Don’t take this the wrong way as I’m sure you mean well but you sound as if you are over analysing her riding style a bit. When I started I just went out riding armed with a few basic techniques, like look ahead, keep pedals level etc. If someone had been constantly tcoaching me it would probably have made me feel a bit tense as well.

You’re kinda doing the right thing, except not 5-20 metres. 50-200 metres. Or more. Just the same as driving a car.

They’re not riding fast enough for that distance

It is hard because they do a section really well, then forget they’re riding because they’re pleased with themselves, then get into (perceived) difficulty and tense up.

It’s doubly hard as their driving skills namely observation, vehicle placement / positioning and speed control are appauling – not that mine are perfect. So you can’t bring their driving in as a comparrison. 🙁

Skippy,
They don’t have any skills. Even setting of is a ‘problem’. Hence doing things ‘one bit at a time’.

It’s nice that everyone’s assumption that because they can’t ride, they are a girl. 😆 😆 😆

I’ll leave you to it after this post mk1fan – but looking 5m ahead is the reason they aren’t going fast enough.

Good luck with it, hope a world of fun and enjoyment opens up for “them”.

If you get stuck, you know where we are!

Is your ‘missus’ a ‘mister’ hence ‘they’?

Edit: too slow, you’ve already inferred that, damn!

glenp,

I know what you mean, I’m just building them up from right in front of the tyre to 1-metre ahead. Thanks for the comments and I may well get them on one of your skills day over the Summer as Leith Hill’s down the road. We’re a bit tied up with other things until I get back from the MA which will be the end of July.

njee20,
It doesn’t really matter whether they are a Mr or a Mrs, it’s just funny that:
a, People take offence at me using non-gender specific terms.
b, People assume that a learner rider must be a woman.

And ‘Too slow’? The thread’s three days old 🙂

Just encouraging my GF to ride the bike and sending her in with blind faith that stuff is fine to ride and waiting for her to ask the questions

By getting in the riding time she becomes more confident and riding with larger groups helps her compare riding style and line choice

It’s that blind faith I’m not comfortable with.

I ‘want’ them to enjoy the riding and be ‘good’ so that we can enjoy riding together. However, I don’t want them to get hurt – which is likely with their current skill level – and put off riding.

F### it. I’ll take them to the top of the Pleney and tell them just to keep riding down it ’til they improve.

Since you’re so determined that you allowing them to ride has to involve them learning the basics on your terms and do it properly or not at all, may I just enquire as to whether he/she has a reciprocal arrangement whereby you’re wither not allowed any of other life’s pleasures until you can brew your own beer, make shortcrust pastry without a recipe book, or find the clitoris or prostate (delete as applicable) without some slightly disappointed repeated guidance?

Just a point not yet mentioned. In my learning days I found suspension (or at least cheaper suspension) a hinderance going downhill. When riding timidly and slowly with lots of front brake it was too easy for the fork to compress when hitting an obstacle, not rebound, and then over the handlebars we go.

To also add I ride a 6″ full susser on some days and a fully rigid with carbon forks on others. I love them both and don’t miss my hardtail at all.

Sort out bike for partner. Go out for easy ride. If enjoyment is experienced, try a slightly different ride, repeat until enjoyment threshold is achieved.

You might actually be quite surprised that ‘they’ have a mind of their own and can determine what things they like doing without you needing to wheelchair them through it all. Ladies (if that’s what we’re talking about), are *almost* as clever and as tough as men and can be trusted to make their own decisions and ride into things without long term mental or physical harm.

I’m not offended by your using ‘them’, but it’s rather odd, very impersonal, and grammatically incorrect.

And the whole thing’s a bad idea, ‘they’ need to enjoy riding the bike, sod whether they’re learning the ‘proper skills’ or not!

I ‘want’ them to enjoy the riding and be ‘good’ so that we can enjoy riding together.

Suggesting that “their” learning to ride is all for your benefit, and not for “them”.

Like I say, you’re going at this all wrong, getting hung up on technicalities way before you need to.

You are assuming a lot of rubbish here. I am not allowing them to ride. They are choosing too. I asked if they wanted to come riding with me and they said ‘Yes, but I haven’t riden for 10-years’.

As for doing it on ‘my terms’ well I’m the one they’re riding alonside. And if you’re happy to ride off abandoning your OH whilst you concentrate on your own ride or happy to stand by and what them hurt themselves then that’s your the attitude / relationship problem.

I don’t see where you have read that I’m disappointed. Far from it. They have progressed brilliantly and I’m very proud of them for doing so.

For the record; I can brew my own beer; make short crust pastry; and I know where both the clitoris and the prostate are. If you’re trying to infer that we don’t do any of their hobbies then you’re wrong. We are going to Tango classes together – although they are about 20-years ahead of me. But I don’t see what that has to do with riding a bike?

I don’t want her to get hurt and be put off either, so we go on trails that gradually push her ability and she trusts my judgement of that

so blind faith with some guidance, the Pleney would be stupid, but the green at Brechfa or similar quite rewarding

in defence of mk1fan, why are some of us friendly STWers giving him grief? He asked a simple question about forks did he not?

Here’s my question. Would it be wrong to replace the forks with some rigid carbon ones?

My answer – no

the Pleney would be stupid,

well derrrrr.

Thank you still, a short, unbiased reply. Oddly enough what I was after.

they are about 20-years ahead of me

Toy boy eh?

Leave the suspension on, it’s kinder for osteoporosis.

Seeing as you need directions to find the clitorus and the prostate can I rely on your medical advice?

I think there is an unspoken assumption here that girls are too weedy to ride manly rigid forks and that their slender wrists would snap like fine porcelain if they even though about it. This is clearly bollocks, and although rigid forks aren’t always the comfortable option I’ll wager that they are adequate for the majority of riding people on here do.

Certainly in this case a set of nice rigids sounds like a lot less hassle than some horrible cheapo boat anchors that barely move. The OP seems to basically want to make his missus’s bike lighter, and at the same time maybe show her that being a decent rider isn’t all about your rebound settings and stanchion diameter, so where’s the problem?

find the clitorus and the prostate

are they the new reds at Glentress?? 😆

It’s either there or Lee Quarry

leave the bike as it is.

The OP seems to basically want to make his missus’s bike lighter, and at the same time maybe show her that being a decent rider isn’t all about your rebound settings and stanchion diameter, so where’s the problem?

Probably that he’s asking us what to put on her bike, and not asking her 😉

As said, they are currently riding one of my bikes. Secondly, they would be lost after ‘I thinking of……’

People assume the gender of your partner on the basis that they assume you’re male (the majority of posters on here are) and that you are straight (the majority of posters on here are). It’s nothing to do with “assuming that all beginners are women” and everything to do with context.

It’s very awkward and hideously bad grammar to refer to “them” (witness your appalling sentence above about going to the tango), and it’s something you’d never do in any other situation, so no wonder it throws people and leads them to make (perfectly reasonable) assumptions.

And in answer you your original question, why not talk it through with him/her, explain your case and work it out that way? Or leave it as it is.

What’s so appalling about the ‘tango’ sentence?

Oh – yes – the original question…

I wouldn’t put rigids on – get some of them lovely cheap and light Rock Shox from On-One or Merlin or something. My wife really doesn’t have the slightest interest in actually what I build her bikes with, but she certainly notices when things work better and make life easier (better gears, better brakes, better suspension). And in my experience enjoyment is directly proportional to confidence (by which I mean not feeling like you look a twit in front of other riders) – and suspension does wonders for confidence of that sort.

And I presumed he was he and she was she as the bike int he orginal post was clearly set up for a woman, and I couldn’t compute bloke dragging female partner to tango classes 😉

rigid carbon forks wouldn’t give “balance” (whatever that means) or any “dampening” effect at all, they’re rigid (clue’s in the name) all that crap is just marketing talk. It’ll make the bike a bit lighter, and if you’re doing is tow paths then it hardly matters.

The Third Person thing you’re insisting on is way too distracting, and a bit creepy if I’m honest

I would go with a lighter fork up front but not a rigid fork, when I ran rigid on the Clockwork and tried it off road it was minging, enough to put anyone off, even with the slight dampening.

I would get a lighter 100mm or adjustable fork and let it be.

Might be worth investing in a little training by a professional you’ll see a massive difference and sometimes being trained by an independant has bigger gains.

That bike is lovely 😛 . I reckon a pair of these would be perfect – even better – I have a 120mm pair for sale soon. Fantastic forks for a lighter rider . . . weigh burger all and air sprung so tuneable for us lighter folks and with lockout that works. But please (I don’t normally get wound up about these things), other half/better half, all sound so much better than just ‘OH’ and ‘them’ and if your partner deserves such a cracking little bike surely he/she deserves a gender 😉 .

Don’t put rigids on there – my girlfriend was very nervous on anything bumpier than a towpath with rigid forks (project 2s, so not nasty ones) and while she’s not into mountain bike rides (yet?) she’s much happier over the odd rock, root or bump now that her bike’s got a set of boingy forks. Go for something lighter…. I can heartily recomend a set of magura laurins as they’re tuneable for pretty much any weight without feeling odd, and older sets are pretty cheap too.

Went for my first off road with newly installed carbon rigids last week.

Tarmac fine maybe better, smooth track OK but after a mile on fireroads I knew it was a mistake. The rooty stuff I actually had to get off and walk. I can’t remember the last time I walked ‘down’ anything.

Although in hindsight maybe the black route was not the best choice with semi-slicks and flat bars 😕

Spend the money on some lighter wheels and tyres.

Get your boyfriend one of these.

I reckon it’s only on cliquey track world you’d get a significant number of people saying rigid forks are a good idea. Back out in the real world people would laugh at the idea that rigid forks would somehow be beneficial and advance somebody’s riding better than a decent pair of suspension forks. I’m old enough and have been riding long enough to have ridden plenty with rigid forks, but the only thing it taught me is that a bit of suspension is much better. I really don’t buy this “picking better lines” thing – meanwhile suspension will give somebody a much better chance of staying in control and actually learning what they’re doing rather than hanging on for grim death.