A Very Subjective Guide on How to Get Your Partner Into Bikes
So there you are, you're biking, you're vibing, you're riding around and feeling the wind in your hair, in your bones at that, and before you know it, you're back on your doorstep knocking the mud off your shoes and thinking "Wow, what a ride!"
You step inside and see your partner on the couch. How was the ride, honey?
It was great! It was wild. It was wonderful. It would have been so much sweeter if you were out there, too.
This is so prevalent it's almost a trope in the cycling community. One partner is nuts about bikes, the other, well... isn't.
For the record, this blog post was inspired by The Radavist's article "How NOT to Get Your Partner Into Mountain Biking." I haven't read it yet, but below I will give my best shot at sharing some thoughts that shaped the way I approached getting my lovely wife, Lauren B, into bikes back in 2020-2021.
Biking Isn't Easy And That's Okay
Honesty is important in relationships. It's good for your partner to know biking is pretty dang hard sometimes. Hills suck - till you get fitter. Sometimes it's cold. Sometimes it's hot. Sometimes it's rainy.
Biking is hard, and it's equally rewarding. It's beautiful. A big part of the beauty is the completely-invisible-unseen-to-anyone-but-you feeling of accomplishment that washes over you upon completing a physically taxing effort. Hey, I did that! I'm a badass! (Lauren B the B stands for Badass)
You don't have to go out in -5° weather while it's snowing to call yourself a biker. But you do have to acknowledge to yourself and to your partner that bikes are hard sometimes. That's part of the beauty.
Do It Slow and With Other People
I'd recommend slow bike rides if your partner is just getting into the sport. Even if they're a fast runner or Crossfitter or Orange Theorist, start out with a ride through the park on a sunny afternoon.
Riding slow has a massive secondary benefit, especially if the bike you ride is made of carbon and your favorite outfit wear while riding it is made of stretchy material. It will be a much needed escape from the number-watching, performance-crunching tendencies that creep in when we have to cram in training hours between family and work and life. It will be blissful and refreshing to put down the power meter and pay attention to your boo riding their bike and smiling.
A quick tangent: from experience, it's awful to ride slow in spandex. If I'm going on a slow ride, you won't catch me in form-fitting attire. I recommend riding bikes in normal clothes, especially if your partner is new to the sport. Buying a $180 set of bib + jersey is not – I repeat, NOT – a prerequisite for getting on a bike and pedaling. Wear normal clothes when you do it slow together, even if you own a kit. :)
Be Consistent
A ride every once in a blue moon does not a bike-lover make. If you want your partner to get into bikes, they've got to ride more than, say, once a year. Once a month is an okay starting point. Once a week is optimal. It's your responsibility to get them out there!
Riding consistently to start has two benefits: Improvement and Comfort.
- Improvement is guaranteed during the first few months of someone's bike riding career. It's easy to see the improvement, and that improvement is addicting – a little less so when the data points are 276 days apart.
- Comfort is a little trickier to explain. If you'll allow me to share a short parable...
