Women's bike

[carmen]

It has taken my husband years to finally talk me into getting a mountain bike and this weekend I gave the go ahead for it. What is a good brand? A friend has one close to thee thousand dollars, I am not looking forward to spending that much on a bike just yet. I want to make sure I am going to like this new hobby, is used best to start with?

[CozInCowtown]

Harley Davidson!

[campclose]

Ha! I can't tell you the brand but I do know they are really expensive. I say start with one that doesn't have a ton of speeds. That is my problem! I still can't figure out how to use the gears and I always feel like I'm struggling no matter what gear I am in.

[charley]

Look for used craigslist.com is one place, yard sales another. To by used you need to know a bit about bikes I would think.If you don't know about bikes take someone with you that does. You may have to fix a few things to get it in riding shape but there are good deals to be had. I see them for under a $100. Don't be afraid of gears just learn what they do. read How to Effectively Shift Your Bicycle's Gears | An Article by Atlanta Bike Shop, Intown Bicycles

[charley]

Most important is to find a bike that fits your body. You can adjust the seat and handlebars but if the frame doesn't fit it will be uncomfortable. If the husband rides he should be help buying used and helping with fit. Enjoy your time riding. I love it.

[dinosaur]

Make sure it's not too heavy. You're a chick. Can you lift it easily by grabbing it under the seat on the post and the handlebars. Remeber, you're just a woman.

This means that if you are in the same condition of a man, you have more stamina than he has. Oh, he's stronger. There's no doubt. But he can't handle a long ride as well as you can.

If you ride long enough, he'll get tired and his muscles won't work as well. Then you've got him

God bless women and their incredible stamina. I never met a woman that could outdo me but I spent an awful lot of time working to improve my stamina. I was well conditioned because I knew that women had a decided advantage on me.

I discovered this by playing the world champion women's racquetball player. This was in the eighties. I whipped her cold in the first two games. She won the third because I was burned out. I could see what I had to do, I just couldn't do it.

She was a world class athlete. She was from Australia and I can't even remember her name. I played her in Chicago. She was something else and I watched myself deteriorate in front of her onslaught of skill. I never felt so good about losing a game. She was a superior woman. What she had was stamina and a will to win. God bless her. I loved it. We went out and got stinky drunk on beer afterwards. It was great.

[carmen]

Originally Posted by dinosaur

Remeber, you're just a woman.

Yes I am, but not average by any means. I think we get the stamina from the child bearing genes that we are blessed with, I do understand what you are trying to say though. I can work an average bike and I understand the simple terms when it comes to gears. I have not however ridden a bike in years and as complex as some seem now I might need a refresher course.

[ChadTower]

Giant is a pretty good "quality entry level" mountain bike. You can start with a $400 model or go all the way up to a $4500 model. The key is that it's not Walmart crap that'll deform the first time you jam the front rim into a log.