Hello from NE Texas
Hello all, I don't even have a bike yet, but hope to change that soon. Good forum here with lots of good info & *useful* categories. Gotta do something to lose weight, haven't ridden in ~40 yrs, & was thinking hard about a new mtn bike, in fact almost ordered a Forge 5xx. Plan is/was to ride our small town streets, plus a network of old dirt roads nearby.
Today got ambushed by an old Sears Roebuck & Co. "Free Spirit" w/3-sp Shimano rear hub, weathercracked tires but new tubes. Couldn't do much dirt road riding with it, but sure would save a lotta $ for a bike to start with. It'll need tires pretty soon(mebbe replace with something a little wider?), but other than that it's pretty well good to go with full fenders, reflectors, brakes OK, clean straight true wheels, original wide padded springer saddle. The more I think about it, the more I think this might be a good way to ease back into riding a bicycle. My only experience was as a kid, riding my trusty Schwinns- steel frame, coaster brake, built like a tank!