Looking to pick up a 7 speed cruiser for my wife. She's ridden the Electra Townie and enjoyed it Specialized Roll is also on the to try list. This would be the first bike in a long time for her as she's not an avid rider.

She's pretty price conscious so I was wondering what disadvantages come from looking at something like Bikesdirect or Retrospec. I get that the quality may not be the same as the Electra or the Specialized but if she's only riding 1-2 times per week and going at the most 6-10 miles at a time what would she notice by going with the higher end vs the online vendors? I don't foresee her becoming someone that is going to turn in to a road/gravel or even a serious cyclist more of a recreational rider.

I'm pretty mechanical, the fact that I may have to put some things together or do adjustments on things doesn't scare me off. I'm just wondering if I'm going to kick myself later for not going higher end.

Get a Sixthreezero.com , similar to the Townie, but cheaper. Even cheaper if you get a steel frame version.

Don't know where you're located, but in the local Craigslist there are a number of used cruisers (some appear very unused). Might be an option. I have a BD, and it functions well, but the Electra is superior. As is frequently the case, you get what you pay for. Whatever you do, don't purchase a fat tire product; too ponderous for an occasional rider. Here's mine; a 3-speed fat tire model that I modified with parts already in my possession.

If you're not afraid of the mechanical bits, something along the lines of the Walmart Schwinns might work. They will need a going through as assembly can be shoddy and the bearings tend to be underlubed. I would imagine the online stuff would be the same deal but would have slightly better equipment.

My Electra or Specialized would be more expensive being Bike Shop Bikes but would be better assembled and come with free adjustments ect but be more expensive. Trek is doing free delivery if you have a Store nearby.

Hi Laser

If you do not mind doing some reassembly and tuning, go to Fitobikes and see what they have to offer. I purchased a Fito Medena with the alluminum frame for barely over $200 on a Prime special. What I found, however, is that the bike pretty much needed to be reassembled from the ground up. I had to true both wheels, repack all the bearings, readjust both brakes, and completely disassemble and regrease the bottom bracket, which in this price range, is a one-piece steel crank with loose ball bearings. To make the bike shift better, I removed the inexpensive crappy Shimano Tourney deraiuller and replaced it with a much better Acera, which only added about $25 more cost. Overall it's a decent bike for the money, and is pretty light. If you do purchase a Fito, I highly recommend replacing the one-piece crank with a three piece. That is what I will be doing on mine.

Just curious...I could see doing this if there was something wrong, or it was due for a replacement but my one piece feels every bit as smooth as any three piece cranks I've had on my Mtn/Road bikes

As indicated on another thread, I'd like to change mine to have a longer crank arm and get rid of the iron for aluminum. Potential problem with maintaining a straight chainline are a consideration.