In the next couple of weeks I be purchasing my first bike in over 20 years and would love some opinions.

* Want a bike for town cycling, trips to farmers markets, path and road cycling of prob. no more than 20-30 miles max, ever. Since I haven't ridden in years it is difficult to try and guess how much/long I will ride. For this reason I'd rather focus on comfort for now, to ensure I bike regularly, and then buy another style bike next fall, if needed.

* Don't want a bent, a road bike, or a hybrid.

* Comfort is king and bike must allow for flat feet at stops and no hunching over.

* Spending around 500ish

* 7 speeds sounds about right


Thus far I am drawn to the electra townie, the trek pure and the trek calypso. The calypso meets all of my criteria, besides the flat feet (is that correct?) and that I worry that I might be more limited on it for long rides as my bike riding abilities improve. I have read on a couple of forums that it is difficult to stand on a cruiser because of the handle bar placement. Any validity to that statement?

Townie and pure are about the same in every respect, though I am drawn a bit more to the pure simply for aesthetics.

Any input is greatly appreciated.