Bike question!

[vespito]

Hi all,

My plan is to get one bike for both me and my wife.  I bought a bike for my wife but it got stolen a while back; she does not want me to get her another one - she actually feels guilty that it got stolen even though she had it locked up. 

Still, she would like to bike to work at least a couple days a week.  I'd like to start riding small errands on my bike instead of my trusty 'ol vespa (this is more about health then finance - my public transit commute is paid for by employer). 

I was thinking of getting one bike for the both of us.  My wife is only a few inches shorter than me, so I was hoping to find a frame that works for us. If it matters, my wife is a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, so that may give us some flexibility with the frame type (I think).

I have a few options:

1) Take my old road bike and fix it up with thicker tires. Problem is the frame is too big for my wife, I'd have to get new tires and probably a tune up too.  I love this bike for nostalgia reasons (rode from SF to LA on it), but it's not too comfortable to tool around town on.

2) Sell road bike and purchase another bike.  I will probably end up with a new bike.  Blasphemy, I know, but unless I am certain I am buying a bike from the original owner I won't do it - too many stolen bikes around these here parts and I don't want to give anyone who stole a bike my money. 

3) Get us each a bike.  This seems a bit much since I'm not sure that they'll get used as often as we are planning for.  Plus, a second bike takes up more precious space.

Any other couples sharing a bike? Suggestions?  Am I being dumb by not using the bike I already have?  I just know how little I enjoy riding it.

[This_Is_My_Username]

bikes are fitted to the person.  riding in ill-fitting bike is bad in many ways.  More injuries, less enjoyment, less usage, etc.

Fitting a bike is not just about height. you have arm-reach, torso length, leg length, torso/leg angle, torso/bicep angle, etc.

I strongly recommend against baing 1 bike for 2 people.  "a few inches" is a big difference.

I recommend fixing up your existing roacd bike for yourself, and buying your wife a seperate new(used) bike.

[GuitarStv]

Two people of exactly the same height often need different bike fittings.  As has been mentioned, arm/torso length, leg length, and riding style will all dramatically change how a bike needs to be set up.

Have to agree 100% with the previous poster.

I'd fix up your road bike if the frame fits you, make it more comfortable.  The parts that make a bike uncomfortable are the seat, the tires, and the handlebar tape.  They can all be swapped easily if necessary.

Get a new (cheaper used) bike for your wife that fits her.  Ask for the serial number of the bike and check with the police if you're worried about it being stolen.  Or buy the bike from a police auction.  Around here the police are unloading lots of bikes every month.  If you need to get a new bike do so, but make sure that you get your wife a decent quality U-lock and cable . . . and that she knows how to use them properly.  Catch the frame, rear tire, and post in the u-lock and loop the cable around the front wheel and the u-lock.

[lackofstache]

I'm gonna go ahead and disagree with what the others have said. Depending on use & distance, people of differing heights CAN share bikes. It may only be anecdotal evidence, but MY WIFE & I DO IT. She's a good 3" shorter than me, has shorter arms & legs.

If you are looking for a bike that is comfortable for the both of you, I'd recommend something that is more upright (hell, I'd recommend this anyway) than racey. Reach won't matter as much & as long as you can both stand over it, you're fine.

We share a Yuba Mundo for kid & grocery hauling, though, I wouldn't recommend it as the only bike for you. We also share an 80's Schwinn High Sierra. It's too small for me in most eyes, but it's comfortable w/ the right stem/bar combo even if it has 12" of seat post sticking out. Old mountain bikes are great for city commuting & if you get the right size, they can work for two people.

So, it can be done. My question would be, though: WILL YOU EVER WANT TO RIDE TOGETHER? If you wanna get groceries together, or go to the park or even ride in seperate directions on the same day, I'd say get two.

[TygerTung]

People overthink this bike fitting business, I can ride many different size frames and be comfortable. You want a wife sized one, and have a longer seatpost. You want your handlebars to be below seatheight anyway. What you do is set the seat the correct height for her, scribe around it, or put some tape or whatever around so you know how high to put the seat back down after you've finished riding it.

Why don't you get her a bike, and fix up your old one? You could convert it to singlespeed for city use, very nice.

Tell her that somone's need was greater than hers and at least there is another person riding now. Thats the way I think about getting stuff nicked off me and it's much more relaxing. Obviously they are in a bad situation that they have to steal just to survive, so their need is greater than yours!

[vespito]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  This is what I am thinking.  Get a bike fit for my wife.  I'll still use it a little - it'll give me a chance to see how much I'll really use one. I will also try and fix up the old bike for me (and not spend any money - I have a friend who may be able to help). It'll be a fun project regardless.

When I told my wife about getting one bike for the two of us, she was super excited, so if that's what it takes to get her riding again, so be it. 

[TygerTung]

Check www.sheldonbrown.com it tells you everything you could possible need to know about bicycles and how to fix them.