Originally Posted by FrenchFit

Yes, my wife inherited weak knees, some arthritis. I got her on a crank forward bike and she's been pain free, though at a fairly social pace and no real hills for a year. Crank forward is not designed for hill climbing. She has since gone to a lightweight 20 speed upright dutch-style, but every once and while she'll go back to the crank forward if she feels her knees are barking. They're great bikes but finding one that isn't a heavy weight bloated cruiser is a chore, your options are fairly limited.