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My wife is not a cyclist but incredibly supportive of my and our children's cycling! The only bike she owns is an Apollo bso from halfords! I have made sure everything is working on it as best as I can, but she has not let me buy her a better bike because in her own words she doesn't need to waste the money on one!
However she has decided that riding off road can be quite fun, and as we have a day without our children she has asked if we can go to Swinley on Thursday to ride the blue route! I am over the moon but have realised I am going to be that riding husband who has a really nice bike while their partner is on a bso struggling round!
I suggested hiring her a bike, but she has insisted that she will be fine and why shouldn't she ride her bike!
Any tips for how to make sure she has a good time? I am confident that she can ride the blue, and we will be taking things slowly, I will be carrying drinks snacks etc! I really enjoy riding and this is the first time she has shown an interest in getting out on her bike on some trails and I really don't want to put her off!
Finally if you see someone on a Five riding with someone on a bso please don't judge me too harshly 😉
Are you similar size? Swap bikes.
Find something wrong or dangerous on her bike that necessitates a hire bike or better still a new bike.
Will be funny when she tears your legs off
[s]Find [/s] Make something wrong or dangerous on her bike that necessitates a hire bike or better still a new bike.
FTFY
Finally if you see someone on a Five riding with someone on a bso please don't judge me too harshly
What time you going to be there? I'll come to point & laugh 😛
It's not really that much of a problem.. you're going there to have a laugh and build her confidence, not to win any KOMs
Plenty of folk bimbling around blue routes at the weekends.. I had my six year old with me and my four year old (with stabilisers) last week and the only problem was getting the older lad to wait up for us..
Any tips for how to make sure she has a good time?
Stop worrying about your image and just let her ride her bike?
Do what I did, find a lady friend of the same height and adjust your second bike to suit her.
Worked for me. Now every upgrade I buy, I have to get two of them!
On a more serious note, if you can, swap bikes but let her keep her saddle.
Don't under estimate how challenging the terrain can be to a beginner. It's about making sure she has fun. If you're not bored out of your tree, it's possible too challenging for a first timer.
I am 6'3 and she is just about 5' so a bike swap could be interesting!
I like the idea of finding an issue with her bike but I reckon she might suss me as she knows I want to get her a decent bike!
I would be over the moon if she rips my legs off, both of our children love cycling off road so if she gets into it, even if they are all faster than me) would be fantastic 🙂
You need to chop in your own bike for a BSO. The pair of you doing the blue with iffy brakes and bits bending will be fun. Take a break then it's time for the red 🙂
Thanks for the advice!
Stupid question is it better to follow her down the trail giving her plenty of room, or lead (without trying to show off) so she can see how to roll down things?
Honestly not worried about my image I just want her to have fun!
Whatever she prefers but probably lead so she can see what you do plus no pressure of having you right behind
Weigh yourself down with a picnic blanket, food and drinks. That'll even it up and improve the outing
My plan where my wife wouldn't allow me to change her rear cassette for our recent bike tour was to misadjust the gears so they wouldn't work properly, I then got my friend to explain to her that the rear cassette was worn out after "all" the miles she'd done and needed changing along with a new chain.
Job done without an argument 🙂
Tour went brilliantly and she appreciated the extra rear cogs when we were climbing some of the steep hills on our last day!
Finally if you see someone on a Five riding with someone on a bso please don't judge me too harshly
Of course we won't. There's not as much stigma attached to riding a Five as there used to be.
Am frequently in the same situation with mrs rocket except that her bike is on the receiving end of all my cast-offs so it's actually Not That Bad.
In terms of riding it's sub-pootle. Plenty of stops to take a breather/look at stuff/talk to randoms she happens to know which kind of undermines my usual balls out destroy all trails kind of riding. Normal people don't take biking as seriously as we do and if her enjoyment is priority and your Five (nice as it is no doubt) takes a very distant second you'll both have a good day. Probably.
mrs rocket prefers to follow me so I'm not pressurising her lol
accidentally stand on the spokes.
Don't worry, there will be loads of others overbiked on the blue route too 😉
I normally let a slower rider go first and leave a good gap, then blast down afterwards, saves you having to walk back up if they come off or have a mechanical.
Make sure to shout a continuous stream of tips and pointers, preferably contradictory and patronising and be doubly sure to point out any shortcomings in technique, spare the rod - spoil the ride and all that.
Oooh - demo bike time 🙂 Bird are nearby aren't they?
swinley blue is great fun, but it is proper singletrack, certainly enough to challenge a beginner.
good luck - report back!
Stupid question is it better to follow her down the trail giving her plenty of room, or lead (without trying to show off) so she can see how to roll down things?
I find I swap - sometimes roll ahead and let them follow, at others it can be nice to speak and they can clearly hear when you are behind - a bit of advice helps, as long as you are not right on their back wheel.
They are Yak, but Jen is getting very savvy to my attempts to tempt her with a bike
Why not just hire her a bike? I think they're all whyte hardtails.
Suggested a hire and she turned it down! To her logical mind, she has a bike so why on earth hire a bike!
I can sympathise with Phil40 as regards the bike. My wife's not a bad rider and has ridden (most of) some decent trails, but I [i]knew[/i] her bike was holding her back.
It wasn't a BSO, just a very old Specialzed FSR which, no matter how you set it up, just never pedaled particularly efficiently. She's not much shorter than me and it was only when I borrowed it one night that I realised just how sapping it was, even on flat trails.
It took a great deal of persuasion for her to allow me to upgrade to a new bike but I now notice she's faster and does not tire as quickly on rides, even if she obstinately dodges admitting she finds the new bike easier to ride. In the end you (and me) do actually know best and you need to (nicely) force the issue, because it is a case where the end justifies the means.
Suggested a hire and she turned it down! To her logical mind, she has a bike so why on earth hire a bike!
Just book one and don't tell her. If she rides one and realises how much better, lighter, more fun etc it is, it might open the door for getting rid of the BSO. Plus its only £20 for a half day.
I saw it as an opportunity to buy a bike (from the classifieds) as a nice present... then you don't have to tell them how much it costs 🙂
Stop thinking about yourself and just let her ride her bike. If its not important to her, why are you worrying about it?
Its an image thing isn't it?
Not really bigyinn, its about her having a bike that is light (as she is small a lighter bike makes a big difference to the effort required) and me wanting to make sure that her enjoyment of a new activity isn't spoilt by a mechanical or the bike breaking.
But hey if that means I am thinking about myself then guilty as charged 🙄
Cast your mind back to when you were last new and rubbish at something, a bit of reassurance, a bit of lying that "wow, you're doing much better than I expected", then crucially finishing up BEFORE anyone gets tired or injured.
a bit of reassurance, a bit of lying that "wow, you're doing much better than I expected", then crucially finishing up BEFORE anyone gets tired or injured.
That's my love life right there.
I empathise - I have had that eternal circular argument too........I don't really like biking, its too hard, so don't want a better one....but your bike weighs the same as the moon and has terrible handling. With a better one it will be more fun.....but I don't really like biking, its too hard, so don't want a better one....but your bike weighs the same as the moon and has terrible handling. With a better one it will be more fun........but I don't really like biking, its too hard, so don't want a better one....but your bike weighs the same as the moon and has terrible handling. With a better one it will be more fun........but I don't really like biking, its too hard, so don't want a better one....but your bike weighs the same as the moon and has terrible handling. With a better one it will be more fun.....
Job done without an argument
If she logs in here or lurks you are well and truly busted!
If she logs in here or lurks you are well and truly busted!
I've admitted it now! after the trip whilst drinking a glass of vino together!
😀
Mrs_oab also found it transforming to go from lump of lead, rigid saracen to light and flighty Cannondale with suspension forks that worked and brakes that stopped her quickly, plus the faff of finding a comfy saddle and small grips....
Took my wife down blue scar for our first ride.
Bike has not really been used since.
you say 'down' blue scar,
how about the up? there's a lot of it for a first ride...
Similar thing happened with me a few years back, the mrs was bimbling about on my work hack and enjoyed it, so we got hold of a 15" Orange P7 frame for £75 and we built it up out of the hack parts and slowly improve and customise it, keeps her interest up and she loves the bike too so looks after it.
Just - finally - convinced MrsMC to upgrade her 24" wheel girls bike to something lighter and better suited.
The years of pain and arguing were all worthwhile the first time she rode it and realised that her idiot husband did actually know what he was talking about and did care enough to try and help her.
MoreCashThanDash - Member
...she ... realised that her idiot husband did actually know what he was talking about...
this never happened.
for years, my wonderful wife would ask why i had so many mountain bikes (3), when she only had 1.
last year, we bought her a Giant Anthem (Liv Lust to be precise), so i asked if we were going to sell her hardtail..?
'No' - apparently she needs a bike that she can ride when she doesn't want the pressure to perform at a level that justifies a full-suspension mtb.
this is great news! - and a great reason for me to buy a fully ridgid Singular Swift...
I've admitted it now! after the trip whilst drinking a glass of vino together!
Well played, better to seek forgiveness.... 🙂
MoreCashThanDash - Member
...she ... realised that her idiot husband did actually know what he was talking about...
this never happened.
Sorry dear, didn't realise you'd changed your username.... 😳
Following the better to seek forgiveness mantra, I booked a hire bike and explained it away with me wanting to treat her! We are riding the blue tomorrow, I am packing a little picnic for us to have on the way round, and I really hope she has a lovely time! I will report back 🙂
Excellent, have a great time.
Turned out OK then!!
Quite well Anagallis 😀
We popped up to Swinley and picked up the demo bike, we rode the green lap a couple of times so she could get used to it and then set off on the blue! I followed everyones advice, and carried all of the drinks/ snacks with us. We took it nice and easy and stopped whenever she felt like it! She rode everything, and enjoyed it! We finished one lap, and still had some time left so she asked if we could go round again!
Two complete laps of the blue on her first try! I was far more nervous, than her! She really liked the hire bike........so much so that when we took it back and they said they were selling off this years demo bikes we bought it on the spot! (£250 instead of 500) She did agree it was a much nicer bike than her BSO and much more fun to ride! I am now worried that between my 6yr old racing XC and her liking mountain biking, my bike budget is going to need adjusting!
Cheers for the advice all!
Sounds like it couldn't have gone any better! 😀
It is lovely to be able to share with her a pursuit that I absolutely love doing! Going to cost me a fortune in bike bits though!
The weight comparison is a useful one, get her to pick up a carbon hardtail then her bso and see the advantage
Well done! Has she got her STW login yet?
Just be warned, my OH got me to ride mountain bikes. Last year he had to pit for my first solo 24. Probably not what he was expecting when we met! 😆
Just let her ride her own bike and she will then realise it is rubbish and pester you for something better, that is if she enjoys it but sounds like she does.
Brilliant.
Find out if she prefers you ahead or behind. The last thing you need is for her to feel pressurised.
In my case it was me as the mtber, who had to persuade the boyfriend to sell his Raleigh descender and buy a Trek. Took all of 9 months.
16 years later he's quite a decent rider.