I would love some advice on a bike for my wife.

jkm

Dirt Disciple
I want to get a new bike for my wife using a scheme my employers run (vitality) which gives me 50% discount up to £500 on a bike from Evans (max discount £250)

I need to decide over the weekend and order soon. I want it to be a surprise so I don’t really want to take her to the shop to choose. But if I make a big mistake I can change it under their 30 day guarantee.


She hasn't had her own bike since she was a teenager so occasionally she rides one of my old mtbs (2001/2 dawes Chilliwack with county rock semi slick tyres at 70-80psi)which is not really set up for her. The reach is too long and she always complains of a sore backside after (invoking rule #5 does not work) My hope is that a bike that fits her better and is more comfortable may encourage her to cycle a bit further and faster with me.

Currently a weekend ride is only about 5-7 miles and rather slow with a mx of smooth forest trails, towpath and tarmac, but I would like to make these longer, especially longer forest rides but possibly longer road rides when she gets the hang of it. We live is Suffolk so there are no rock, downhills or other obstacles. It's all just flat and sweeping.

To be honest she is not particularly confident on a bike at the moment and has no handling skills to speak of, she can’t even hop up a kerb, so I want a bike to boost her confidence and ability. For the sake of argument, just assume she has just learnt to ride, that’s it, no other skills at all, she also struggles with the gears and generally just stays in the middle ring and only uses the rear mech.


Now the world has moved on a lot since I last bought a bike 10 years ago and I am struggling to choose what to get her. My own rides are a 2019 specialized sirrus elite with carbon forks, 42mm continental sport contact tyres, hand built open pro wheels etc and I find it perfectly comfortable on all the terrain mentioned above. I also have the Dawes I mentioned which has been almost completely modernised, only the frame, forks and seat post are original, everything else has been improved but the older (not quite old school though) geometry remains.



At the moment I am drawn towards Cannondale 2019 models as Evans have 20% off these and then I get 50% rebate on the sale price.



One thing that makes the decision harder is that Cannondale don’t seem to publish weights for these bikes.



Whichever I get, I am prepared to also improve her comfort by getting a different saddle if she does not like the OEM one and possibly a suntour suspension seat post,, the one that is like a cheaper ThudBuster.



I am looking at ( in order of price)



Hybrid (general)
Cannondale Quick Althea 3 2019 Women’s Hybrid Bike 24 speed
RRP £550, Sale price £440, cost to me £220, Total discount 60%
https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... e-EV308190



Hybrid (more sporty)
Cannondale Quick Disc 4 2019 Women's Hybrid Bike 27 speed
RRP £650, Sale price £520, cost to me £270, Total discount 58%
https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... e-EV338249



MTB
Cannondale Trail Tango 2 2019 Mountain Bike 1x10speed
RRP £700, Sale price £560, cost to me £310, Total discount 56%
https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale- ... e-EV338265



I really like the simplicity of the MTB with its 1x10 drivetrain and this would definitely be the preferred gearing option, I just worry it will be a bit too heavy or may be overkill for the riding she does.

The quick disc 4 would be the fastest and probably lightest, but I worry about comfort

The althea would be easiest and cheapest, and probably a middle ground in the weight/speed stakes.



Any help or advice appreciated, and views on these bikes in general.

Other options are also good but remember they have to come from Evans and be in size M
 
Weights found via Googles:

Althea 3 - 29 lbs. 8 oz.
Quick 3 Disc - 28 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Tango - 13.5 kg (Small) 29.76lbs

Quick 4 might be a bit lighter but less than a bag of sugar between the numbers above.

If buying without her there, pick the one in her favourite colour (or nearest).
 
Comfort will likely be improved by the upright position of all the above. I'd go MTB for the reasons you say
 
Does she have any preferences on colour? From my experience with my missus, that and comfort of saddle are deciding factors.
 
greencat":397vewdy said:
Does she have any preferences on colour? From my experience with my missus, that and comfort of saddle are deciding factors.

I concur:

Specialized body geometry saddles are all my wife will even consider.

Colour is vital, but another potential pitfall is how you accessorise the bike.
A saddle bag in a slightly different shade of the same colour as the frame will produce an immediate look of distaste (and subsequent reluctance to ride the bike).

I'm not making that up - seen it with my own eyes :shock:
 
Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

Her favourite colour is purple, for a bike I think she would probably like purple, pink, lime green/neon colours.
Of those I liked probably the pink quick disc would get approval but I had a look at it last night and although it looks lovely and fast, I would definitely need to change out the tyres and there is not a lot of clearance there.

What she really wants at the moment is a swifty scooter, which I think is pretty ridiculous.... I think she would like that in lilac and she would name it violet....

I think she would like the colour scheme of the Althea though, it looks smart and grown up.

I was also tempted by the specialized sirrus step through 2019 as it's purple, she would probably like that it's the same brand as mine. I don't think it's particularly great value though, and probably suffers from the same issues as the quick disc, i.e. too much road buzz and perhaps a bit too sporty.
https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized ... e-EV306281

I hadn't considered accessories, that's a good point. I know she would love some kind of basket but I think it would need to be bar mounted if she has something with suspension forks? Not sure how people add things on the front on suspension bikes. It needs to be big enough to take a fjallraven kanken backpack.
 
I asked her mother last night, the last bike she had was when she was 10.
35 years ago!
 
It's also probably with saying she is definitely a fashion over function type of girl....
 
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