# Bike for the wife



## dumanichi (Sep 14, 2006)

I am looking for a hardtail bike for my wife. Not sure what to get her. Any suggestions???


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

Hmmm. :skep: It would help to know something, anything. 
Put her on so we can talk to her.


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## dumanichi (Sep 14, 2006)

Hey this is Rachel; I'm just begining in the sport. . . and I'm really not quite sure what to even look for in a bike. I want something that will hold up to a beginers abuse, but that will take me somewhere as I improve.


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## Ruckusgti (Oct 10, 2007)

Spec. hardrock sport with dics, womens specific., it's what my wife started on.
edit, now the Myka http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34191


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

dumanichi said:


> Hey this is Rachel; I'm just begining in the sport. . . and I'm really not quite sure what to even look for in a bike. I want something that will hold up to a beginers abuse, but that will take me somewhere as I improve.


Most Beginners don't abuse their bikes nearly enough_.  _

Just a few more questions:
1) What kind of budget are you working with?
2) Are you tall, petite or average height? Long or short legs? Long or short torso?


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## drsam (Jan 12, 2004)

Don't mean to hijack your thread, but the title made me think you were offering a trade.

Personally, I'd never take any bike (or anything or anyone else for that matter) in exchange for my wife!


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## dumanichi (Sep 14, 2006)

Hey Rachel again, we are working in the budget area of about $900-$1200, I'm about 5' 7" and long legs, and short torso.


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## LadyDi (Apr 17, 2005)

dumanichi said:


> Hey Rachel again, we are working in the budget area of about $900-$1200, I'm about 5' 7" and long legs, and short torso.


I'll agree with the previous poster-- the Myka Elite (or Expert) might be great for you. Note that Spesh wmn's bikes are sized differently from the men's-- I've only sat on Mykas, but at 5' 7 1/2", I'm close to your height and I'd definitely go for the Large. Disc brakes are a huge plus and Myka's low standover height will boost your confidence.

Since your budget is reasonable and your personal specs do not limit you to women's specific designs, go visit all your local bike shops and test ride as many different HT's as you can. You don't know much about mtb'ing yet, so go for comfort and higher-end components (because quality counts). Perhaps the WL members can advise you on their personal favorites. When test-riding, try not to focus on how the saddle feels-- it can always be replaced! Have fun!!!


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## dumanichi (Sep 14, 2006)

*components*

Any specific components you would like to mention


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

A good, smart shop will put a women's saddle on a bike for you to test ride.


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## BiknMama (Sep 25, 2006)

*Not so fast!*



chuky said:


> A good, smart shop will put a women's saddle on a bike for you to test ride.


Don't go straight for the women's specific anything. I agree with the previous poster about trying out as many different bikes as you can - both women's specific and regular bikes. I'm particularly fond of the Specialized stuff. Just my personal bias. But their new line up of bikes gives you plenty of options in both the women's specific stuff and the regular bikes. The other really nice thing with Specialized are their saddles. They come in 3 different widths. And *that* is the real key to finding a decent saddle. Too many of the other brand's "women specific" saddles are these stubby, wide, hunks of covered padding.  Sure they are nice and comfy when you're doing your five minute test ride in the parking lot. But you may pay for it later when you actually start doing real rides and it's too wide for you (trust me on this one  ). Specialized shops have this nifty little thing I like to call to buttometer. You sit on it to make impressions of your sit bones. This will then tell you what width saddle you'll need.
So if you were my friend, I'd say "Girlfriend! Get to a Specialized dealer and start trying out some stuff!" But when you go in, no matter what bike shop, make sure you talk to a senior member of the staff. I've run into too many of the high school bike shop boys that know pretty much nothing about fitting bikes (or customer service for that matter).

Okay, so my bikes are both Specialized (mtn and rd). My mtn bike is NOT women's specific. I'm 5'6" and I have a small men's Epic. I tried the women's specific Epic (called the Era) and the top tube length was just too short for me. I didn't feel comfortable or stable on it. So I opted for the men's small - the bonus was that I could order that frame in PINK!! Now my road bike is the Specialized Ruby. Now that shorter top tube is perfect for me. The same size bike in the men's style is too long. Now they can do some things with stem length and seatposts, but if you can find something that feels good without a lot of tinkering then I think that's your best bet.
You had a question about components earlier. Pretty much in your price range you're looking at Shimano Deore. Nothing sexy about it but it works just fine. It's likely that this year's Deore is 2-3 years agos XT. Anyway, make sure you have your bike tuned up again after maybe 10 rides or so. The cables will stretch and your shifting will go to hell so try to catch it before then. In a few years when you're all pro and everything  you can start upgrading things. I think the best upgrade you can do is the rear deraileur. I love my Shimano XTR rear deraileur. For two reasons: the smooth, precise shifting and the rapid rise (it works in reverse of other derailleurs). But this is my personal preference - some don't like the rapid rise or reverse pull as they call it now I think.

Anyway, I hope I've helped some. The keys to finding a good bike is a good bike shop, knowing what you want to do with the bike (don't let them talk you into anything you're not sure of), and time. A friend of mine spent 2 weeks testing bikes. Fortunately the shop she was working with let her take them home to test them in the real world before she decided. She's absolutely delighted with her purchase (she went with the men's small Epic after being convinced she wanted the Era until she rode the men's bike  ).

Good luck, happy hunting and happy riding!!
PS. One last trick to finding the right bike for you - Don't let your husband do the talking!!! Seriously, these sweet guys of ours think they know what's what in the bike world and that they know JUST what you need. If I hadn't told my husband to stuff it I would have ended up with a compact crank set on my road bike instead of the triple that I wanted.:incazzato: I did try the compact on a test ride and knew that it just wasn't going to cut it for me. I almost never use the triple but I personally like having that back up. It just makes me feel better. And since I'm the one riding the bike, I get to decide.rft:


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## santacruzchick (Jun 27, 2007)

Hey-
THis is just a thought but. .. . in my opinion the pedaling efficiency of many full suspension bikes out there has improved to the point that there is really no point at all in suffering through a learning curve on a hard tail bike. Unless you ride in an area with pefectly smooth dirt packed trails a hard tail is just going to beat you up and end up gobbling up way too much of your energy dealing with little rocks and bumps that you'd simply fly over on a full suspension. Of course, to get a full suspension that compares in pedaling efficiency and weight to your average hard tail you are going to have to throw down some more dough, but if this translates to faster improvements and more fun on the trail why not?


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## dumanichi (Sep 14, 2006)

A Full suspension bike is out of the budget. I want better components not a low end full suspension bike. I think I will try a few bikes out. But, I have a lot of interest in the Myka HT Expert. Looks like a really well speced bike.


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## Doc D (Nov 16, 2006)

My girlfriend is 5'7", long legs, like you. She fits really well on my med. Cannondale F600 hardtail. It does have a 60mm stem though. Her bike before that was a rigid Trek that she though was very uncomfortable, it was much too large. The compontnet group on the Cannondale is really nice for around $1000.


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