Originally Posted by
NHKeith
My wife and I are in our 60s looking for recreational rides. We have Trek road bikes but haven't been riding for a while and are looking for something that doesn't need us to be in great shape. We also want bikes more relaxed so are looking at hybrid style. We are in southern NH but travel to the hillier areas of the state and VT. We want enough power to let the bike do much of the work if faced with a serious hill at the end of a ride. Budget is $3-4k. We have a local dealer who carries Gazelle, Diamondback, Bulls, Cannondale and others. I know a test ride is the best way to decide but I am not expecting to get in a thorough test ride at this time of year in NH so am trying to learn as much as possible before paying them a visit.
I've got the Specialized aluminum Creo and while it definitely helps me climb hills, I still have to work at it. It does not do much of the work on really steep hills but it is there. I'm in the lowest gear and working at topping some of our hills. And there are one or two hills I've decided not to tackle although they are generally serious hills down to the beach and back UP. But on road rides I can push it over relatively steep hills but I'm also a bit overweight and old. I don't think my bike would do Mt Washington but you are clear on the other side of the continent.
