Ok so the mrs has got a new job in town (mcr) and wants to start commuting.
It’s 10 miles from our house but its been taking her around an hour. She has got a boardman ladies mtb as she’s been using coming on trails with me.

I bought some cheap city tyres from go outdoors to try and speed her up and invested in some tights and waterproof for her.

My question is what can I do to help her make things abit easier? Do you think the cheap tires are not helping? Investing in a hybrid is not really an option for a month or 2.

Any input welcome.
Thanks in advance Ben.

You could get her to book some free training to make her journey easier –
here.

And personally I think, given the Manc traffic, 10 miles in an hour is ok.

Slick tyres, mud guards and waterproof / decent clothing, plus waterproof panniers / bag for stuff.

10 miles in an hour in city traffic for an inexperienced commuter is reasonable going to be honest. As long as the tyres are fairly slick they should be fine. I’d concentrate more on being warm, dry and comfortable and making sure the bike set up is spot on. Ideally the best bike to ride on the road is a road bike that’ll take mudguards and a rack but a slick tyred MTB is good to start with as the riding position is fairly traffic friendly. As time goes on she’ll get more confident and definitely quicker. It’s better to be safe than speedy.

Does the boardman have suspension?if so that makes it much slower than rigid forks.As you say the only way to make it quicker is to get a road/X/Hybrid bike with 700c.

It’s a hard tail but the suspension is locked out the biggest problem she’s facing is discomfort from the seat currently it’s a wide boy upgrade which is supposed to be comfier than the original slim design what do u think??? Thanks for all your replies really helpful!!! 🙂

Is she wearing a good pair of cycling shorts with built in pad? Makes all the difference. Saddles are always a really personal thing, I tend to stick with almost zero padding on my saddles as it suits me better than a really padded comfort seat. The discomfort will probably lesson with time.

Yeah I got her the padded tights cause she said it was hurting but I think perhaps uncomfy still from before the seat has loads of padding I think it’s getting in the way! I reckon a couple days of then try again if still hurting a new seat is needed?

I bought my OH Endura women specific cycling shorts and she found the pad very uncomfortable compared to the mens versions (she’s been using my shorts), so there seems to be a fair amount of personal taste / comfort with both saddles and shorts.

A big fat padded saddle is no good for a long ride. If she’s fairly new to commuting that distance, it is gonna hurt to start with, but will get better! Check her seat is high enough, too low and she’ll be putting all her weight on her sit-upon and none on her hands and feet.
If you are in Manchester as your profile suggest, seriously take a look at my link to FREE road skills training.
Narrower, smoother tyres are the simplest way to make a mtb a little easier to ride. I use Marathon Plus, so don’t have to worry (too much) about p***tures.

Bikemanspen I’ve got a ladies charge spoon saddle that my other half doesn’t use that you can have. It’s white and was only used for one ride emails in my profile can meet in Manchester if you want it

What pressure have you popped into the tyres for her?

Not sure on pressure tbh what pressure do you recommend?
Thanks Ben

60psi plus. Narrow tires will feel light and fast. Comfort will be king so decent saddle and winter kit essential.

Seat at the right height. for riding not stopping.

Check the tyres for the maximum pressure (should be on ’em somewhere) and inflate to that, or almost that.
What tights did you buy her? There’s a world of difference in the padding between cheap and more expensive ones. I know it comes down to what you can afford/want to pay, but surely no price is too high for the comfort of your lady’s sit-upon? 🙂

The tights are Polaris they were £50 so not too cheap. We don’t mind spending the money to get things right I don’t think the seat is helping at all will get it changed.

All the advise is much appreciated.

Can I ask : has she gone from zero (or near that) to one hour in and another hour home? Or have I misinterpreted?

That’s a pretty big jump in discomfort levels for any sitbones (irrespective of distance). Are there any hills? How vertical is she sitting on the bike?

Good question it’s pretty flat tbh she’s been ridding with me a few times this year and has reasonable fitness.
She is riding 2/3 days a week atm. She enjoys it I’m not forcing her.lol

Seat at the right height. for riding not stopping.

This, a lot. My GF was driving me mad with this. You can’t push too hard though, gently gently… Anyway, standing back, she didn’t know how to get on the bike properly (crank parallel with ground and stand up on to saddle) so she was unstable from the off and wanted her saddle lower than optimal. Get the basics right.

tyres pumped up hard as possible!

an hours not necessarily that bad going for 10 city miles, traffic lights are a pita!

Skinny slicks pumped up proper hard and full mudguards are essentials for a commuting bike. I defy anyone who says that a suspension fork makes an MTB slower, all else being equal, to prove that with a stopwatch, so don’t worry too much about that, it’s more wheel size, weight and position that make road bikes faster than the lack of a little springing in the forks.
Comfort wise, there’s a bit of simply hardening up and getting used to it but also worth noting that my OH was never truly comfy on her bike until we stopped mucking about with big wide padded saddles and got her a much narrower, firmer, but still female specific one, WTB Deva in her case. It’ll likely be counterintuitive for her but something more like you’d pick for yourself but in a female version will likely be best once shes used to the regular riding. After all, you need to have your weight on your sit bones, not your soft tissues, that’s the same for everyone, and women’s sit bones aren’t all that much further apart than men’s, a couple of cm at most. There’s no reason they should need massive wide saddles, and indeed they are often worse than firmer ones after a few minutes as you sink in and end up putting pressure on areas that you shouldn’t be.

I have been riding the same route for 10 years or so, in all weathers. It’s about 10 to 12 miles dependant on variation.
And within the hour.

Key tips are good jacket gloves and padded shorts, wtb saddle, on one Mary shopper bars comfort here. The brightest lights and two at the back. A petzl head torch. Two tubes and a pump. Phone. Water and glucose tablets.

Finally willpower can get you home when the body won’t and relax there’s no rush and no traffic jams.
For me it’s the best part of the day.

I’d buy her some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres – the last thing you want is for her to be stuck in Manchester fixing a puncture. Then I’d add some proper SKS mudguards, to keep the bike (and her) cleaner, a rack and a pannier.

I don’t think an hour is unreasonable to be honest. I assume plenty of stopping for lights, a lot of traffic and not a lot of confidence. She’ll speed up with time.

But get some tyres that won’t puncture. And give her a snack to enjoy an hour before she leaves for home.