What bike to get for recently retirees
 

My wife and I recently retired and we want to get a couple comfort/hybrid bikes. Can someone steer us right. We started looking at a couple resale Huffy's which didn't work for me as I generally like to research on the internet and buy somewhat decent quality. We'll now we have been looking at Walmart bikes, Sears, Dicks and bikesdirect. Budget is around $200-$300 bikes. Schwinn Discover, Diamondback Wildwood Classic and Vital2, and some on bikesdirect (Dawes Hybrid Eclipse1; Eclispe City; Windsor Rover 1 & Dover 1; Gravity Hybrid Dutch; Schwinn Voyageur IG3) have been some of what we have been looking at. Don't want to underbuy or overbuy.
Any help is appreciated.

Brady

Less price = less bike.
Buy the best you can afford.

If you get a bike at a non bike shop, wally, target BD, don't count on it being assembled properly ..

you might have to take it to someone that knows how to put it right, IE taking it to a Bike Shop anyways..

Your price range suggests buying used if you want a decent quality bike.
 

There's a couple of things to look at when you look for a decent used bike that will help to avoid junk like the Huffy you mentioned. It is not easy but there are a lot of older, quality bikes that can give you years of pleasant riding. Pick up the bike. If it feels like you grabbed a set of weights for weight lifting, move on to something better. You can weigh a bike by using a standard bathroom scale. Weigh yourself and repeat it holding the bike steady. The difference is the weight of the bike. I wouldn't buy anything weighing over 30 pounds. In general, the lighter the bike the better the quality of the bike. Does the bike have quick release for both wheels? If the axles on the wheels are held using nuts, walk away. The worst of the worst have what is known as a one-piece crank. It's a single chunk of metal with pedals at each end. It is the sign of a really cheap bike. Most of the mass merchandiser bikes no longer use this type of crank. Avoid bikes with suspension unless the bike had a pretty hefty MSRP when it was new. Most of the suspensions on cheap bikes don't work well and add a lot of weight to and already obese bike. Last of all, find somebody who knows bikes and is willing to help you choose a suitable bike.

There is a website named Bikepedia www.bikepedia.com where you can look up the original price of an older bike (MSRP) by putting in the brand name, model, and year of the bike. That way you can verify what someone tells you about what they paid for the bike when they bought it. I recently saw a woman's bike at a garage sale and asked about it for a friend. It was fairly new and the owner wanted a lot for it. I looked up the MSRP and knew that the seller either was a liar or got a really bad deal. It wasn't a bad bike but certainly wasn't worth what he was asking. A lot of the brand names you remember as a kid are now made in China for sale by mass merchandisers like WalMart and Target. They are sometimes poorly assembled and hit and miss as to quality. If you buy a used bike originally sold by a bike shop you will be much better off.

If you wanted a really comfortable bike for an older person I'd suggest a recumbent but they are so far outside of the price range you listed that it is not a realistic suggestion.

My wife started out a couple of years ago on a Trek 7.0FX. It was about $350, as I recall. She liked it fine. Of course now she's on to n+1 and you could argue we should have spent more money to begin with, but everybody has to learn that lesson for themselves.

Also, fit is more important than anything. Buy from a local bike shop (LBS), not a big-box store or an online outfit. It may cost a little bit more, but you won't be throwing your money away.

Those are great bikes for riding once and then using as coat hangers in the garage.

Go to a bike store please.

Quite right. Quite right.

Quite right.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Trek 7.X series.

I'm taking issue with calling Huffy bikes "junk". That just is not so. I put a lot of reliable miles on a Huffy. They and bikes like rhem are excellent for the just starting, I'm not sure I am going to like this bike riding thing.

Huffy and Schwinn happen to be my rwo favorite brands. Buy a couple. See if you like riding. If you do then buy a couple of "nice" bikes that are exactly what you want. Or, it may turn out that they fill your needs.

If not a Local Bike Shop, you might want to look a REI their bikes go on sale in March. They have a great return policy if you're not happy.

+1

Schwinn isn't what it used to be, but that's not the main point IMHO. The main point is that there's no way for neophytes to buy a bike at Walmart and know what size to buy, how to position the seat, etc. Schwinn is sold at LBS, but I don't think Huffy is. If they OP wants to buy a Schwinn at his LBS, that might work out fine.

Again, fit is more important than brand, and nobody at a big box store is going to know what the hell they are talking about when selling bikes.

Again, just not so. I've been in bike shops where the staff hadn't a clue. Oh, they could rattle off the prescribed spiel. But they didn't know much more. On the other hand I've been in box stores where the staff knew their product and could offer good advice.

For a rank beginner as the OP appears to be precise, to the last mm fit isn't nearly as important as it is to many of the aficionados like you seem to be. IF they like cycling they will find a way to buy "nicer" bikes appropriate to whatever they do.

REI is a good idea. They usually, but not always, have good staff. With sales might be able to score.

This we agree on.

Do not buy sushi from a gas station or a bicycle from a department store. Both lead to unpleasant and unexpected results.
Find a bike shop that does a large business in hybrid bikes. I would expect to spend $500-800 but you would get a bike worth riding forever.

Marc

Since you are retired and garage sale is coming, may I suggest you can at times score some incredible deals at garage sales? The best thing is you can quickly get on a bike and know if it feels comfortable for you.

In the past I picked up bikes that were basically new for pennies on the dollar. Cycling equipment is like exercise equipment, lots of people buy it with good intentions, but not everyone carries through, then, after a while, off to the garage sale it goes.

By the way, I started with a bike that didn't fit me right, but the price was right (I won it!) - I rode it for about a year, and then went and got something better. As you read here more you will see some people are never satisfied with the bike(s) they have, so they just keep buying more, so I wouldn't worry too much about getting something perfect the first time.

Leave full retirement and go into partial retirement. That will get you a better bike for the money. Your $$ constraint is your worse enemy.

Both exceptions to the rule, in my experience, though maybe in my area, we are just blessed with great bike stores.

And they will stand behind their product, even years after the initial purchase. All you can hope for from a big box is, perhaps returning it if it fails. The thing is, though you pay a few bucks more at a bike shop, most shops will cover service for at least the first year, maybe two, and labor on any upgrades done within that time. If you ride your new bike more than a couple of times, it will need minor adjustments, from fit, to adjusting spoke tension, to brakes and derailleurs. If, god forbid, there is a more serious problem, a good bike shop will, or should address these issues under warranty.

Now, if you are stuck on a price point below $450 or $500, perhaps used is the way to go, unless you can get a great sale price from a bike shop. Some bike shops will sell used, and that is probably the safest way to buy used. The internet is your friend. Do some research. If a used bike retailed for $600 2 or 3 years ago, looks clean and rides OK and most importantly fits, than $300 on that bike used is money well spent. Even older bikes are not bad buys. If you can get a bike that sold new at a bike shop 10 or 12 years ago for $500, and you can get your hands on it for $100 or $150, that gives you money to replace worn parts, or buy accessories like helmet, lock, shorts, or shoes.

Bikes like anything else up to a point get better. IMO after mid point it becomes name and glitz. Also at his point in life forget racing bikes.

If you are some what older consider a recumbent or crank forward bike or maybe even a trike. Your body will thank you.

I agree that you would be better off shopping at a bike store than Wal Mart, there is nothing more frustrating than a bike that doesn't work properly. You didnt say where you would be riding? If you have flat terrain, or bike paths, you might consider single speed cruiser bikes. simple to operate and maintain. A Schwinn cruiser comes to mind. $209 at our bike shop. And something to keep in mind is if you or your wife don't take to riding, I would rather have a 200 dollar bike sitting in the garage not being used, than a 600 dollar one.

crazy

You bring up a great point. Bikes sitting in garage unused. Many time I have stated that retirees and baby boomers decide that bike riding would be fun and great exercise. To my way of thinking most LBS only have DF bike, and of course talk the prospective cyclist into a bike that will end up hanging in the garage waiting for the garage sale. What happens is the new cyclist finds out that even a "comfort" DF bike hurts to ride. After a dozen or so rides the bike gets hung up forever. But if they would have bought a recumbent or a trike, a larger percentage would continue to ride. Bents and trikes dont hurt you as you ride. You dont have to buy expensive clothes to protect you from your bike. Bents my cost more to buy, but in the long run being able to ride in ordinary street clothes make them a better deal.

Now I know iron butt DF riders will get their underlovlies in a bunch over what I have posted. But-----------------remember we are talking new riders that dont have calluses on their butt. Also we for the most part are talking older riders that may alread have uniary track problems that a DF saddle will only make worse.

You won't get any argument from me. Though I don't ride a recumbent, those who ride them seem to love them. That said, it makes it hard for OP, who started off thinking about a cheap department store bike for $200 or $300, now getting an overload of information.

Also, we haven't heard from the op about how they intend to ride. A few blocks around the neighborhood, or longer rides. I don't see the average person wearing cycling clothing when riding their cruiser or "comfort bike" around the neighborhood. Big puffy seats are good for a few miles.

But not great for longer rides. A lot of folks just don't know what they want until they get that first bike. When I bought my first bike as an adult 16 years ago, I thought it was for a one time event; a 25 mile charity ride and beyond that, the occasional 5 or 10 mile neighborhood ride with my wife. I have no regrets, as it was a decent hybrid a step or two above entry level for the time. And it got me into cycling as a sport and an activity. But had I known then what I discovered after just a season or two of riding, I probably would have bought something much different to begin with. I had no idea that regular folks regularly rode 25, 40, and even 75 miles a day, and that with a modest amount of training, I could do it too but, if that was my thing, I probably wanted something more road oriented.

when you start riding together keep some distance so that when one stops the other doesn't crash into the first. my in-laws bought bikes and they had this kind of accident a couple times.

OP has one post to his name, and there have been 25 responses on this thread. Perhaps we should await some feedback on his part.

Here's an example of the quality you get for the extra money. In 1992 I bought a hybrid from a not-so-local bicycle shop. It is now 2014, and I am still riding my Specialized Crossroads, and the only parts I've had to change were my tires, my chain, and (as a matter of preference) my handlebars in all that time. Well, maybe the bearings in the hubs and some spokes in my wheels count as well... :)

However, none of this advice is really helpful if you don't have the money to spend, or the time to shop around. (Just what is it about retirement that seems to make people MORE busy than they were while they were working?!?!?!) This point might be the time to look up a bicycle co-op in your area. These usually have bicycle restoration enthusiasts, and plenty of old cheap bicycles.

Another thing to consider is what you want to do with the bicycles. There are many levels of enjoyment to be had with these two-wheeled wonders, from all the errand-running and local area trips (Spring and Fall Suburban Lawn gazing rides through some of the nicer suburbs is a favorite of mine), to weekend scenic toodles at your local bicycling/multi-use trails, to longer excursions and possible touring. You may even want to do off-road riding. Do you have a good idea of what and/or where you want to bicycle?

I'm kind of afraid of all the advice we (myself included) are throwing at you, since I'm well aware of the fact that too much to consider can sometimes lead to not deciding at all. Sometimes you just have to ignore all the advice, and just jump in, even if that means getting a Wal-Mart bicycle, having problems, regretting it, and getting a different bicycle.

Edit: I guess it's up to 27 responses now! ;)

Thanks for all the responses. My wife and I just plan to ride our bikes within our community on paved roads and sidewalks just for fun and exercise. Maybe in the 10-15 mile range when we build up to it. We live in a community in NC where we have four golf courses and that is our primary passion. However, I don't want to buy too cheap (by my standards) of a bike incase we enjoy this, plus I want to be on something reasonably comfortable to ride and reasonably safe. Forget the pedal forward or tricycles, that's not for us. But we just bought and furnished a new house and we are not flush enough to go out and spend another $1000 + on bikes when we're not sure how much we will end up using them. Are we going to go that wrong (coat hangers in the garage) if we get a couple Schwinn Discover Hybrids for $273. or Diamondback Wildwood Citi Classic Sport for $199 (Cosco) or please recommend something else. You certainly have a lot more knowledge about bikes than us. Anything at the LBS that was more than one speed was like $500 to start.

Both of those bikes break two cardinal rules of mine:
1. suspension on low-end bikes - The builder wastes money on a minimally-functional and unneeded shock and must cheap-out somewhere else to meet the price point.
2. selling through a large retail store means questionable build and no expertise if you have problems

Of the two, the Diamondback at least comes in different sizes, which is a must in my book. The Schwinn looks like it comes in one-size-fits-none.

Sorry if we sound like bike snobs here... but I do think your price point is a little lower than the low bar most of us would set for a friend who asks us for advise. It's just that we've seen too many people buy junk bikes and then don't enjoy them. I don't know if this is a fair comparison, but if someone interested in taking up golf asked you for an opinion on the $150 golf clubs (complete set including bag!) at Target vs the $190 ones at Walmart... what would you tell them?

Those bikes will be rideable; probably won't be much fun to ride, probably won't be assembled very well, probably won't stay adjusted very long, and probably will be hard to maintain. Costco and Walmart probably won't let you take them out for a ride first so you won't really know.