Re framing a bike for "her indoors" which to sacrifice?

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Re framing a bike for "her indoors" which to sacrifice?

19 posts & 15 voices | Started 11 months ago by oliverd1981 | Latest reply from oliverd1981

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oliverd1981 - Member

I'm looking to take the groupset of one of my bikes and fit it to a much smaller frame so my GF can use it as a recreational bike.

The candiates for sacrifice are

Orange Crush - Dual air Revelations, SLX hubs, Alex rims, hayes HFX9's, cheap square taper truvativ cranks trunning ghetto 2x9, 2.4 mountain kings.

Carrera hybrid - Hydraulic discs, Alfine gears, mavic 317 rims. (last years C2W work , hence virtually brand new.

SO I guess the questions are

Just how small is a small pompetamine frame and what are they like running 26" wheels?

Will having the right size of bike convince a mud adverse lady to do more off road riding?

Should I just sell the hybrid and get her this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Girls-Lucious-Beach-Cruiser-Bike-24-Blue-8-11yr-/130451832655?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item1e5f88ff4f

Posted 11 months ago #
couldashouldawoulda - Member

oliver - I dont't know your lady - but ime - if you make something for them - and crucially involve / ask at every step - its 10000 times better than buying off the shelf. Dont get obcessive. Take a few decisions. But. Explain that its a gamble and that it can be changed. Major brownie points. Etc.

My lady is / was a bit lost but realises thats its important to me, so makes an effort - and vice versa.

Judge her response. She may be on a different "planet".

Posted 11 months ago #
rp16v - Member

poach them both.. build a nice alfined crush and anything thats left build for er indoors

Posted 11 months ago #
Esme - Member

Your girlfriend is 8-11 years old?

Posted 11 months ago #
andyl - Member

I would have though the pomp would be completely wrong.

26" wheels would mess up the handling, bb height etc.

If you are trying to get her to do more riding and she needs a small frame then a high top tube design is the wrong way to go.

Maybe take a look at the Merlin Malt frames or Rock Lobster frames which are more traditional length top tubes.

Posted 11 months ago #
oliverd1981 - Member

I hadn't considered the alfined crush.... hmmm (can't see the 20" hybrid frame with no mech hanger working out for her though)

Finding a small frame with dérailleur and disc mounts will probably be easier than a pompetamine or similar.

The Emmelle cruiser link was to illustrate the kind of bike she thinks she'd like (and also the size). to be honest I wouldn't give something like that the garage space.

I did have the groupo off the crush set up on a Dr. Jeckyll but the forks were too long and it upset the handling, it was also a shade on the heavy side. Needless to say that made it unpopular (though the colour scheme got some kudos).

Posted 11 months ago #
oliverd1981 - Member

Your girlfriend is 8-11 years old?

She's 5'3" I don't think a 24" would actually be that ridiculous, but then I don't believe in riding anything too big.

Posted 11 months ago #
andyl - Member

The missus has a 15" specialized rockhopper. She is about 5ft 1 and it fits her well with enough post to go up a few inches in rider height. Nice and light but certainly not the same look as I think you are after.

Posted 11 months ago #
cruzheckler - Member

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46812

Posted 11 months ago #
becky_kirk43 - Member

A 24" would be way to small if she's 5'3"

What about a small inbred frame? Frame might not be exactly the right style, but you could build it up in such a way that it fits the bill

Oh, and sacrifice whichever one you ride the least!

Posted 11 months ago #
joemarshall - Member

If that's the kind of bike she wants, and she knows it, why not just buy her one? Probably just as practical as anything else for bimbling along on flat paths, and surely way cheaper than new frame and extra bits you'll need to make a super fancy cruiser.

If you really want to ignore what she says she wants because you know better, then at least make sure it has hub gears so you can fit a good full chain guard, otherwise you can't ride it without wearing silly cycling specific clothes, which kind of defeats the object of a cruiser bike.

Posted 11 months ago #
Saccades - Member

I built this up with bits and bobs floating about the garage, got a mate to lace a front disc hub to a decent alexrim, swopped an old carrera frame for a disc brake, old pair of perfectly good pace forks that i'd upgraded - the LX chainset was the only new thing as I bought apart from the 14" inbred frame as an emergency purchase for the middle ring before a trip to the alps.

She loves it and although we only really ride down to the beach or around the local woods it works a treat on the cheap.

Posted 11 months ago #
monkeychild - Member

I have a giant boulder frame which i want to sell. Think its 14", have some disc wheels with it too. I bought it to build the mrs a bike which never happened.

Posted 11 months ago #
Jeffus - Member

26" wheel full sus , being battered on a hardtail won't make her feel good,

Posted 11 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

Should I just sell the hybrid and get her this?

Pushing her toward something she doesn't fancy (getting muddy) ain't gunna help either of you, neither is getting her a bike she doesn't want to ride. I'd look at getting her something like your link (but not too heavy), or a lowish spec "designed for women" bike (Myka) the right size rather than trying to make her fit something you already got... and then gradually try to encourage her away from canal paths/cycle routes onto the proper stuff.

Posted 11 months ago #
lunge - Member

Second not building her a bike you want. I built my GF a bike but in the back of my head I thought she wouldn't ride it so I made sure I would.

What she needed/wanted was a light, small framed XC bike that she could pootle about on. What she got was a little hardnut hardtail frame with big brakes and wide bars that I can play in the woods on. She has ridden it once, I have ridden it loads.

Posted 11 months ago #
buzz-lightyear - Member

You may turn your nose up at cruisers, but if that's the style of bike she wants, so what? You wouldn't tolerate her telling you what style of bike you want.

Have a look on CRC at women's cruiser bikes. Lots of inexpensive Electra models. Some them look pretty nice.

Posted 11 months ago #
miaowing_kat - Member

It is quite amusing to see a woman ride a bike that has blatantly been designed by their OH (I fall into that category - I didn't have a clue what I wanted and have ended up with a bike set-up that is much more geared towards going downhill than uphill..)

I'm biased because I hate the feel of cruisers, but I've given my friends shots on my orange msisle and they found it actually very comfortable and more confidence inspiring than the bikes they would normally ride. *whisper it* Just 'cause it's a mountain bike/hybrid doesn't mean it necessarily has to get splattered in mud..

Posted 11 months ago #
oliverd1981 - Member

I'm not turning my nose up at cruisers per se (I had a schwinn in the height of the 1st wave of UK cruisers boom circa 1998) It's just hard to find something with what looks like a decent specification. (I guess I'm being mechanically snobbish) and I have the componentry to build something that ought to be really nice.

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

I still get the feeling that a franken-pometamine might work I'll have to do some homework on the geometry. Edit: No the standover would still be too high

Posted 11 months ago #

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