Hear me out...please: I want a good dependable smooth riding bike for small city life, that can take moderate paved city hills. I want to use my bike for a 2-3 mile commute each way on a daily basis. I don't particularly care about my speed or my personal 'performance' on it. I just need transportation, to get from home to campus and back. I haven't ridden much of anything since I was a kid and I'm in my 40s now.

I do not care what my bike looks like. I don't care if it's step through or step over. I'd rather have one with comfortable straight bar handles or that doesn't require me to bend in half to ride as this wouldn't suit my body type (at the moment)

BUT: I have a caveat. I have to carry my bike up two very narrow steep flights of stairs to store it each night, because my condo corp is lame and won't let us leave bikes secured outside the building in any way (despite living in a super safe low crime small city) .

So.. I need a bike that is both good for a heavy set woman for daily commutes on moderately hilly paved roads, and a bike that doesn't weigh 40+ pounds because I have to carry it up and down stairs regularly and I'm not that tall at 5'5".

However, looking around, the terms are confusing - I've seen hybrids that look like mountain bikes, cruisers that look like racing bikes (albeit with upright handles) and I still can't quite grasp what a 'commuter' bike is, other than that many pics I've seen suggest they have the 'old fashioned' triangle frame.

Given this, what kind of bike should I be looking for? Brands and models especially welcome. My pre-customization budget would be about $500.

If you visit a local shop, hybrids from the big companies (Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, etc.) start in the 4 or 500 dollar range and should suit your needs.

It gets confusing to the uninitiated because there are sort of 3 types of hybrids. Comfort, Recreational, and "Dual Sport." Comfort is suspension fork and fatter tires, sometimes a suspension seatpost. Dual sport means on and off road, so usually more aggressive tread on the tires with a suspension front fork. For dedicated pavement riding and the use you describe, neither of these would most likely suit you. Specifically because they are generally heavier due to the suspension forks and those forks also bounce up and down sapping your energy when you stand to accelerate or climb a hill.

A recreational hybrid is closer to a road bike, but with flat bars and wider, but not super wide, tires. They typically have similar gearing to a mountain bike, but are sufficient for around town riding, and should be plenty even if you want to pick up some speed. They also have mounts for racks and fenders should you want to go that route. And they are generally much lighter than the comfort and dual sport hybrids.

I worked in a shop that sold Trek and Cannondale, so the two models I'm most familiar with are the Trek FX series and the Cannondale Quick.

But from what you described, I think a recrational hybrid is probably what you're looking for.

EDIT: Also, it bites to have to carry a bike upstairs, but I promise you that storing it inside is much better for the bike overall and will keep you from making less frequent trips to the bike shop for major service.

EDIT 2: Here is a link to the Women's 7.2 FX. I sold a TON of these when I worked at the shop. They are extremely popular.

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...fx/7_2_fx_wsd/

A bit over your basic budget, but already has fenders, rack, and lights.

Breezer Bikes - Uptown 8 - LS - Bike Overview

Two related suggestions from a guy who has done that two story lug a few times. Drop handlebars are much narrower and easy to deal with in tight spaces. They do not have to be low. There are stems with considerable up-angle. It is well worth asking about this as a change. And if you go that route, you can add "in-line" levers to your brakes that will give you 100% of your braking from the tops of the handlebars, much like the old "extension levers, but much better and safer. They are roughly $35, so probably $50 total for levers and installation.

And you may find you like them. If you become more comfortable and faster, moving them a little lower and spending more time on the forward and down parts will cost you nothing.

I love dropped handlebars. I don't for a second say that everyone should use them. But wide handlebars in narrow spaces gets old fast! And that staircase will be dealt with before your coffee kicks in and after a long day.

Ben

I agree that you should be looking at recreational hyrids which are in general the lightest flat bar bikes (other than a road bike conversion). At a budget of $500 most new hybrids will probably weigh in excess of 30 lbs (when set up for commuting). If you really want a bike that is not a pain to lug up flights of stairs you may want to up your budget a bit. For example, the Trek 7.4 FX and Cannondale Quick 4 have carbon forks and are signficantly lighter than their lower-level siblings. Trek is currently having it's annual blow out sale and you may be able to find a 7.4 FX in the mid 600s.

Yeah, "Hybrid" is kind of an overloaded term in the bike world. The high end bike in the Trek FX series, the 7.7, is carbon framed which means it will be super light. However, it's about a $1,000 over your budget (new). Maybe you could find one used.

Have you thought about a folding bike? That would make it much easier to get up the stairs. On the heavy end, I think folders weigh about 25 pounds. You might look t the entry level Bike Friday.

What kind of bikes have you ridden? What did you like/dislike about them?

Have you actually attempted to carry a bike up your stairs?

Most of the bikes in your price range will weigh within a pound or two of each other... not enough difference to worry about. Pick the one that feels the best when you're riding.

You could get a superlight racing bike, but by the time you add your fenders, lights, a lock or two, rack and panniers, etc, you will be hauling over 30 lbs up and down the stairs. Most mid-level hybrids are probably close to 10 lbs heavier than light racing bikes. Calculating the weight you may need to carry is left as an exercise for the reader.

'Commuter' bikes are, AFAIK, hybrid style bikes that come equipped with the fenders and racks, etc. that most people buy separately.

For a 3 mile commute, however, just about any bike will work.

the first thing i would do is to determine within limits the target weight i was willing to carry. it may be less or more than any bike i would, otherwise, consider acceptable.

This may be a Good choice ... Giant Alight 2 ... Alight 2 (2015) | Giant Bicycles | United States

I'm personally minutes away from riding my 19 lb hybrid (with fenders and lights) home.

Sure, if your racks and fenders are fashioned from depleted uranium. I wouldn't recommend a racing bike for Taryelle either, but this just isn't true!

My 100% serious suggestion is to get a basic hybrid, have fenders installed but don't get a rack and don't carry your gear in panniers. Just a few pounds on a rear rack will make your bike feel much heavier and make it much more awkward to navigate small spaces with. Removing the panniers to bring your bike up the stairs is a possible solution to this, but very inconvenient and annoying. Wear a backpack or messenger bag and keep the bike as bare as you can, and you'll the same amount of weight much easier to handle on your back than on your bike when you're trying to get it up the stairs. And you'll still probably come in at around 28-30 lbs for the bike. That's not exactly light, but it's manageable.

I have an Uptown 8, which I love. It is a pretty heavy bike, though. I wouldn't want to carry it up two flights of stairs.

Absolutely. Racks and panniers have their place, but for a 2-3 mile commute, a backpack makes a lot more sense. I tired the panniers route for myself, but quickly found a decent set of bags and a rack are easily over 5 pounds EMPTY. I ended up going with backpacks, and it did me well for commutes ranging from 7 to 11 miles. For longer routes, I eventually got a lightweight saddle bag designed for bikepacking, but that's an entirely different thread.

I would expect that a step through/over bike suitable for a heavyset person in the OPs price range with "customizations" will probably be in its weight range.

I have a heavy bike and narrower north road style handlebars. They are 52cm wide. Not that much wider than my bike.

I also have a very very helpful frame handle from Walnut Studilio. It was an excellent purchase and makes my heavy step-through bike easier to hold. Highly reccomended to anyone that needs to carry a bike with any frame type.

Bicycle Frame Handle - The Little Lifter | Leather handlebar tape & bicycle accessories | Walnut Studiolo

I am a proponent of step-through frames and platform pedals as it makes it easy to wear any normal outfit. Including a skirt.

Also, you are likey stronger than you think, with proper hand positioning even 35# is manageable.

There are plenty of "regular bikes" that are 25#.

This is pure blasphemy but I've even done credit card touring without panniers.

I say this often i do not like messenger bags or backpacks. I put my purse in my front basket. My front basket (and rack) easily handle a large ourse and small bag of groceries or a small lurse and normal bag of groceries. My u-lock stays tgere too. Or i put it in my rear rack. A backpack may make the OP quite hot and sweaty, which may not be her intent for tge work commute. Especially as it is a short enough distance to be mostly sweat free. Also being heavier tends to make you get hot faster than fitter people. That extra bag may not be that helpful.

When I cart my bike on the stairs, i keep my purse in my shoulder. It is easier if you have a shoulder or crossbody bag vs a handheld purse.

Some other notes about stairs: i hope your staircase is a wide staircase that is straight not curvy! Narrow staircases are tricky.

Typically I would say that if you're riding 2 or 3 miles, then anything will do including 50 pound tanks.

However, as a small person carrying the bike up stairs, the lighter the better. I've been commuting on an ex-racing bike for years. Steel, mid 20's in weight, I think (that was the standard when it was bought).

It is tough to get a cheap bike under 20 pounds, but 22 or 23 pounds is very doable, especially if you start browsing the used market, and know what you're looking for.

What is your security like at the office?

As far as the performance of a racing bike for commuting. You do have to worry about glass and road obstructions. But otherwise they are just fine. Two miles? You can get to work like greased lightening!!! Perhaps one of the few people that could actually average 20+ MPH for their commute

I was thinking about something like that, or perhaps a Brompton which can be drug around like a piece of luggage with wheels.

You'd be a little over budget, but it might be a good bike to splurge on. And, the claims are that the high-end folding bikes are just as good as the normal "road bikes" for taking out on the road.

If you do choose a conventional bike, post your location and some links on Craigslist, and people will surely give you a thumbs up or down, and maybe some new suggestions.

I would buy a Dahon Boardwalk D8 for about $500 new, or used on Craigslist for half that. It has an upright riding position, a low step over, gear range suitable for your ride, weighs about 28 lb, and folds up. The folding up is important: in a narrow steep stairwell, it is easier to carry something that is 28 lb and the size of a suitcase, than something that is 28 lb and the size of a bicycle. You could even figure out a way to attach a shoulder strap, just while you are carrying it.

One more note about shopping: reserve $100 for lights and locks.

Here is a suggestion no one mentioned, I didn't read all the posts though.

Park your bike the next building over. Get a good lock or two and find a place to lock it up.

Just an idea, I'm not sure what the area is like.

I'm just gonna throw this in here...but step through frames are a pain in the you know what to carry up stairs...unless someone has a trick for it? I would be all ears because I hate carrying my wife's bike.