bike for girlfriend

[spec_rockhopper]

I was looking for a womens specific hardtail for 400-600 for my girlfriend, she dosent ride but was looking to get into it, ive been looking at the specialized myka and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on that, or should i be looking at giant, fisher, gt, cannondale?

I guess ive got it down to the myka, a cannondale F9, or a giant rincon, any thoughts?

[hotlantabkr]

hey rockhopper, that is great that your girlfriend may be taking up mountain biking!

from your username, im guessing your a specialized guy yourself so may be more comfortable with your girlfriend riding that same brand since you know what to expect. specialized does make a nice line of women’s specific bikes, they are a good fit for smaller women. the myka and f9 seem to have comparable component builds but the only thing that bothers me about the myka are the grip shifts. these are a pain to upgrade (if she wants to later) and can shift unpredictably just if she is holding on too tight during a downhill or really pulling on the bars going uphill. and why only 7 speeds on the myka? (alright, sorry that was two things that bother me)

now with the giant you get some nicer features like disc brakes and the kenda nevegal tires (i love these kenda tires), not to mention the 8-speeds. if you think she’ll easily get hooked on riding, i would spend a little extra on a bike that has slightly better components or are at least easy to upgrade.

if the bike isnt going to be a surprise, have her test ride one or two of them at your local bike shop. the bike should be a comfortable fit and not to heavy or difficult to pedal around. you may even find she doesn’t need a women’s specific bike (if she’s average or above average height she could get away with a 15" – 17" guys bike) and that opens your options to used bikes or even the same rockhopper you have (sorry, more options can sometimes be a bad thing)…

good luck on the bike hunt and let us know what you pick out!

[spec_rockhopper]

I think im gonna go with the specialized, it was a solid bike and the guys at the shop seemed to know what i was talking about, the cannondale dealer isnt there anymore, went to a dept. store to talk to someone about the treks and fishers they carried, forget that, and the giant dealer tried to pass off an 08 for a 09 (and charge me full price), i hate to base what i think of the bike on the service where i got it but those guys at the specialized dealer had it togther, well thanks for your help i think that bike will really work out well for her, and if she does take a liking to it we can start putting money twards upgrading the conponents and eventually the entire bike. thanks again for your help

[spec_rockhopper]

I just wanted to mention the 09 myka’s are equipped with the trigger shifters, it was the 08’s with the grip shifts, i dont think i would of considered it if it had the grip shifts, i really dont like those,
thanks again!

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