Originally Posted by
Digital Gee
I got the same itch back in 2005. Didn't know a thing about modern bikes, couldn't remember what I liked about cycling, but I wanted to give it a go. What worked for ME was buying a new entry level mountain bike, a Trek 3900, which was very inexpensive (maybe $400?). Rode that for quite a while, more than a year, and then began branching out into different kinds of bikes. I liked that what I bought was new, so it didn't need repairs (which I didn't know how to do anyway).
As it turns out, I'm not a mountain bike fan, and I've had two more since that one. But I had a helluva lot of fun on that 3900, and learned what I really wanted to do, and the rest is history. Only other tip I would add is that you'll want to make sure your bike is white. Just sayin'
A hybrid bike might be a good starting bike. It's easy to ride, and usually not too expensive.
I got back into bike riding the same way as D.G., with a mountain bike. The new shifters and brakes make the new bikes easy to ride. I liked riding over rough roads and having the bike soak up all the bumps. And mountain bikes have really low gears, so I could shift down to an extremely easy gear to go up hills. If you do decide on a mountain bike and will ride it on the road, have them put narrower, higher pressure tires on, instead of the knobby off-road tires.
A hybrid bike has a similar riding position to a mountain bike, but normally is just ridden on roads. It doesn't have to handle riding over rocks or off curbs, so it can be lighter and often faster than a mountain bike on the roads.
A road bike is a lot easier to ride than the ones 30 years ago, with comfortable hand positions and easy shifting. A road bike is often the best for a rider that wants to ride multiple times a week and work up to longer distance, multiple hour rides.
You could visit a few bike shops and see which ones work well with older riders. Try out the different kinds of bikes, mountain, hybrid, or road. Take a few test rides, you'll be amazed.
Mountain bikes have shock absorbers on the front to soak up bumps, and fat tires. The shifters, located on the handlebars, are very easy to use.
Hybrids are similar, but don't need to be as sturdy or heavy, since they stay on roads:
Road bikes have the shifters included with the brakes (see the small lever under the brake lever) and click shift to make the shifting very easy.
