BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I'm pretty sure I've seen the orange Felt Cafe in the window @ BikeTek on Squirrel Hill at some point.

Big Bang has some comfort/cruiser type bikes. I can't really speak to selection because I'm not in the market for that type of bike though. But they're really nice there and totally want you to test ride everything and find what you want.

Don't forget that a lot of shops can order things for you as well. Did you talk to someone at thick about getting something that they don't stock?

The sort of bike shes looking for doesn't exactly sell like hot-cakes in pittsburgh so it might be your best bet.

I was surprised with the inventory Ambridge Bike Shop had in stock. The sales person (also an owner) was very nice and extremely helpful when I went in. Other people have complained about their ability to size a bike, so be careful of that.

In an email, she says:

"I like the pic, that is the kind of thing I want, but not Hello Kitty."

I can't speak to orange Felt Cafe bikes there, but my Jamis comfort bike was from Squirrel Hill BikeTek, and in stock. It's blue and boyiy though.

Here is some girly bike bling she might enjoy perusing...Lovely Bicycle Reviews.

I bought a specialized cirrus that wan't girly at all - then I bedazzled it with rhinestones and stuck reflective rainbow hearts and silver stars all over it. I found a site that provides directions for making your own streamers, but haven't gone there yet (I distinctly remember them tickling my knees as a child, though with this bike it'd be tricky): http://karascreativeplace.blogspot.com/2010/04/diy-bike-streamers.html

You can turn anything girlie with the judicious application of the appropriate craft store supplies

I'm a huge fan of girly bikes, I am totally on board with your SO's desires. But I am kind of a huge fan of anything with wheels, so I guess that makes it kind of irrelevant.

Just checked out the Felt Cafe's. Nice.

Interesting perspective on REI. I actually don't WANT someone rolling up on me constantly and asking me if I need help, so I kind of like that part.

There's this on CL, it's up from like a week ago, but it's still up. This is so cool, it actually is retro, and it could be fixed all up with upright bars, fenders, baskets, etc.: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/2437327034.html

Or, Public Bikes, very cool, I've heard good things about them: http://publicbikes.com/p/PUBLIC-C7

I thought the Felt Cafe was a decent looking bike and BikeTek does carry them. Unfortunately my wife didn't like the colors available on the 24 - she did like the 8 but stupidly there are no cable stops for a FD on the 8 so we couldn't easily add one. She ended up with a Giant Cypress DX (from Pro Bikes) which I don't like as much as the Felt largely due to the suspension fork, but it's not terrible and I'm not the one riding it so...

I have a vintage Raleigh women's frame. It was last ridden in maybe 2005. Some pics here. Needs everything (including a seat), but that might be good. It has a small white wicker basket, but it too is in rough shape. Let me know if you're interested.

@ejwme I bedazzled it with rhinestones and stuck reflective protractor hearts and silver stars all over it.

Fixed it for you.

" I kind of see REI as the Walmart/Target of sporting goods in terms of service."

+1

Lol

Felt is killing me, too! My wife fell in love with the Cafe 3 in robin egg blue to ride on the trails, but it's out of stock nationally. I even tried shops in Seattle, DC, Philly and NYC.

Try biketek if you haven't already. Frank initially told me the same thing about them being "sold out", but eventually did track one down and get it in the shop - only to discover the issue with the missing brazeons...

Thanks a lot Pseudacris.... showed my wife the lovely bikes site, and she went from being content with the $400 bike to dreaming of the $1,200 bikes!

haha, yeah Lovely Bikes did that to me too. Even made me want a Dutch bike there for a while. I ended up getting a mixte though thanks to the influence.

heh - you're welcome

I love my mixte. I got a silver KHS from Iron City. My main beef is the location of the bottle rack mount, but the problem was easily solved by adding one to the handlebars.

That bike doesn't have many color choices, but its a good ride and you can easily add fenders & baskets. I'm bringing it to the Try-A-Bike Jamboree, if any one wants to take it for a spin.

So we did find a sufficiently girly bike! A Raleigh Route 3.0 met her criteria.

Just to more comments on shops:

1) Thick kept up email correspondence with me through the week. I'd suggest some models, and they would respond with some others. Did a great job, but sadly we couldn't get the right combination.

2) We ended up getting the bike from BikeTek. And I really have to give them props because their sales people actually talked to my wife and not me. Most of the other stores we went to, the sales person would either talk to me directly OR they would say something to her and then look at me. It was pretty annoying.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions.

This thread lead to the purchase of a bike for my wife! She was really into the bikes on the lovely bikes site, and we found a reasonable one for her. Linus Dutchi 3. Unfortunately, no one around here sells many of the bikes on that site, so I have to pick it up in columbus when I pass through there next week!

This is the pictorial that my wife fell for:

http://www.beaux-mondes.com/blog/2011/06/i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle-bicycle-bicycle.html

A male friend of mine has been riding his SS Linus all over manhattan for several years & loves it.

Have fun in Columbus and be sure to have some ice cream at Jeni's: it really is mind blowing ice cream.

[edit] Myddrin, your wife's bike looks nice! I know what you mean about salesmen only talking to the man...that's what it was like for me traveling through Turkey 15+ years ago!!! Annoying!

Maybe you guys' wives should hit the river trails together: they'd probably have a blast.

A flat trail ride over to Sunday brunch at Pipers on the south side is pretty pleasant, too. I think that's what convinced by BF to try biking

cool, Shawn, I like it. Is she going to come to flock now?

I love this thread more than any in recent memory. This (sort of thing) will absolutely be the straw that breaks the automobile's back. I am completely devoid of cynical comments. Lovely.

Shawn, that post makes that bike look awesome, even I want one now (but in pink, with pink streamers and those things on spokes that go plink plink)

Last weekend I saw a chick at Ohiopyle with a girlie bike that was the brightest orange I'd ever seen - fluorescent glowing brilliant beautiful blinding orange. I tried to tell her I thought it was awesome, but the dog was more inclinced to go get the icecream in the opposite direction.

YAY GIRLIE BIKES.

" Most of the other stores we went to, the sales person would either talk to me directly OR they would say something to her and then look at me. It was pretty annoying."

I think it's just you, as I haven't encountered this problem at all while recently helping a female friend bike shop. :p

Still, it's upsetting to hear that you experienced that.

on who the salespeople talk to...

when my husband and I went to shops to pick out a bike for him, the sales people mostly talked to me. I don't know diddly about bikes but was the one asking questions (I'm the extrovert of the two of us). Maybe they just pick up on who is most interested/talkative about the subject at hand? Not saying intentional conversation monopolizing happens, but if y'all are like me, kid in a candy store effect happens. Luckily hubby thinks it's cute.

Yeah, I don't think it was a sexist thing. At each place she would mention that I was a 'serious cyclist' or "I'm not a real cyclist like him." Once that was established the questions were directed to me.

sheryl is quite a bike/fitness celebrity in nyc...

I totally saw her when I did the 5 boro ride in 2010.

I don't know if she'll make it to a flock ride anytime soon. I truthfully don't think she's ever biked more than 5 miles. I hope to change that with the new purchase! Maybe towards the end of the summer.

And BTW, I'm accepting a position downtown, so I'll actually be able to make more flock rides in the future!

Shawn, congratz on the new position, hope it's better in more ways than just convenient to Flock

So another probably last update: Went for first couple ride. Did about 8 miles along the river (mostly on the paths, but some light traffic) at a very slow almost flock-like pace. She kept wondering why it was so 'easy,' and commented several times on how much she liked the new bike.

I'm trying to talk her into a flock ride, but she's been hesitant.

@Shawn, based on my experience with the flock party ride: if she can do 5 she can do the flock.

Please bring your ladies and their bikes to the Try-A-Bike Jamboree. They can try putting their bikes on the PAT bus rack, which is another way to open up a way to get to nice places to ride. .

Sadly we'll both be out of town. I'll be in Upstate NY moving my mom and she'll be visiting her family.

Otherwise we'd be there...possibly with bells on.

Darn.

That's great that she finally got a bike & is liking it so much!

We're out of town, too.