My wife's Townie 7D has been great fun and I ordered my own Townie 7D several weeks ago. However, it hasn't shown up in three deliveries to my LBS.

While waiting, I stopped in at another LBS and he showed me a Cannondale Daytripper. The Daytripper seemed to have nicer components than the Townie but one thing it didn't have was the crank-forward pedal design.

Which one might be better for longer rides (15 to 50 mile rides)? The Cannondale's pedals at the bottom of the seat tube means you're pedaling more downward than outward as you would on the Townie. The salesman suggested that that meant you could use your weight to drive the pedals as opposed to the Townie where your leg thrusts would do all of the work. True?

I look forward to a comfort bike for my middle-of-the-day 5 to 10 mile rides but wondered if I could take a longer weekend ride and be better on one compared with the other.

Any thoughts?

The cranks are forward on the Townie so that you can sit lower and be able to put your feet on the ground. An extreme example of having the cranks forward would be recumbents, which people tour the country on with no problem. Likewise, people tour the country on diamond-frame touring bikes with the cranks more below the rider.

Whatever you like best is what you should get. The ratio of quads to hams(front and back thigh muscles) used on your pedalling may be slightly different but your body will get used to it whatever it is.

What will hurt you the most on a long weekend ride are the front suspensions, suspension seatposts, and squishy saddles common on most comfort bikes. The suspensions do very little but add weight and the front suspension can rob some power. The wider tires of comfort/hybrid bikes do a great job of absorbing the road vibration and small bumps. The big, cushy saddle feels great on short rides but as you ride longer you sink down into that padding and pressure is brought to bear on spots where you don't want pressure. Brooks saddles come highly recommended as an excellent replacement.

Thanks, bbattle. My LBS in Madison, AL, just called to say the Townie was in and will be available for pick up tomorrow afternoon.

I notice the difference on my wife's Townie compared with my Trek 6700 with Serfias gel saddle. The latter allows more seating positions, including standing up, but in the end (pun intended) I feel some numbness in the unmentionables.

But the Townie...much more comfortable and natural-feeling. But the glutes do feel some strain after a half-hour or so. But maybe they'll get in shape.

Brooks saddles...I'll check them out. Thanks!

Hey, didn't know you were just up the road from me. Congrats on the new bike. And yes, you'll get in shape riding and have fun doing it.

Here's the link to a place that sells Brooks saddles. There are several models to choose from.
http://www.wallbike.com/Brookssaddles.html

Howdy, neighbor...thanks for the Brooks link. Well, my LBS finally got that Townie 7D in. I've been putting some miles on it, really enjoying it. The semi-slick tires give me some good speed, and I have to say that after moving from a 5-speed as a teen, to a 10-speed, then a 21-speed and a 28-speed, I'm really enjoying working the 7-speed grip shifter.

It's fun to just ride figure-eights in my driveway. And I hate that the sun is setting so soon these late summer days. I just want to ride around as long as practical every day. I guess that's the kid in me coming back through the years.

Maybe I'll see you 'round the Huntsville area.

The more upright riding position on 'standard' bikes has evolved over a long period of time.

Narrower, harder saddles and more aggressive riding positions work when you're pedaling harder, as you will naturally bear more and more weight on your legs. The saddle isn't supposed to support your whole weight, it's a saddle, not a seat.

More relaxed style bikes are great for people who don't do a lot of long, or hard rides, and haven't gotten the muscular endurance in their legs, arms and back to support a more aggressive riding position.

The tradeoffs of a bigger, comfier saddle are the circulatory issues mentioned above, plus increased friction (read chafing) if you're going long distances.

A 50 mile ride on a comfort bike would be fine as long as you plan rest stops.