Choosing the
right ladies bicycle is as much about personal preference as it is about practicalities.
Consider these factors before making a decision on which ladies bicycle to buy.
What will you use it for? Commuting? Off road racing? Have a
firm idea of what the main use will be for your bicycle.
Not all ladies
bicycles are created equal. Using the wrong kind of bicycle for the wrong kind
of task is possible – but can both dramatically reduce your enjoyment of
cycling, and the actual life-span of your ladies bicycle.
New or Old? With the resurgence of vintage bicycles,
restored bicycles the market for reconditioned bicycles has become a lot
stronger. As someone who has restored multiple bicycles, I can tell you there
is absolutely nothing wrong with a reconditioned bicycle. In fact, the bicycles
of 10, 20, even 30+ years ago can in many instances be far superior to anything
made today.
My
favourite bicycle had a frame older than I was (it was 35+ years old), and
stood up to a horrendous amount of abuse without ever flinching or missing a
beat. Sometimes, older bicycles are better than newer bicycles. It really
depends on the purpose you want to use your bicycle for. Vintage or reconditioned bicycles are
especially well suited to urban commuting – and the customisation available
with a reconditioned bicycle makes them especially aesthetically pleasing.
Whichever
you choose, be aware that for every $3,000 superbike that is advertised, there
will be 10 reconditioned vintage bicycles capable of very similar levels of
performance and bought for a fraction of the price.
How Comfortable can you Make it? Features to look for when it comes
to increasing a bicycle’s comfort factor include seat adjustability (can the
seat be raised, lowered, shifted forwards or backwards?), distance of the seat
from the handlebars, the type of handle bars, the size of wheels and whether or
not mud guards come with the bicycle.
Of course, setting up your ladies bicycle for optimal comfort
will help.
Steel or Aluminium? What will your frame be made of? Steel frames,
while generally cheaper than aluminium frames, are typically heavier. Noticably
so. On the other hand, aluminium frames tend to be considerably lighter
Most newer
frames on quality ladies bicycles are aluminium. On some mass-produced models,
it is steel. On nearly all vintage bicycles, the frames are made of steel.
There’s no “perfect
material” for a bicycle frame – just be mindful of the impact that the frame’s
composition can have on your ladies bicycle’s handling, and cost.
Be Mindful of Quality. Related to the issue of frame
material is quality. Look at the joins in the frame. Mass-produced bicycles –
while often adequate for most tasks – will generally be welded at the joints.
Sometimes poorly. This has more of an effect on the appearance of the bicycle
than anything else, though in exceptional cases can compromise the integrity of
the frame. Though generally, a quality bicycle – particularly a vintage one –
will have its frame components joined with steel lugs: a decorative sleeve that
the frame components slip into and are heat fixed in. Both are strong, though
steel lugs tend to make a bicycle look quite a bit better. Regardless of your
preference, be mindful of small signs like this that indicate the larger
concern for quality that the manufacturer has for the bicycle.
What ratio of gearing will you need? Most bicycles these days
incorporate some form of gearing. Though some riders prefer single speed or fixed
gear bicycles (myself included), these are generally inappropriate for the
commuting purposes which most ladies bicycles are purchased. In choosing the “right”
gearing for your ladies bicycle, consider how hilly your regular riding route
will be? How fast, on average will you like to go? Will you be carrying loads
often? How large will those loads be?
As a good
rule of thumb the greater the amount of hills that you will climb, or load that
you will carry, the larger the number of gears you will need. For instance, in
a city like London, which is mostly level, you can use either a single speed
bicycle, or a 3 speed. In a city like Brisbane, Australia, or San Francisco in
the US, the number and height of hills generally necessitate a 7, 8 or 9 Speed ration for most casual
cyclists.
Additional
to that is the issue of chainrings, or sprockets – the little cogs at the rear
of the bicycle, and the larger cogs near the pedal.
Once you
have decided how many speeds your bicycle will need, you can further adjust the
gearing ratio by changing the size of the chainrings and sprocket on your
bicycle. Done correctly, this can give you an almost infinite level of
customisation for your bicycle, allowing you to travel any distance, carrying
any load, up any sized hill, without looking ruffled or like “you’ve just
stepped off a bicycle.”
Maintenance: Will you maintain the bike yourself, or have a
bicycle mechanic service the bike? Maintaining and servicing a ladies bicycle
is not difficult, though there are a few qualities you should look for in a
ladies bicycle if you wish to maintain it yourself. I’ve covered them here.
Adaptability: Whichever kind of bicycle you choose, be
mindful of its ability to be adapted to different tasks, within reason. Today,
a range of features can be bought “as standard” on many bicycles to make this
possible. An example are braze-ons: small fixing points with a screw on the
bicycle that allow you to quickly fix a luggage rack or basket. Of course, it’s
always possible to find a way to fix a luggage rack or basket on to a bicycle
without these, but purchasing a bicycle with them already on can give you great
flexibility down the road.
X-Factor: Does it make you buzz? At the end of the day,
no factor will influence your appetite for bicycle riding more than your
passion for the bicycle.
When it
comes to purchasing a ladies bicycle, above all else make an emotional decision. If you want to get the most out of
living with bicycles, you need to LOVE your ladies bicycle.
What
do you look for in a ladies bicycle? What stops you riding more than you’d
like? Tell us!
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