Advice: Bike for casual riding?

1deborah

Hi,

Here's my history with bikes: my dad bought me a ten speed when I was twelve. After a few months, he asked "How's it shifting?" and I said "um... shifting?"

Now I am older, no wiser, and have a child of my own who loves to ride on the back of her dad's bike. I would like to go with them, and need to buy a basic bike but have no clue what to look for. I'm currently riding (get this) my husband's ten speed from when HE was twelve -- the handlebars are very low and I find it extremely painful in the wrists and... um... pelvis. I'd like to be sitting more upright, have a wide, comfortable seat, and a SIMPLE shifting system. Frankly, I'm nostalgic for my early-childhood bike with the pedal brake (oh, that's embarassing)... but I don't suppose they make those anymore. We're talking about neighborhood riding here, bike paths, down to the library, not any kind of high-level road racing or fitness biking.

The reason that I come to you folks is that I would also like this bike to last for a while -- I don't want to end up buying a pile of junk just because I didn't know what to look for or which companies had the best reputation.

I realize that I am not even close to the level of sophistication of most users of this forum: any kind advice will be very much appreciated.

Thank you!

coolworx

How much do you want to spend?

For $500 US you can get a aluminum frame with decent components.
GIANT Cypress ST (with a few upgrades in derailleurs/shifters) has a nice comfy upright position but is also built for swift (relative) road travel.

1deborah

I'm leaving the money question open right now, although given afore-mentioned child, we can't really drop a bundle on this -- I'd say $500 would be an absolute max, and only if I couldn't find anything comfortable for less. I'd be much happier in the $300 range -- am I just asking for trouble there?

Thanks!

coolworx

Well.... There is a big drop-off in quality in the sub $400 range.
Maybe used is the way to go. You can get a substantially better quality used $300 bike then a new one for that price.

1deborah

That sounds like a good idea -- any suggestions about what to look for much appreciated!

coolworx

Well... the first thing I worry about is gearing.

Do you live in a hilly area? 'Mountain Bike' type gearing on a road bike is good for hills and also tends to be a bit more durable compared to ultra-lite road components.

Do you have a good local bike shop you can trust? Try and find a decent frame (even with junkyard components, and then have the mechanic put on a Shimano LX group.

coolworx

BTW, a lotta speed demons will bemoan my suggestion about MTB components on a mainly road/paved path bike, but if you have good cadence (pedal revolution - around 95-100rpm) a 44/11 gear combo will get you nearly 30mph.

I hope I'm not confusing you more than helping! ;-)

Skunk

My wife was in a similar position to yourself. And i am likewise in the knowledge dept. so can't really give advice on which bike except she considered a mountain bike from Halfords which had aridicuolously low special gear on it to make hills a bit easier for the novice. Might be worth a look? i think they were about 200UKP

coolworx

The way I look at it, proper cadence in a very low gear that is spun, is a FAR more efficient way to attack some the knee-busters on my local rides.

Most folks drop their pace a little on ascents - If ya do, you need a lower gear.

My lowest is a mere 17.8 gear inches - with which I can spin up walls, fully loaded on tour.

1deborah

NOT a speed demon, me -- just need to keep up with hubby, who is riding with a four-year old on board. I'm basically looking for the get-on-it-and-go bike that won't fall apart and won't have me cursing at it the whole time. We do have a fair number of hills, not steep but looong (I'm from the Boston suburbs, the area that gave the world Heartbreak Hill.)

I'm a solid, practical little Yankee woman and I don't mind riding a bike that proclaims me so. Matter of fact, the simpler the better (although the hills do call for some gear options -- I wish they still made those old English touring bikes!)

1deborah

(Oh, coolworx, just noticed you're from the Berkshires! I lived in Western Mass for some time, so nice out there.)

coolworx

Ya it is... If it wasn't for the corrupt politicos and economic stagnation it be damn near heaven.

1deborah

(re: economic stagnation -- it was a lovely place to be poor as I recall -- now, if you wanted to STOP being poor, of course...)

Anyway, re: bicycles -- here's a quote from Consumer reports about some comfort bikes (if these are ridiculous suggestions, i.e. "everyone knows that xxxx are junk" remember my general ineptitude and forgive...)

"The Giant Cypress, $300, and the Specialized Crossroads, $290, deliver the best combination of shock absorption, handling, and hill-climbing ability. The Bianchi Avenue, $320, is best on hills."

Those are the comfort bikes they rated -- I looked at the fitness bikes but, honestly, the cheapest is 625 and that ain't gonna happen.

So, any of those three NOT ridiculous? (Skunk, these sound like the kind of bike your wife was looking at? Sadly, we don't have Halfords here...)

Here are some links to these options:

Giant Cypress:
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/03...100&model=10605

Specialized Crossroads:
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMod...an=03Crossroads

(I like the looks of the 2002 model a lot better, though... )
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMod...an=02Crossroads

Bianchi Avenue:
http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/11_Avenue.html

Thanks!

coolworx

I'd go with the Giant, but not the ladies frame (those 'bloomer' top tubes are ugly, and reduce the overall frame strength.

You aren't planning on riding in a dress are ya? ;-)

Also Cypress has 24 speed rather than 21.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/03...100&model=10606

But check out the shifters... there are basically two different types:
'grip shifts' where you twist the grip forward and back to change gear
'rapid fire' where you push a lever with your thumb and pull a smaller lever with your index finger.
Cypress has grippers - I'd switch them out

It's really a personal choice sorta issue... some people swear by grip shifts - I hate 'em