rmputnam

Hi Everyone: I'm a 47 yr woman looking to bike again. We biked as kids on what we called an English racer and loved it. With gas getting so high, I'm looking for an excuse to get a new bike and commute to work 2 or 3 days a week. We don't live in a commute friendly town, but we do have shoulders on some of our main roads which recreational bikers use.

I'm commuting 6 miles to work and have some decent hills. I'm trying to decide on a bike now and it's tough. Wish me luck.

Thurnau

Good luck I am from The New Orleans Area. I can't find a good safe route to work, and I live 2 miles. If you ever get a chance for exercise (not commute) try the Mississippi River Levee. (From Norco to New Orleans)

RonH

Who does?

Visit a few bike shops and tell them your budget, how many miles a week you'll be riding (commuting and recreational), what you'd like to carry on the bike, goals, etc. Then test ride two or three that appeal to you.
If you don't want a road bike (drop handlebars), I'd recommend a flat bar road bike like the Jamis Coda or Raleigh Route One. We sell a lot of them to commuters who also want a bike for weekend rides.

Let us know what you get.

rmputnam

I'm actually looking at a Raleigh Route 1... looks like a 2006 model by the color. It feels a little "close"..not actually too small, just a little close in the arms. I'm also looking at a Trek 7.3fx. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding and think since the decision's so hard I should keep looking. I've got to go to New Orleans this weekend and want to hit a few bike shops there. Thanks for the advice.

rmputnam

I'll have to have a look at it. Thanks.

Thurnau

There is a Trek Dealer in Kenner on W Esplanade called east bank cyclery, and one in New Orleans on North Carrolton called GNO cyclery both also carry cannondale too. Wallbike is close by to GNO cyclery. There is another bike dealer called bike world or something like that on Jefferson HWY in Jefferson that sells Ralliegh and a few other brands.

Let me know what you think of the FX. It looks very nice.

rmputnam

I did ride the fx at the bike store. Had a good feel and good size for me. I felt ever single bump in the pavement which annoyed me. I'm wondering if it's something you get used to or something that would really get to you when riding for a while. I haven't ridden in so long it's hard to judge.

East Hill

Hello rmputnam, did you ever come to a decision on a bike?

Welcome to BF, and feel free to PM me with any questions !

East Hill
Forum Moderator

rmputnam

I ended up getting a Cannondale Adventure 400. It seems to be a good bike, but I already regret the purchase. I'm beginning to see why the bike shop kept steering me towards the skinny tires. I'm assuming they take the hills better than the wider tire. I would love to test drive both on hills like I have to ride on. My kids love the bike, so I know it will be put to use if I end up switching to another model. In the meantime, I'm just trying to get into a decent enough shape to actually make the ride to work!

Thanks for asking,
Ramona

grayloon

Change the seat and put skinnier tires on the bike and it may do O.K. for commuting for a while. The seat is a comfort seat from looking at the specs if its the one on the Cannondale website. The
rims should be able to accept a 32c tire, maybe a 28c.

East Hill

Well, you may come to love the wider tyres, but at least you will have willing feet for those pedals if it doesn't work out.

East Hill

rmputnam

Awesome suggestion. I may give that a try.

rmputnam

Absolutely. Gotta love it. Thanks for the interest.