Originally Posted by
FLYcrash
I'm a Raleigh 3-speed nut, so of course I'll come to the rescue of the existing bikes...
...and I'd like to say that you might do well to lower the gearing on that bike and see how she likes it. You could put a pretty big sprocket back there and see if even your local hills aren't too hard for first gear on that thing.
Also, smaller chainrings might breathe new life into those 10-speeeds...
I have a Raleigh LTD-3 as well and I ride it on these hills but only when my knees are in peak condition and pain free and I want a really serious workout. I'm not sure I could gear my wife's LTD low enough (I already did lower it some) for her to handle these hills and still have any kind of cruising speed available.
As for the 10-speeds, I have toyed with the idea of putting a triple on the Ross. Niagara Cycle sells one for Ashtabula cranks. I'd also have to change the freewheel to a real freewheel but she also has trouble with friction shifters, so the cost starts to rise dramatically on an old cheap bike that really isn't worth it.
As far as the Peugeot goes, French sizes and threading and again, old bike with friction shifters. I don't think it's really worth upgrading either and its character would be lost if I did.