Advice on a new bike for a female non experienced rider

[squeaker]

IMO, the biggest advantage of disk brakes is that they are easier to apply. That is, it requires less grip strength for the same braking force.

Really? Not IME compared with decent V's - maybe with some hydraulics?

[Brucey]

....So striking whilst the thought of N+1 was in the air, went to a large shiny clean bike shop, and looked at the specialized Vita as suggested. It seems to be a good all rounder, my wife was happy on it, and commented on how much lighter it is than her old bike!...

and so it will be, but once it has

-mudguards
-rack
-basket
-lights
-lock
-towhitch

etc then it will be at least five maybe ten pounds heavier. On the shop floor it is truly only 'half a bike'....

BTW if you are thinking of spending 30% more, there are other ways to do it that might make a better bike than using the money to buy disc brakes IMHO. But you & yours should try them and see what you think.

cheers

[grani]

Hi all,

Moulton, interesting, but too radical for my wife.

So striking whilst the thought of N+1 was in the air, went to a large shiny clean bike shop, and looked at the specialized Vita as suggested. It seems to be a good all rounder, my wife was happy on it, and commented on how much lighter it is than her old bike!
The only other question which I had not thought of was disc brakes or rim brakes, I know rims... I will be expected to maintain it.... What are the advantages for general purpose riding with discs, bearing in mind they will add around 30% to the purchase price.
many thanks
Martin

My wife had a Specialized Vita Elite Disc 2013. (The original was stolen a couple of weeks ago and has since been replaced with an identical bike, hurrah for eBay).

The bike was intended for commuting around 20 miles round trip 4 to 5 times per week in all weather. She tried a wide range of bikes and fell in love with the Vita because of the way it rides and the weight. It also has rack and mudguard mounts and copious space for larger tyres (I would estimate about 35c with mudguards would fit.

She rode it and I maintained it for 2 years and I was very impressed with the way that it has coped with the foul conditions and relatively tough use.

The main advantage of disc brakes was the low maintenance and the generally superior performance in wet weather. I really only changed the brake pads when they wore out for sintered pads as the organic pads wear quite quickly. Caveat is that if there is any sponginess on the brake levers when you get the bike you have to make sure to force the bike shop to bleed the brakes properly before you take it away. The rear on the bike was useless and Evans insisted that they had done a good job and I just gave up and bought a kit to bleed it myself. I wish I was more forceful with them as it would have saved me a lot of hassle.

In addition to the commuting the Vita has also been used for leisure rides and light touring and again has been absolutely perfect. The replacement bike has been kitted out the same way as the old with dynamo lights, mudguards and a rack and is still fairly light and responsive on the road. For her general use I swapped the large chainring from a 50t to a 44t and that has helped to make the gearing more appropriate to her cycling speed and style.

My final comment would be that the new Vita Elite Disc has a carbon fork with no mudguard eyes and different frame. I do not think that any of the new design features have improved on the usefulness of the bike and have in my opinion only made the bike worse. I would rather get the Vita Sport with the triple chainset, aluminium fork and older frame design as I think it is a far superior design (and cheaper).

[Vorpal]

IMO, the biggest advantage of disk brakes is that they are easier to apply. That is, it requires less grip strength for the same braking force.

Really? Not IME compared with decent V's - maybe with some hydraulics?

The Specialized Vita disc version comes with Tektro Auriga hydraulic disc brakes. If you don't believe me that they are easier to apply, go try some (that are set up properly) and see what you think.

[horizon]

[quot




In addition to the commuting the Vita has also been used for leisure rides and light touring and again has been absolutely perfect.

For her general use I swapped the large chainring from a 50t to a 44t and that has helped to make the gearing more appropriate to her cycling speed and style.

So not quite perfect then?

[horizon]

my wife was happy on it, and commented on how much lighter it is than her old bike!

martinn: can you describe precisely what your wife was doing when she made that comment. Was she for example riding up a steep hill?

[grani]

[quot




In addition to the commuting the Vita has also been used for leisure rides and light touring and again has been absolutely perfect.

For her general use I swapped the large chainring from a 50t to a 44t and that has helped to make the gearing more appropriate to her cycling speed and style.

So not quite perfect then?

Hahaha touché! In reality she didn't really know that it wasn't perfect. Probably more to do with me as I just felt that the gearing could be slightly better for her commuting. If you use it as a flat bar road bike then the 50t is fine. There is after all a 34t on the chainset.

[martinn]

My wife simply lifted the bike up to gage how much lighter it was. Mudguards will be SKS chromplastic, so not really much weight there. Most importantly even with only a very cursory fit assessment, she felt much more comfortable with her riding position.
I am seriously considering disc brakes, but for the additional cost....
Grani, thanks for sharing your experience of that bike, very helpful.
Will try to let my wife have some experience of disc braking
Martin

[Brucey]

SKS mudguards = 1lb

The other accessories all weigh too...

it all adds up you know....

cheers

[RJS]

As the one who suggested the Vita perhaps I should comment further, I chose the Vita Sport because of the triple chain rings, being not very strong and living in a hilly area I don't like compacts I think the disk brake versions are compacts, one of the lady's has a disk version and some arthritis in her hands, which should help her but she says that the brakes are not that special, they need to be applied really hard when they are new to brake the glaze and she has not done this. Another lady has 3 Vita's, the last one being the top of the range carbon version, although she loves the way it goes when it ridden without 'guards etc. the inserts when she tried to fit a rack didn't last five minutes. I suggested the Vita as I know 4 lady's who own and like them, just wish they would stop changing the models Do take on board what Brucey and others say though, he is far more knowledgeable than me, and towing a trailer is something else again One more comment, buying from a helpful shop that will listen to you and change components is well worth while.
Cheers, Rob.

[Sleeper Service]

As ever, it depends on what she's using it for. Something like Ridgeback's Meteor step through might do the trick - it comes with mudguards, pannier rack, and decent touring tyres (Marathon GG) for £400.

[Zanda]

Brake type
For stopping a bike with trailer, I'd suggest rim brakes over discs because the braking surface is larger and so doesn't get as hot. Discs have been known to suffer brake fade or warping because their heat can't dissipate quickly enough.

Tyre width
For riding on gravel paths, towpaths or similar, I'd suggest tyres at least 35mm wide. Find the tyre size debossed on the tyre sidewall. To use tyres of 35mm and wider, you need to be sure the wheel will actually go into the frame, so you need to check that the frame has sufficient clearance.

Frame type
Given the attraction to low weight, I think you're looking for a hybrid frame or touring frame in cro-mo or aluminium. The only rigid fork mountain bike you're likely to be offered will be entry level and made from low grade steel (which is comparatively heavy and flexible and therefore tiring to ride).

Fork material
I'd suggest avoiding a bike with carbon forks, given that you'll be loading the steerer with some large forces when you pull the front brake while towing. Steel is the safer bet here.

Braze-ons, eyelets
You may also want to check that the bikes on your shortlist have the necessary braze-ons and eyelets for mudguards and rack, if you want those, which leisure riders usually do.