A classy ladies bike for a small classy lady. What are the options?
With the Surly Long Haul Trucker well and truly in commuting service I'm starting the search for another bike. This time for my better half.
We have a good problem that needs to be solved. Our son, despite his tender years, loves to ride and can ride over 10km on the flat. That means we can now have great family bike rides. My better half has a mountain bike but despite its very small size (14.5" frame) and very short stem (almost nonexistent) it is too long in the top tube for her to be comfortable. Riding with our son is a bit of a chore when it could be fun with a more comfortable bike.
We are looking for a bike that is comfortable and can be ridden on anything from the Riesling Trail to the road to the Linear Park. The top three criteria are that it has to be easy and uncomplicated to ride, look nice and be easy to maintain. The bars need to be higher than the seat and the reach to the bars such that a reasonably upright position be maintained. Due to her small size (160cm tall) and light weight we don't want heavy bike either.
I've looked at Gazelles and the lovely Civia Loring and Midtown. The the Gazelles don't have the class and the small Civia frames may be a touch to large. Something with a 7, 8 or 9 speed hub in a stylish XS frame would be great but I haven't found anything yet. If you have any ideas I'd be glad to hear them.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Wombat on -
I have a lady's step thru with a 3-speed hub on the back that you could have for $150. Needs a little work, but I rode it from Rosewater to Mitchell park and it does scoot along nicely.
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Permalink Reply by Roger ... on -
Not really feminine but ... Cannondale's Hooligan 3 has hub gears and extra low standover and if ultimately she doesnt like it, your son might inherit it for a little bmx thrashing.
http://www.cannondale.com/usa/eng/Products/Bikes/Recreation-Urban/H...
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Permalink Reply by Luke on -
Some more searching has revealed the following as contenders. I thought they were all good but based on looks alone they have been ordered thus:
1. Civia Midtown
2. Gary Fisher Simple City 8
3. Masi Soulville 7 Mixte
4. Trek Allant WSD
I should have known it was all about looks and I'm surprised that the Midtown is at the top given it is more of a utility bike than the others.
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Permalink Reply by Roger ... on
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The Midtown is classy? It just looks really solid & uncannily familiar to me .. ;-)
FYI - http://www.evehicle.com.au/i/AMB-with-EVO3-kitweb.jpg
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Permalink Reply by Luke on
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I too thought the Masi had the edge but when it comes down to it what I think doesn't matter :-) If the rider thinks the Midtown is the best and will be happy riding it who am I to argue. That front rack would be excellent for collecting bottles wine along the Riesling Trail.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on -
But as a gentleman and the rider of the LHT aren't you supposed to carry the bottles of wine?
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Permalink Reply by Luke on
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Haha. Yes, I'd be obliged to load the LHT first but that doesn't mean I have to carry all of it :-)
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Permalink Reply by Luke on
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Did anyone notice that the Masi doesn't have a front brake? That's taking cool a little too far in my opinion but I assume you could fit one if you wanted to.
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Permalink Reply by Luke on
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Comes down to personal taste I guess. I displayed a page full of Gazelles to my wife and got a firm negative response. The upright styling with very high bars and the chain cases/guards seem to be the main offenders. Too much sit up and beg. Lower bars with more sweep are preferred and I'm pretty sure a front rack/basket is preferred over a rear rack.
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Permalink Reply by Paul van Bellen on -
Hi Adelaide Cyclists,
My name is Paul van Bellen from Gazelle Bicycles Australia. I came across this discussion after doing my weekly search online for news on Gazelle.
I hope you guys don't mind, however I just thought I would add some information to clear up any confusion as to why our bikes are set up as they are.
Many of the features on a Gazelle are the result of a company that has been producing high quality bicycles from their factory in The Netherlands since 1892. The Netherlands is known to have the best cycling infrastructure and highest levels of cycle use in the World. In the bicycle industry, The Netherlands is seen as the World's trend setting market when it comes to urban/city/commuting bicycles. Gazelle is still the biggest brand in The Netherlands which is no mean feat as you have all the brands that are available here, available there as well.
There has been some discussion here regarding features on a bike. Luke, it sounds like the Gazelle might not be to your partners taste which is totally fine. I would just like to point out a few details that make a Gazelle something special and to educate everybody else on here who may not know much about European city bikes.
1. Chainguards - I have noticed that on many 'Urban/City bikes', they fail to have a chainguard or if they do on a internal hub version they don't enclose the chain fully. Fully enclosed chain cases are brilliant. Not only do they keep your clothes clean and look smart, they keep the drive train incredibly clean. I just received a 1995 Gazelle at our work for service (They brought it back from Holland). This customer said it hadn't been serviced in 13 years. The bike was in ordinary condition as it had been pretty hammered but when I took the chain case off I couldn't believe the condition of the chain. It was almost clean! Gazelle will always use a full chain case because it extends the life of the running gear and looks smart. Also, this year Gazelle introduced a chain tensioner that is built into the chain guard which gives this bike it's distinctive look. The whole drivetrain is covered up on the front and back. It is very hard for dirt to enter the guard.
2. Mudguards - A city bike without mudguards is like a car without a roof. Sure it works fine in the sun, but when it rains......
I have noticed lately that mudguards are getting more common however they are often poorly designed. The front mudguard on the Gary Fisher Simple City looks too short to stop the water from running up your pants and shirt. It makes me wonder if anyone actually tested this bike on a wet road. Compare the front mudguard with this.
3. Lights - If you never use a bike in the dark than you don't need lights. However in my experience, if you have a bike that has the capability to be used at night then it is likely to be used more often. Also, sometimes day rides can take longer than expected and you could be caught out in the dark. A proper city bike without lights is like a car without lights. The beauty of the light systems on Gazelle is that they are usually bolted on for security and integrated style, and can be dyno powered for convenience and no worries about batteries.
4. Upright riding position - Every bike has a purpose. Bikes that are upright in nature are perfect for city use as you can see traffic better and customers have told me car users tend to treat them with a kinder touch than a rider on a sport bike; and our customers love the fact there is no pressure on arms and neck from bending your head over the bars that you would get on a bike that is a bit more sporty in purpose. The beauty of the Gazelle is that the handle bars can be easily adjusted without tools and you can choose the style of riding that suits you easily and quickly. This video shows the handle bar in action.
5. Kickstands - A city bike should have a quality kickstand, especially if it comes with a rack! I noticed that some of the bikes that Luke is looking at has a kickstand so that's good.
6. Weight - A bike with many accessories is naturally going to weigh more than a bike without the accessories. A Gazelle city bike is a fully equipped bike and usually weighs around 13 - 17kg. Picking up a bike on the shop floor is one way of testing a bike. Riding a bike is the test that matters. These bikes ride very lightly and I encourage anybody here to test ride one to see for yourself if you are interested. If you live at the top of an apartment building and have to climb stairs every day with your bike then obviously a light weight bike is an advantage in those situations.
I hope I haven't ruffled to many feathers by posting this message however a big part of my time is encouraging people to use the bike for transport and I believe fully equipped city bikes will a have a significant part to play in the future growth of cycling in Australia and I have noticed a lot of misinformation about these types of bikes so I like to share anything I learn with other enthusiastic cyclists.
If anybody has any questions about the bikes please ask.
Cycle safe,
Paul.
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Permalink Reply by Gus K on
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Thanks for the response. Any promotion of cycling as transport is welcome. I should note you joined as a member very early on in this sites life.
Perhaps sometime we could organise a 'come and try' Gazelle showing in Adelaide if you have a demo model that could be ridden in the session.. I'm thinking at our new community workshop when it is open in a month or so.
Cheers
Angus
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Permalink Reply by Paul van Bellen on
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Hi Angus,
Thanks for the message.
That would be great to organise a 'come and try' day at your workshop. As we are in Sydney I will pass the information onto Kevin at Clarke Cycles (our Adelaide dealer along with Oxygen Cycles) and hopefully he can help with the idea.
All the best and cycle safe,
Paul.
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