girl on a fat bike

[Dominos]

How about "girls like to bike"?

Paging @Robin and @SpartaBard . Sounds like she might be a good candidate for your bike camp?

We will go out and look at a variety of bikes

You might be surprised what she gravitates towards. I wouldn't rule out a cruiser or townie-type bike. Girls have different entry points to sports... And if a cruiser is what gets her out there, then let her have a go at it! Getting scraped & dirty while riding trails may not be her thing, YET!

 

[MissJR]

@qclabrat at least to me, it sounded like you were going the way of the fat bike so apologies if i misunderstood.

but i do think she needs to pick out her own bike...

and good luck with the teenage daughters... we had 3 in my house growing up... i don't know how my parents survived... man, did we give them grief.

(sorry mom & dad!)

 

[qclabrat]

@qclabrat at least to me, it sounded like you were going the way of the fat bike so apologies if i misunderstood.

but i do think she needs to pick out her own bike...

and good luck with the teenage daughters... we had 3 in my house growing up... i don't know how my parents survived... man, did we give them grief.

(sorry mom & dad!)

thanks, I'm just hoping she won't want one of these, right weight, but out of budget

 

[Steve Vai]

Ok, let's do some quick math here.

1. From the pics it seems your daughter is maybe like 80-90 pounds.
2. If you buy her a fat bike, my guess is that it will weigh ~30 pounds at best, likely more.

This is why I spent so much effort in building my son a sub 20-pound FS bike. Unfortunately budget is a concern for the OP so I'd imagine whatever he buys will be heavy. Any entry level mountain bike is over 30 pounds so she's going to be on something heavy no matter what. An $800 fat bike is like 90 pounds though so with that budget it's not the best option if weight is the only concern. I think my son took to cycling because he's always been on high-end bikes and that definitely makes the experience A LOT better. Most kids bikes are heavy crap, even bike shop ones, so it's not the best intro into the sport.

 

[qclabrat]

This is why I spent so much effort in building my son a sub 20-pound FS bike. Unfortunately budget is a concern for the OP so I'd imagine whatever he buys will be heavy. Any entry level mountain bike is over 30 pounds so she's going to be on something heavy no matter what. An $800 fat bike is like 90 pounds though so with that budget it's not the best option if weight is the only concern. I think my son took to cycling because he's always been on high-end bikes and that definitely makes the experience A LOT better. Most kids bikes are heavy crap, even bike shop ones, so it's not the best intro into the sport.

Jim, I know you had a chinese fat frame recently, any reason you'd not recommend one? I'll be in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, next month, where most chinese frames are sourced to overseas. Maybe we'll do our test rides over there instead. Though, I've have real difficulty finding products made for overseas consumption (e.g., carbon rims, tube radios)

 

[Steve Vai]

I thought the quality on the Chinese frame was really good for the money. It was light and I didn't break it either so those are pluses as well. The frame I had was a DengfuFM190 which is re-labeled as quite a few brands. The only reason I sold it is to buy the new Specialized Carbon Fatboy as I've sold my soul to the 2 big S's for 2016...

 

[Robin]

took me a while to catch up on all the posts and opinions.

As a female, and someone who rides with 10-14 year old KIDS (and yes, GIRLS), I can say that they need to want to be out there. I've had kids at camp who's parents think mtb camp is going to be great - and the kids have different opinions. Forcing them to do something they are not interested in just leads to disaster.

I see campers struggle with uber heavy bikes - it can make their day miserable. I'm not saying you have to get them a carbon bike with ultra light wheels, but let's be realistic here. Will she be able to maneuver the bike??

This year I've had some incredible girls come to camp - and they ride 24"-26" hardtails. They are at camp because they want to be there - and they love it. I'm not positive they all picked out their bikes but I'm guessing they did.

If at all possible, try to borrow someone's fat bike or just take her out a few times on a regular bike (I may have missed this post already).

 

[soundz]

Forcing them to do something they are not interested in just leads to disaster.

I am not a girl and maybe times have changed, but I don't totally agree with this. During my childhood, my mom forced me to do plenty of things I did not want to. For the most part, I ended up enjoying all of those things in some way, or when I grew up, I found what I was forced to do helpful in some way.

Some things I can think of off the top of my head:

Study - I think this one is self explanatory.

YMCA - My English wasn't so good at the time so I had tough time adjusting, but after a few days, I was having fun. I'm sure there were lots of other group activities I was forced to do which turned out to be ok.

Piano - I was forced to play this instrument for like 10 years. The day I was allowed to quit was the happiest day of my life. I still don't particularly like to play it, but I find what I learned through it to be useful in many ways.

Clarinet - I hated it in the beginning, and always hated practicing, I grew to tolerate it and became extremely good at it competing at top level in the state.

Pizza - For some reason pizza does not match the fresh off the boat Korean pallet. But after being forced to eat it for many years, I came to love it.

Eggplants - I still hate egg plant.

But yah, most of these things are alone activities or with your peers. If I was forced to do something with my parents for 10 years (like ride a bike with them when I didn't want to), I feel that could get old quick. I guess sometimes it has more to do with making friends and hanging out with friends than the actual activity at hand.

 

[Norm]

So what Jimmy is saying is that you should buy her an eggplant.

 

[Steve Vai]

Do people eat eggplant? I've tried it quite a few times and haven't been able to get into it. The best I can do is burn it, then cover it with Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato Sauce and pretend it's an English Muffin Pizza.

 

[Norm]

Do people eat eggplant? I've tried it quite a few times and haven't been able to get into it. The best I can do is burn it, then cover it with Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato Sauce and pretend it's an English Muffin Pizza.

If you like Szechuan food I can make you eggplant you'll like.

 

[domo]

OP and i have the same dilemma, we both would love our 14 year old daughters to come out and spend time with us dads

i think both of us know how hard it is to connect with a 14 year old daughters as 99% of our interests do not intersect

i would love to bring my daughter to a event where there was a bunch of beginner and seasoned ladies who can speak and share the great experiences they have had through riding any kind of bike, where there would be various bikes in all shapes sizes and colors

i think my daughter will be inclined to ride with like minded girls as a social event and the love for riding can start there

if i can ask the ladies here to please share how their passion started, how it progressed and developed to the same level of enjoyment all of us here share, maybe we can get a better understanding

we all have the same goals, to make more riders, maybe this will help..thanks

 

[Robin]

Well, I really started riding when I met my now husband. When we were first dating, he and I went for a ride. He was already racing and had been riding a while. It didn't go well and I said I would never ride with him again.

Then I found some incredible ladies on this forum to ride with and serve as mentors to me. I built confidence and skills over time.

I rarely ride with my husband now. But it's only because he and I have different schedules/interests (he's now a roadie...gasp).

 

[Arwen's Mom]

I am more than happy to take you and your daughter for a ride, and I can invite my daughter as well. PM me with schedules and I will see what I can do. I am very beginner friendly. A group of ladies would be better, but I know that can be tough sometimes.

Dont like Eggplant? try the white one, its better. Saute it in olive oil with some anise. add tomato chunks, parsley.

How I got started in biking? My dad. He put me on a bike and gave me a push down a hill. But then I got a horse and forgot the bike.
As a teen I got into it again. I loved riding bikes because it got me out of the house (and I missed my horse). Then later got a job at a horse farm but my mom refused to drive me so I biked there and back.
Then I made some stupid life changes, and then the bike was stolen
100 years passed and as an adult a friend got me riding again on a bike he found in the garbage. It satisfied the hunger for riding horses (again) as well as got me out in the woods which I have loved from birth (was always hiking or camping so biking in the woods made perfect sense).
So there you have it.

 

[Matt_]

I have 3 daughters. ... but it'll be 10 years before the oldest turns 14. So I'm hoping you all are successful so I have someone to lean on in 10 years if my daughter's don't take to cycling. I'm working hard on the brainwashing now though.

 

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi all,
I have a small 29er that she can try if you would like, and I would be happy to meet up with with any ladies that would like to have a bring your daughter to ride day.

Having spent a large part of my life doing male dominated sports while they were still "male", ( climibing, moutaineering, mt biking), I can say that sometimes girls learn best from other girls. Not always, but sometimes.

Just yell if anyone wants to put this together. Maybe an offshoot of the Allaire Tues night ride??



Ruth

 

[MissJR]

How i got started? Well i had a Fonzi motorcycle when i was a kid. Coolest bike you could ever dream of getting.

But fast forward to mountain biking... it's all santapez's fault. He and his friends started (some even raced) and i borrowed my sister's crappy (and way too big) sporting store special and joined him for a ride (i believe it was a race at Kittatinny) and i saw all these people racing thru and i was like "this looks awesome!" (Minus the spandex)

I bought a bike and a helmet and suffered thru numerous rides and jumped on some beginner rides and clinics and met some REALLY awesome and supportive people (especially the ladies) and here i am.

I do road ride a little and I've tried CX (which i do like to a degree) but nothing feels better than realizing i can get over a log or climb a rocky hill or whatever. I'd much rather brag about the cuts and bruises on my legs from mountain biking than to say i just did a 65 mile road ride.

Plus spandex is optional on a mountain bike ride.

 

[qclabrat]

I thought the quality on the Chinese frame was really good for the money. It was light and I didn't break it either so those are pluses as well. The frame I had was a DengfuFM190 which is re-labeled as quite a few brands. The only reason I sold it is to buy the new Specialized Carbon Fatboy as I've sold my soul to the 2 big S's for 2016...

Is Spec sponsoring your Alaska race?

 

[qclabrat]

So what Jimmy is saying is that you should buy her an eggplant.

She better like eggplant, we have 6 plants which will be ready when we get back in mid august

Do people eat eggplant? I've tried it quite a few times and haven't been able to get into it. The best I can do is burn it, then cover it with Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato Sauce and pretend it's an English Muffin Pizza.

best way to eat eggplant is in the rough
Blanche, split, then season with soy, sesame oil and pepper or hot sauce. Great served chilled from the fridge

 

[chemgirl]

I rode a fat bike this past winter and really enjoyed it. I mostly took it out in the snow so I rode at slow speeds. I think a lot of comments regarding the weight of the bike comes from a racing mentality. Unless your daughter plans on racing, she will have fun riding a 'heavier' bike.

I have three kids (all boys), oldest is 13, and they LOVED the Fatbike. Whatever you buy her, let her pick out the color....that's what kids care about.