General Cycling Discussion - Anybody have a Giant Simple 7 Cruiser?

Well, I just spent a few WONDERFUL hours riding my road bike, but now I'm getting ready to hit the streets with my 9 year old daughter. I think I need a cruiser for this kind of occasion. I'm a fan of Giant bikes and wondered if anybody has one of their Simple Seven speed cruisers.

If so, what do you think of it for a knocking-around-town-with-the-kid-grabbing-an-ice-cream-cone kind of bike?
http://aebike.com/images/library/large/giant_simple_7_red_06_m.jpg

Giant used to build the simple 7 with an internal nexus 7 sp
hub. Schwinn does build a crusier with the nexus 7/8 sp hub.

IMO hub bike are way better for crusing in a start/stop city
ride.

IMO hub bike are way better for crusing in a start/stop city ride.

Personally, I've never understood the appeal of hub gears mostly because it turns a relatively simple rear flat tire repair into a major project. Then again, I've never done enough of them to get good at it. I much prefer derailleur gear systems.

Personally, I've never understood the appeal of hub gears mostly because it turns a relatively simple rear flat tire repair into a major project. Then again, I've never done enough of them to get good at it. I much prefer derailleur gear systems.
I've got both Rohloff and Sturmey-Archer equipped bikes; changing the tires is not much different than with a derailleur system. With the Rohloff, after unlatching the quick-release, or unthreading the bolt, one unclips the shifter cables and removes the wheel. With the Sturmey-Archer one does not worry with the shifter cable, just remove the retaining bolt from the rear axle and remove the wheel. The shifter cable will still be attached, but that does not get in the way of changing a tube.

The Shimano nexus 7 with roller brake does make for some extra work changing a rear flat, but experience and practice are your friends.

To answer the OP's question directly, yes, that would be a good bike for the stated/intended purpose, with either gearing system.

Giant used to build the simple 7 with an internal nexus 7 sp
hub. Schwinn does build a crusier with the nexus 7/8 sp hub.

IMO hub bike are way better for crusing in a start/stop city
ride.
My Giant Twist came with an internal hub. The dropouts wore out, and no matter how much I tightened the nut the axle would slip, so the hub spun and not the wheel. I believe aluminum is a poor frame choice for internal hubs (too soft) and that is why Giant now puts a cassette on their cruisers instead of internal hubs.

I don't own one but I did test ride a single speed Simple at the LBS. I really liked it but couldn't justify buying it when I already had a Murray ss cruiser in great condition that I picked up for free. I'd skip any gears if I was getting one. You certainly won't need them to keep up on your ice cream rides.

I bought a Simple 7 two years ago. I sold it a few months later because after using good road bikes and an Electra w/Nexus 7, I couldn't get used to the low end derailler that was on the Simple 7. The rest of the bike was fine; I liked it better than the Electra.

A friend of mine has been riding a single speed Simple for several years. He likes the weight of the aluminum frame better than the steel framed cruiser he had before.

Ended up with a Schwinn 7 speed alloy cruiser. It made the trek (no pun) to Dairy Queen just fine this evening. It's a pretty nice ride. Mission accomplished!

Ended up with a Schwinn 7 speed alloy cruiser. It made the trek (no pun) to Dairy Queen just fine this evening. It's a pretty nice ride. Mission accomplished!
That's a better looking bike.