Fifty Plus (50+) - Bicycle for 69 year old mother

Hello,

I would like to buy my 69 year old mom a comfortable bike for Christmas. She would bike on flat country roads, 5 miles at most. Any suggestions?

I like this one! http://www.electrabike.com/amsterdam/

The steel classic is real nice looking but wondering if it would be too much weight compared to the sport?

Hello,

I would like to buy my 69 year old mom a comfortable bike for Christmas. She would bike on flat country roads, 5 miles at most. Any suggestions?

I like this one! http://www.electrabike.com/amsterdam/

The steel classic is real nice looking but wondering if it would be too much weight compared to the sport?


Does your mom currently ride a bike?

Does she want to ride?

It would be great if she could havea choice in the decision.

My wife is 69 and rides both a Trek hybrid and a Specialized mountain bike. Both are steel and neither are too heavy. However, she has been riding for about 8 years now. She rides up to 25 miles.

It is most likely that if she like sbicycling, it won't be long before she wants to ride more than 5 miles.

Has mom ridden before? Does she want to ride? Is she in good enough physical condition?
If so, take a look at some of the bikes made by Townie. A bit laid back geometry; she can sit on saddle and still get feet to the ground easily.
Available in 700c or 26" wheels. In single, 3, 5 and up to 27-gears.
If she has not ridden in a while, suggest a 5-speed internal hub model (no derailleurs to mess with and decent gear range for flatter rides).
This advice is from a 75-year-old that rides 100 miles a week.
Go for it Mom!!!

Has mom ridden before? Does she want to ride? Is she in good enough physical condition?
If so, take a look at some of the bikes made by Townie. A bit laid back geometry; she can sit on saddle and still get feet to the ground easily.
Available in 700c or 26" wheels. In single, 3, 5 and up to 27-gears.
If she has not ridden in a while, suggest a 5-speed internal hub model (no derailleurs to mess with and decent gear range for flatter rides).
This advice is from a 75-year-old that rides 100 miles a week.
Go for it Mom!!!

+1 on the Townie. I bought one for my daughter this summer and she loves it. She has a balance problem and riding a regular bike often resulted in wobbly starts and stops. Since her feet are on the ground during these times she doesn't have the problem. Her older sister who has some back problems has been on it a few times and she too likes it. She says she may get one for herself since it's comfortable for her.

Mobiky Genius. Strida. Maybe an electric bike.

My mother does not currently ride a bicycle nor has she in many years. She has seen me ride and has shown some interest. I would say she is in decent condition for her age but I have noticed she is starting to get older (arthritis & such). I would doubt that she would ride long distance, mostly just five miles around the block (But you can always hope).I thought that it would be a good activity for her to ride with the neighborhood kids (1st-5th graders). Her comment was that if she had a bike it would need to be comfortable, single speed without the complicated shifting and ladies style so she could get her feet over easily. So I would be looking for something that would not damage her knees and be safe with ease of use.

Is the townie a brand of bicycles or part of the Electa bicycle group?

The OP's suggestion was an Electra Amsterdam, made by the same company as the Townie. It has almost the same geometry as a Townie, it is just a very classy looking one.

As such, it is a good contender for your mother. Others would include the Trek Pure, Giant Suede, perhaps one of the new auto-shifting bikes like a Trek Lime.