krispistoferson,
First off I like the Townie-- it's good bike (yes, I rode one) I'd tell anyone who has done a couple of test rides and likes the townie to pull the trigger and buy one.
But Electra employees have been posting on this thread hyping their product. That's total BS. In fact it kind of smears the Townie's fine name-- it's a good bike that can stand all on it's own.
And Electra is way over the top about the whole *flat footed technology* crap. I think newbies get suckered by the kind of sales pitch. The truth is that there are plenty of cruiser style bikes made with the same parts as the Townie. Ride a bunch of them, pick the one you like!
Anybody thinking of buying a Townie should also ride a Breezer, one of those Dutch Treks, the new Fuji cruisers, a Kettler and various other comfort/commuter bikes. There are lots of cool bikes in this class.
The last word about getting a bike is.... support. Will the bike shop you get your bike from stand behind there bike with great service? Because lower cost bikes are all made out of the same parts and even in same factories a lot of the time.... the brand of bike isn't really all that important. The level of support from the local shop is really what to shop for...