“See, honey, she can do it…”

My buddy and I were clearing a technical uphill.  We noticed a guy at the top of the rise waiting for his wife/girlfriend while she was pushing her bike up the hill.

Once we passed them, he said it: “See, honey, she can do it…”

Gary turns to me and says “I bet you hear that often.”  And I agreed.  “But I bet what he doesn’t realize is how fit you are, how long you’ve been riding… and, look, you’re still always wanting to improve your skills. So, yes, YOU can clear that section… but I wouldn’t expect a beginner to!”

I nodded.  And then gave my 2 cents.

What irks me, is that the dude at the top of the hill had a sick carbon dual suspension bike.  She was on a rigid hybrid, tires were slick… I’m pretty sure the front basket was recently removed.  I see it all the time.

Combine wrong bike + newbie + technical feature… really, what did you expect?

I checked this theory during my last ladies ride.  Mona says, “Yeah!  Sam had tried to get me to mountain biking for years, but he didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a bike if I didn’t like it.  I hated it.  Nothing felt good.  Then one day my bike AND car was in the shop, and I wanted to do an errand, so dropped his seat and borrowed his bike.  It was SO MUCH FUN!”

Yes, now she rides a sweet carbon Intense…

So, my tips for you guys that want to get your lady to mountain bike:

1. YOU ride the old bike, let her borrow your sick ride (or borrow a friends, if there’s fit issue)
2. Take her someplace non-technical
3. Do NOT say “See, honey, she can do it…” because even the most “casual” lady becomes a competitive lady when you compare us… and can crush any hopes of riding with you again.

My 2 cents… take it, or leave it.