My wife wants a new bicycle. She’s also into the Hello Pussy stuff. So seeing my kids already got her other stuff I figured I’d get her a bike for Mothers Day.
Didn’t like any of the bikes with that logo on it. For one thing, she wants a bike she can shift gears, not a single speed.
Remember, I’m going for the Hi Catty look. I’m more torn between 1 & 2. #3 is a nice bike, and she likes the color purple, but it’s definitely in last place in my mind.
Also, I doubt she’s actually going to ride very much or very far, so there’s no reason to go nuts and buy her a $1500 bike. She just wants something she can ride up and down the Hank Aaron Trail now and then.
The Catalina Cruiser if your are going for the Hello Kitty etc. look. Just a male IMHO.
Seems more solidly built, but both #1 and #2 are better than #3 for just casual riding.
I can’t get link 1 to open but for the love of all things holy go to a local bike shop, don’t buy a bike at a big box store.
I have seen big box store bikes fall apart in less than 10 miles.
OP: it is much more important that she acquires a bike she likes than that it be a surprise. She needs to try several out and pick the one she likes the best.
One of those two paragraphs is not like the other. You could have a Tour de France bike mechanic assemble one of those pieces of crap and it will be a piece of crap that falls apart despite being assembled by the best in the business.
It’s not just the assembly by the big box store that’s junk. The components are non-standard and of zero quality. The bike I mentioned before? The bottom bracket (where the pedals/crank go through the frame) is factory assembled and it fell apart spilling ball bearings all over the road.
Go to a local bike shop look around. Talk to them. You will be glad you did.
I bought my wife a bike. I took 4 weeks of her test riding over a dozen after narrowing the field down. I would never try to surprise her with a bike. But its your wife and I like no. 3.
I agree with Rick! Do not buy the crap that wally world sells. Spend the $$ and buy her a quality bike at the local bike shop.
If you buy her a piece of crap for a bike, she will not ride it because it will break down on her +/or be very uncomfortable for her to ride.
If you do buy her crap, do not blame her for not riding it, blame yourself. A good bike needs to be fitted to the rider. This is much more critical with bikes then it is with almost anything else. She can injure herself with a bike that is a bad fit for her.
Do everyone a favor & take her down to the shop to select her bike for herself, with guidance from a qualified bike fitter, as I call them, she will get a good bike this way. It will fit her & it will be a pleasure for her to ride! It is money well spent.
If you want to surprise her, give her a hand written gift certificate for a bike at a bike shop. Then take her down there yourself. Bring your billfold. It will cost, but it will be worth the money to see her enjoying her bike rides. Oh and put those Hello Kitty items in the envelope that the gift certificate comes in. That way she can install them as she likes.
I’m going to go along with Rick and 48Willys but a little less emphatically so. I’ve got a wife who sometimes thinks she wants something - and after a short while it becomes something else to take up space and collect dust. Schwinn does have a slight rep though for putting “second class fit” parts in some of their box store products. A basically professional mechanic at a bike shop is going to be able to spot those “have issues” parts and substitute good stuff for them though when he assembles it. And the extra cost may not be as great as you think. They are basically entry level and the shop is hoping that if she really catches the bug, you will come back to them for something higher end with a better profit margin for them.
The big advantage I see in something better (IE more expensive) like say a Peugeot is that if you do end up selling it, you won’t have a hard time and you’ll get back a better part of your investment. From what I see in a quick scan around my Burgh, a Schwinn is going to lose you about 50-75% and a more serious (say under $500 but not by a ton) ladies bike more like 20-35%.
Even if you aren’t going to buy it from a bike shop, visit a couple and pick their brains. Chances are better for this going well if you get more data than just from us all here.
(x+1) - don’t buy big box store crap. It’s the lowest of the low end; heavy, doesn’t work as well (shifting), doesn’t last as long, etc. World’s better @ LBS (Local bike shop) for a little bit more investment. If it’s not fun for her, it’ll just sit in the garage after a few rides.
If you want to go all out, ask the guys at LBS about who does custom frames/repairs/painting. How cool would a custom HK-painted frame be? (Figure starting @ $500 for painting alone.)
A friend’s wife got a state of the art stationary bicycle. He calls it her menstrual cycle, because she’s on it once a month and complains the whole time. They absolutely hate each other.
I’ve worked in bike shops for a number of years; and I would disagree with those that say you should buy a bike at a shop. If you can find a $200 bike at a shop - go for it, but in your situation, and the fact that you doubt that your wife will ride much or go far and is just on a trail tells me that almost any quality level will fulfill those needs, and I think you have like 90 days to return it if there is something wrong.
A large part of what I have seen as being the worst part of wally world bikes is that they are assembled incorrectly, so if you want some peace of mind, I would try to take it to a shop for a $25 safety check. You may have to endure some roll eyes and the feeling you are not part of the cool crowd though.