How to Get your Girlfriend to Ride with You

Mountain biking as a couple has the potential to cause more quarrels than picking out movie rentals. Here are 9 tips that will help your girlfriend to not only ride- but to love riding with you.

Buy her cute biking clothes and equipment

Yep, I started with the cheap and easy route. Sometimes when I was pretty sure I should just chuck my bike in the woods or out the window I would look at my super cool terry bike skort/pink water bottle holder/ and/or smart looking silver helmet and say “maybe one more ride…”

Ride with us

See how we’re progressively getting harder here? Start with the buying and then go to the actual doing of something? It sounds pretty easy right? Well it is actually pretty hard to do for some guys when their girlfriends are just starting out. It seems like a lot more fun to bust out and ride with your friends up ahead, but that then leaves your newbie girlfriend to consider all the suck factors that all beginning bikers start with.

Why are there so many rocks? Why won’t my stupid helmet/camelback/pedal stay in place? If you are actually riding with her not only can rescue the day by fixing stuff but you can actually talk. Even when we say it’s okay to go ahead- stay. We want riding to be just as much a social thing as a physical thing. Go figure.

Stop giving so many tips

Sure it’s nice to get a few basic tips the first five minutes, but after that give it a rest. When we go to crank up a steep hill and don’t make it we really don’t want to hear “you need to push down more on your handle bars.” Make it just about riding and not so much about Yoda imparting words of wisdom on Luke Skywalker.

Feel free to give compliments

Examples: “you look snappy in that red helmet.” “I like how you look with mud on your face.” “You looked spectacular flying over your handlebars like that.” “That hill was way too steep huh?”

Find groups rides where she won’t always be the last person

Why? Because it sucks to be last all the time.

Get her a bike of her own

I know- you’re not sure if she’ll be into. You’re not sure if she’ll ride it. In the end though, she’ll have a much better time and will be more likely to actually like riding if she has her own bike. So many beginning riders I meet are riding their beau’s old bike which is either way too big or way too heavy to even make a feeble attempt to keep up on.

Help her find a comfortable saddle

This might be your biggest challenge of all. Having a comfortable place to sit your tush is crucial to enjoying the ride. Shop around. Remember it's as much about the shape of the saddle as it is the cushion.

Do other stuff

Not every night needs to be a ride. Especially when it’s 100 degrees out and it just rained.

Include ice cream with every ride

It’s just more fun that way.