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New Road Bike for My Wife
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Hey all!

I need you help with my anniversary present. My wife has expressed interest in buying a road bike. I wanted to get her one for our anniversary. I just don't know which one to get her. I currently own a cervelo P2 but she has said she just wants a basic road bike and maybe later down the road she might hope into triathlons. I would love suggestions on a bike that is decent for a beginner now but later down the road be able to upgrade to better parts. I am not brand loyal. I am thinking around $400-500 for this bike (I have no idea if that is an unreasonable number with what I am looking for). Also, at this point she would probably love a bright pink bike.

Please help!

-Mango
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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unless you're buying used (like, super used), $400-$500 won't be enough.

protip: buy her a salsa casseroll. it's made of sweet, buttery steel (4130 chromoly to be precise). it's my rain and commuter bike, plus backup bike. it's more comfortable than my slc-sl when it comes to big bumps in the road. i've done 540km on it over the last 4 days. did i mention that it's comfortable?

you can get a complete salsa casseroll with tiagra for C$1300 at your local bike shop. since you most likely live in the united states, it'll be more like US$1100-US$1200.

whatever you do, don't buy her a low-end piece of aluminium garbage. nobody likes riding a jackhammer. if you live around ottawa, ontario i would be more than willing to lend you my salsa to give you a demo of what i mean by how comfortable it is :)

other nice things about the salsa:

a) it will last forever
b) you can put fenders on it (hence why it's my rain bike)
c) you can mount a rear rack & panniers on it (for light touring)
d) it's COMFORTABLE. you will actually WANT to ride this thing.

lastly, the pictures on salsa's website do not do the frame justice. it looks great. trust me. i have some pictures lying around on my photobucket account that show off bits and pieces of the frame. if you'd like me to, i can go dig em up and post them here.

now go check it out for yourself:

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/casseroll_double/

p.s.: i ride with 25mm tires and it's plenty comfortable. i can only imagine how it would feel on 28mm, 30mm or 32mm tires.
Last edited by: tegra: May 25, 10 19:53
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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come on, folks!

help his better half out!
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [tegra] [ In reply to ]
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First you need to know her size/fit. If you know sizing well, and something she fits on, and you can put a bike together, something like this would do fine. http://www.bikesdirect.com/.../motobecane/gigi.htm

Road bikes at shops start at about 750 for a Specialized or Trek. This would be pretty much the starting point unless you go used.
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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Do you have a trusted bike shop that she could go to? Without you probably, maybe with a friend who knows something about bikes?

I'd let HER pick it our herself, not the bike YOU want her to have.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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I bought a 2009 Specialized Roubaix 52cm and it is too small for me.
It is a very good, comfortable bike. NOTHING is wrong with my bike (just too small for me)
I'm selling it for 1300, it retails for 1900...look on Specialized website.
I bought it in September 2009. Has about 150 miles on it. It is still new.
I am 5'9". A little too small for me. I am looking for 54cm.
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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Agree that $500 won't be enough for a decent entry level bike. More like $1000-$1500.

I also agree that you should have her pick it out herself.
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a little surprised that none of the womens have pointed this out, but are you certain that she wants a bike for her anniversary present?

She may very well want a road bike. That makes sense.

Many women, however, regardless of having expressed their desire for [practical item x] would be quite unhappy if it turned up as their anniversary/birthday present. Others would be thrilled, but I think they're in the minority. :p


As for the actual bike, $500 won't get you much. Double it and then add half again.


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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [Khai] [ In reply to ]
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good lord, he's right. I love bikes and even I wouldn't want one as an anniversary present. birthday maybe. basically get the bike any day and work on something else for an anniversary present. my 2 cents.

AP

------------------------
"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [AndyPants] [ In reply to ]
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I agree a practical item [x] is not the best anniversary present...however, this is kind of sweet; it's an activity they can now do together. And that's the idea right- celebrate your anniversary together.

To the OP, in my opinion, specialized, trek and cannondale all make affordable and quality entry level bikes, also decent "women's specific" bikes as well. However, if she is super tiny (rough cut-off below 5'2'') you need to make some special considerations as some brands simply do not make a bike small enough that will fit well (search the forums for that advice if applicable).

Bottom line: you'll need to cough up more money than $500, and I agree, most women will want to pick out their own bike.
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Re: New Road Bike for My Wife [mangorunner] [ In reply to ]
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I agree with everyone else that perhaps a road bike is not the best anniversary present. A romantic trip or weekend would be better.

That being said, you can still buy her a road bike with her help in your price range, but I would suggest getting something used. You can get something decent on Craigslist, but it will be at least five years old. If she decides to get serious you can always sell it and buy her a new one, keeping the old one as a trainer or backup. Triathletes are always upgrading their equipment and buying a newer bicycle, so lots of women are off-loading their old mounts.

Here are some example bicycles in my local Craigslist:

Cannondale R700 54 cm $680 "excellent condition"
Trek 1000 women 54 cm $650 (used only one month)
Specialized Dolce Women's 2005 $595 "barely used"

Good luck and have fun. Happy anniversary.
Last edited by: karencoutts: Jun 10, 10 22:25
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