I've been trying to get my girlfriend interested in road riding for a while now, and on our way back from IMC this week she mentioned "I think I would like to see what this whole cycling this is all about". She is no foreigner to endurance sports, and currently runs around a 3:05 open marathon. I am looking forward to her now being able to kick my ass at two sports instead of just one. But anyways....
She knows nothing about bikes, so I'll be doing most of the searching on used sites to narrow down some choices. We want to keep costs low to see if she really catches the bug, so we aren't looking to shell out $200 - $300 for a proper fitting on a $700 bike. I'm not really familiar with sizes other then what I would be riding, so I'm looking to you all for sizing recommendations. I know sizes vary from brand to brand, so I think it would be best to hear responses like "I'm close to her size and ride a so-and-so sized Felt, or Trek, or whatever". We are just looking at road bikes, nothing tri-related.
In bare feet, she is 5'5" with a 31" inseam, and relatively normal proportions (arm/leg length and whatnot). Any help would be appreciated as I'm really hoping to jump on this new found interest and get her riding for the tail end of the summer!
Thanks!
Long Chile was a silly place.
She knows nothing about bikes, so I'll be doing most of the searching on used sites to narrow down some choices. We want to keep costs low to see if she really catches the bug, so we aren't looking to shell out $200 - $300 for a proper fitting on a $700 bike. I'm not really familiar with sizes other then what I would be riding, so I'm looking to you all for sizing recommendations. I know sizes vary from brand to brand, so I think it would be best to hear responses like "I'm close to her size and ride a so-and-so sized Felt, or Trek, or whatever". We are just looking at road bikes, nothing tri-related.
In bare feet, she is 5'5" with a 31" inseam, and relatively normal proportions (arm/leg length and whatnot). Any help would be appreciated as I'm really hoping to jump on this new found interest and get her riding for the tail end of the summer!
Thanks!
Long Chile was a silly place.