loraflor

First, my apologies if this is the wrong foum. Might belong in hybrids.

I have been riding the same Trek mountain bike for close to 20 years and she's finally giving up the ghost. My bike is an important means of transportation for me and I want to keep this new one a long time. I ride almost every day but usually only a couple of miles. At times I ride up to about 15 miles/day on errands.

Here's what I want:
Kickstand
Stepthrough frame (ideal)
Fenders
3+ gears, 7 better, don't need 21 (I live in the South and it's flat)
I do ride in rain often but never in snow (no snow here)
Comfortable ride and seat

Not concerned with its appearance, really, as long as it works. All new bikes look nice to me compared to my trusty old beater.
I tow my son on a Weehoo trailer 3 times a week so it has to work with that. Seems to me this makes weight a consideration, too. Also, shouldn't be a huge thing but I don't think racks will play well with the Weehoo.
I might ride on gravel, but no interest in serious offroading
My husband has basic bike repair skills but nothing at all fancy. I want a low-maintenance bike.
I am 5 ft 7 and female.

We have many bike shops here, but a lot specialize in higher-end road or mountain bikes. I have one shop that sells Simcoe, Linus, and KHS and another that sells Biria, Raleigh and Schwinn. I have considered buying online, but am unsure if we're quite handy enough or if it's worth it.

Thanks for any help!!

NormanF

Classic Priority - 3 speed, coaster brake, belt drive, step-tru, comfortable seat and ride, low maintainance - well under budget now on sale for $429.00

https://www.prioritybicycles.com/stor...hrough%20Frame

5'7" size is the SM/M model.

loraflor

Thanks for the reply. These are on my list, but not available locally. Will someone with some bike experience but not a lot be able to assemble one? I admit, I'm also hesitant to buy a bike without riding it.

What do we think of the belt drives? I realize that's probably a big question!

AusTexMurf

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NormanF

If you have it shipped to your home, you should be able to install the front wheel with the provided tools and inflate the tires. No harder to assemble than bikes I bought from Target in my youth.

My opinion is if you don't like the style of bike, look for one you do like. As for the belt drive, its simple and maintenance free - its long lasting and is quieter than a chain.

I've bought bikes over the Internet & I had them shipped to my LBS dealer for professional assembly and to upgrade them from stock.

Bottom line, if you're mechanically inclined to do simple bike assembly, this is the bike to work on. If you don't feel competent to do it, let a bike mechanic do the work.

NormanF

The Public Bike M7 Mixte is a nice bike but its over OP's budget.

With what she has with the Priority Classic, she can buy a nice set of SKS fenders and still have a nice riding bike.

And she wants to stay under budget with a simple commuter/city bike.

AusTexMurf

KONA BIKES | 2016 BIKES | WOMENS' | Coco
Wonderfully simple and beautifully smooth, the Coco makes commuting a stylish breeze. A simple drivetrain, easy step-thru Mixte frame, disc brakes, fenders and a comfortable ride position make this the A-to-B bike for those who’d rather use the engine inside. The stock fenders help to keep things dry and clean for miles to come.
SPEC HIGHLIGHTS
Frame Material: Kona 6061 Aluminum Butted
Wheel Size: 700c
Wheels: WTB SX17
Front Suspension: n/a
Fork: Kona Project Two Aluminum Disc
Crankset: FSA Tempo City
Drivetrain: Shimano Alivio 11-32t 9-speed
Cockpit: Kona Handplant bar, Kona Commuter stem, Velo Ergo grips
Brakes: Tektro Novela
Tires: Kenda K935 Gumwall 700x35c
Saddle: Kona Commuter

fietsbob

You planning to travel far to get brands you cannot find In your Neighborhood Bike Shop?

Folding bikes are step through , basically ..

People tout Bikes Direct here ..

Ive Never bought any , If You do.. take the Box to your LBS to do the work making it road ready .

Low maintenance : Sturmey Archer Drum brake Hubs and a 5 speed IGH.. should do .

Much less fuss Than Derailleurs and rim or disc brakes,

loraflor

So, for online offerings, it seems like Critical, Public, Priority (these names all "feel" the same--hard to remember which is which!) Linus (Scout 7 is $390 but of stock), Windsor Oxford, Bobbin are in my range and pretty decent. Is weight going to be a thing worth considering, remembering that I tow a trailer? Seems like these are maybe mostly steel and some cromoly? Will I care? I did ride a friend's super light road bike lately and wow...zoom.

I've got lots of local bike shops but sure wouldn't want to pay $50-100 I've seen quoted to assemble. My husband assembled the Weehoo trailer, what there was to do. I can't recall excatly, but I know it required tools and took some time.

Kona is one I can buy locally, but I think it was too $$?

Re the priority, I admit I'm a little hesistant to go down to 3 gears after being used to a mountain bike with 21 or whatever it is. I definitely do use my gears even though it's flat here. Lack of fenders is a little sad.

Darth Lefty 

@NormanF and @loraflor,

I don't think I'd choose my Priority for this list of requirements, at least not before adding the optional front brake and fenders and finding out if the gears are low enough to tow. I'm also not sure it's so fantastic a deal when compared to similar equipped bikes like a Giant Simple

fietsbob

$500 price point will have pretty similar stuff on It ... Few Factories Many Brands

You look at the Part s Pick that Importer chose to have a Bike retailing at That Price .

I go with pick the Shop You like dealing with First , then get a Bike There ..

NormanF

OP lives in FL, a flat place where 3 speeds are more than sufficient. Coaster brake presents no real problems on the flats. If she lived in a hilly place, I'd recommend spending more to get a bike with disc brakes. OP is looking for no frills, no maintainance bike. If that was any place else, that kind of bike obviously wouldn't do.

loraflor

Whoa, how'd you know I live in FL (spooky music) Don't think I said! But I do.

The shop I have liked in the past sells Simcoe, Linus, and KHS. I'm concerned that what they may have in stock will be higher end for all those brands, though ($600+). KHS seems to have some bikes in this range, but I am not seeing any talk about them, really. Why?

Darth Lefty 

OK. Don't let your enthusiasm for the concept cloud your eyes to the actual bike.

I've corresponded with the company about use with the Thule front seat and one of the things they said in response (after saying they discourage use of front seats) is that they recommend the front brake for any use with trailer or kid seat. They might be expressing an abundance of caution.

Adding a trailer takes me down about 3 gears on my derailleur bikes. That's why I went shopping for kid seats in the first place. I won't be trying the trailer with the Priority, with my heart problems it would be impossible for me. Its gearing follows the under-cruise-over approach, not granny-under-cruise, and its lowest gear is more than 2x taller than the granny on a MTB.

loraflor

You mean don't recommend, I take it? Hmm. The coaster brake option does seem a bit iffy to me with the Weehoo. My son is pushing its limits so he won't be in it more than another 6 months, but that also means he's about 50 lbs and the trailer itself is, IDK, 20? It's a lot of weight.

Once he's too big, I still envision using the Weehoo for groceries and to transport my son's scooter to him (his bus stop is over a mile away, also a nice and pleasant ride, but his scooter can't come to school and home on bus...if anyone has another brilliant idea on how to transport a folding scooter to someone, I'm all ears as the Weehoo is an inelegant way to bring it...this is an interesting problem for those who want to use human-powered wheels to move...).

Re granny gear, I'm not in lowest gear when I tow him. Had to think about it, but middle chainring and not the lowest gear there--second or third? Still, definitely much lower than when I bike solo.

loraflor

Honestly I think I have a lot of resistance to 3 speeds. I broke the left shifter (sorry, don't know technical word!)on my Trek in an exciting and stupid crash, so I have to stay in the middle chainring (this is a big reason to get a new bike). It annoys the heck outta me. I like having some gears, even though my city has mild hills at most.

Allack

Schwinn is my favorite brand

jade408

The Public C7 is usually cheaper than that M7. I had a public bike but the gearing wasn't ideal for my hills. And I wanted Dynamo lighting. Which is another story. It was a nice bike, easy to ride and attractive. Not very speedy at all. But it doesn't seem like a concern.

Lanovran

If you have a Trek dealer convenient to your location, you might want to check out the women's Verve 1. They're designed to be comfy & upright, yet relatively lightweight (keyword: relatively), and they have plenty of gearing. They'd also be covered by a good warranty, and typically some pretty good customer service at the dealer level. It's simple enough to get a kickstand and some cheap fenders installed on one, too.

Dahon.Steve

I like the Schwinn Sierra 2 from Nashbar. You can fit fenders and still under the budget. It's all steel and no front shock. Plus, it's low geared with the Shimano MegaRange.


Schwinn Sierra 2 Women's Bike

mstateglfr 

Craigslist? $250 goes a long way towards a step thru bike.
You couldn take it to a shop for fenders to be installed for about $50.
Keep the difference and put it toward a basket or rack.

loraflor

Thought about Craigslist and took a look, but I need this bike within a week or two. Mine is in bad shape and not really working, and I ride a lot.

Is there any reason NOT to get a Schwinn? I have a dealer. Prices are enticing.

The Trek verve is a new one on me. I have someplace that sells Trek.

mr geeker

Schwinn is a decent brand, heck one of the local shops around here used to carry them before they decided to become an online bike parts warehouse. In fact, shops that sell shwinn bikes sell ones that are unavailable to big box stores so you end up with a better put together product than the "mart" stores.

Darth Lefty 

Schwinn the American bike company of the past was sold to its creditors in the early 90's. Schwinn the brand today is a trademark of a Chinese company. Their bikes are pretty much nothing special, no better or worse than others like them. Specialized and Trek are both still nominally American companies and there are a lot of smaller ones, but most of them make most of their bikes in China. I'm not sure if that bothers you. What's probably more important is that, if you buy from a bike dealer then you have their support. Priority has been great to deal with too, though they can't directly work on your bike for you.

NormanF

The BD Motobecane Bistro 8 with an 8 speed Shimano Nexus hub could tick your all your boxes. At $499.95, its on budget and is the best value in a city/commuter bike:

City Bikes Save up to 60% off new Motobecane Bistro 7V Aluminum City Bikes from bikesdirect.com


The Ladies L/XL could be a good fit: