly does not give a fuck. Like I said, I’m happy he’s got something he’ll ride.[/quote]
[quote=tarckeemoon][quote=Sneaky Viking]relevant to this thread:
origin8 has a triple butted mixte frame/fork that retails for about $200 [/quote]
Available in 4 sizes down to 42. Cool.[/quote]
And it comes in a 58! Oh god… I actually want something that is made by origin8. This is the beginning of the end.
How cheap is cheap? Breezer Uptown 7 comes witha pretty wide range internal hub, full fenders, a rack and front/ rear dynamo lights for about $800. Not super cheap, but a really functional commuter bike when she gets comfy riding (ie- not a throw away).
Bikes with twin lateral stays don’t have as much stand over as U style frames, for what it’s worth.
Folding bikes are usually pretty good for tiny ladies
But Moultons are stupid expensive, also they fold small and look good but the ride quality is questionable. Start looking at Dahons, also the Xootr Swift is pretty rad.
gf’s sister was looking for a bike so we went to performance. she tried out a few cruisers and liked them, but she also liked the sw8 fixie aesthetic. I suggested she try some fuji road bike since she was gonna be in a hilly place. put her on the smallest one in stock, which was a 49. I said it wouldn’t be a problem that the bar was touching her junk when she was straddling the top tube since she would mount the bike by standing on the pedal and do everything from the saddle. made sense to me since mounting and dismounting while moving is kinda second nature now.
anyways, she freaked out about the lack of interrupter levers, so i tried to run up and grab her so she could stop. anyways instead she just tried to plant her feet on the ground and slammed vag first into the top tube. i didn’t hear the end of that one for a solid week. now the only road bike she’ll ride is the fixie i got for my gf, since it’s a 43 and has a top tube pad lol
tldr: most people, including lotsa girls, don’t like road bikes for the likely groin pain they’ll get during trying to get used to the bike.
have him join so we can ridicule the townie shit outta him[/quote]
He’s read a few threads on here. He knows what most cyclists think of his bike, and he utterly, profoundly does not give a fuck. Like I said, I’m happy he’s got something he’ll ride.[/quote]
haha i was kinda joking, my dad is the same way. I was trying to tell him i could set up some riv style historical re-enactment bike, but he prefers his motiv smoothie he got from costco or something.
Oogensss, that reminds me of the time I rented out road bikes to this woman and her boyfriend. I set the saddle for her and she was uncomfortable with the inability to put her feet on the ground, but I assured her it would be fine. While I sized up her boyfriend, she got on the bike behind my back and started riding down an aisle of the store, which is against the rules for obvious reasons. She got about ten feet before I heard “Oh my god, this isn’t going to work!”
I look up and she has her hands on the flats of the drops with both feet off the pedals, sticking out to the sides. I am just in time to see her try to stop by putting her foot on the ground, still in the saddle, and tipping sideways, knocking her unhelmeted head on the corner of a wooden display crate.
My coworker in rentals was coming back from a break and eating a sandwich while this was going on. He had to duck behind a rack of jackets because he was laughing so hard.
Have gf with sweet fixay, which I got for her. She got used to dismounting from saddle pretty quick and learnt that you actually can slide to the side on the saddle a bit and put your toe down. She’s gotten a bit tired of the fixay so now she’s building her “racer”/commuter-mixte, with some helping hands. I’ll be envious of her bike, going to be hella comfy but also pretty heavy but still fast.
Since I’m a euro-tarcker I picked up a decent mixte frame af lfgss for 75£, maybe CL is to full off shit over at your place.
Hope you’ll find her something she’ll ride the fuck out of and not having to pay up for a Moulton…
Also now very much stoked on finding a tandem after reading tandem-post.
They do super tiny 26" wheel version and a tiny one with 700c wheels too. Very low standover height with out step though frame. The 500 one rides as well as any $1000 flat bar road bike and with the right tires can handle anything from gravel to moderate road rides.
We sell a crap ton of these against the trek fx series bikes down the street. People almost always come back after riding the trek and say the quick is just smoother and more comfortable.
This bike is why I don’t even bother stocking front suspension hybrids anymore.
Also we used to sell Electra which was great for people who don’t actually want to ride bikes but just think about riding bikes while their bike hangs in the garage. The Ticino series bikes do indeed look very cool but ride quality and efficiency is far behind the quick. All of those pedal forward bikes ride like crap over bumps because your ass is almost right above the back wheel. Super long wheel base is a handicap at best.
If you you want to ease her into riding for real get her on a proper, light, non suspended, flat bar road bike inspired hybrid.
