Hi
My wife and I are interested in getting a pair of bikes. Neither of us have ridden in about 10 years...at least. I need a little help in deciding where to turn. My wife suffers from mild scoliosis. I am concerned that if I pick the wrong style/type of bike she will be too uncomfortable to ride. What should we be looking for? We will be riding on urban streets and parks only. Maybe some very mild inclines but nothing you would call a hill. My initial thought would be a recumbent trike. They are much more expensive so I need to know what all options would work for an individual with back issues. Thanks for your help!

Mike, welcome to the forum. Is there a good bike shop that will let y'all demo a couple of different bikes? I'm not talking about a quick spin, but taking one out for a ride similar to the kind of ride you envision taking. Maybe rent them. You stand to spend quite a bit of money, so I'd think a good shop would be willing to work with you.

What did you ride 10 years ago? What did you like, or not like about those bikes?

+1

Yes we have several good shops in my area. I was hoping to get a little knowledge before actually going shopping. I would like to be a little informed so I am not at the mercy of a salesman who was told to push "Model X" this month.

+1

With several shops, visit them all and see which feels best.

A "hybrid" style might suit you.

Go online and look at hybrid or fitness style bikes. You can probably find a decent aluminum frame bike with good parts for around $600 or so.

+1 on the question of what you rode 10-years ago. That can be a good starting point.

While I obviously like recumbent trikes, they are expensive, especially so as an experiment to see if you and your wife will enjoy biking.

That might be characteristic a few shops, but most small shops try to establish and grow a clientele by applying their knowledge and doing what's in the best interest of the customer; furthering their enjoyment, progress and success at cycling.

Even if the salesperson tries to push you towards the bike the shop wants to sell, you can still demand to be shown a variety.

Then, go home, think it over, compare what you saw at that shop to what you had seen at others, and possibly even come back here for some tips about what you saw in the local shops.

And ... never go back to the shop with the bad salesman.

We had a pair of Mountain Bikes, they were all the rage back then. Then we figured out that we never rode off of a paved road! Even back then my wife had trouble with the leaning forward seating position and we had to have her bike modified with handlebar extensions to get her more upright. Now I am concerned that any forward lean would be un-doable for her. And we both did not like the seats, but they could have been upgraded as well.
As to my statement about unethical salespeople. I did not mean to imply that all shops and salespeople are devious. I spent a good many years as a salesman myself as a young man. Most are good people just trying to earn a living. But because of my experience in sales I know you as a consumer need to be informed to know if they are giving you good advice or not.

Mountain bikes are not cruisers with knobby tires. They are purpose built for aggressive riding on narrow dirt trails and riding over and around rocks, and tree roots. And most mountain bikers stand as much or more as they sit when they ride. If that is not your thing, then mountain bikes are probably not for you, though many can and do modify mountain bikes for town and city use.

So the question for you is, do you even enjoy cycling? The reason I say this is, to get to the point where cycling is actually enjoyable takes a little commitment. It does take awhile to dial things in, even if you get the right bikes for you. Then we get to your level of fitness. There is fitness, and there is bike fitness. Are you already fit? Do you walk, hike, run, swim, do yoga or lift at a gym 3 times a week or more? If the answer is no, then you need to take it easy as you start cycling, building up endurance slowly starting with short rides of maybe 15 minutes or so, than build up to 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and eventually an hour or more. If you are already fit, you still need to get used to the particular rigors of riding a bike, and that includes hardening up your posterior, and strengthening your core muscles and lower back to support your body when riding. If after a few weeks to a month or so of regular riding, your posterior still hurts after riding, then maybe look into upgrading your saddles, buying dedicated cycling shorts, or both. And as for your wife's back pain, I would check with a doctor to make sure she doesn't have a problem that riding might aggravate.

Maybe you should try renting some bikes a couple of times. Start with a comfort hybrid like the Specialized Cross Trail, or Giant Roam. Be honest with yourself. If after renting bikes a couple of times you still hate it, maybe consider taking up something else. And if you like it, you have a base of experience as to what sort of bikes you like and which ones you don't.

This is the best thing you can do, great advice. It's worth the cost of renting a bike for a day to learn whether it'll work for you with the type of riding you're going to do.

We used to greatly enjoy riding. We got out of the hobby when our kids hit that in between stage. To big to be pulled in the bike trailer but to small to keep up on their little bikes. I think I said in my 1st post that it has been around 10 years. Well I gave that a little more thought and in reality it is more like 20 years. Time fly's you know.
As far as overall health, for folks our age we are doing pretty good. Yes I want to start to increase our fitness level but we have been walking around an hour or more a day for years.

I'm a bit confused by your OP and the later ones. You started out saying you were leaning towards a recumbent trike, then later said you'd ridden conventional bikes in the past and were happy with them.

So it begs the question, not for me but that you need to ask yourself. WHY are you thinking recumbent trike? It's important because these are an expensive niche option, very different from what you're used to. I'm not saying they are a good or bad choice, but you have to ask yourself why you're drawn to them.

Like the others I suggest visiting a number of shops (2-3 is plenty) getting advice and doing some test rides. But before you do so, I suggest renting and riding for an hour or two at a minimum to refresh your memory of riding, and having a better sense of what you may want.

I have a bad back (years and years of this and some other injuries too re knees/feet/surgeries on all the mentioned parts) and I too agree it's best to go to stores and test out the various bikes. I've had many types of bikes in the last 30 years. I had a recumbent trike and it was nice if on flat surface only because if not my legs had to work so hard in an extended position it really put more strain on my low back then if I was upright (had multiple speeds). I couldn't use an upright at the time because of tailbone pain however so just had to use it where I could as best able. I've had crossover type of bikes, beach cruisers and an electric bike and now am looking at a folding bike though am definitely concerned with saddle comfort issues however intend to ride short periods only. The beach cruisers are incredible re comfort for my back yet too heavy for me overall. The electric bike is nice if I'm can't peddle and a thudbuster can be added to help with the suspension if you're wife has any lower back issues. Again I think it's a good idea to take your time and check out what would work for you each individually and especially if you plan to put some serious $$ into your bikes. Good luck!

I suspect that is due to his wife's scoliosis.

I re read what you had written re your wife's scoliosis and thinking she couldn't lean forward re riding. I have some suggestions or ideas about that as I had to ride in a really upright position for awhile.

First I'll mention my recumbent trike which I purchased in Florida while living there. I went to a bike store that had a number of them in stock so I could at least check them out before purchase. I found one I thought would work for me and also purchased this extra firm cushion to use against the back of the seat that I still have since 2004. It's still firm (is about 14 inches high and 12 inches wide with a thickness of an inch and half to two inches and has protective covering that is washable an laces up in the back)! It really helped me greatly back then. In fact my father used it to sit in a regular dining room table chair when his spine became so extremely prominent from "just being skinny" (he was in his late 80's). So that's something you can add with a seat that has a backing like a recumbent and sit even more upright.

My beach cruiser allows me to sit very upright especially with handlebar that allow my posture to not be bent over or leaning forward.

Good luck with your bike search!

If you think that you might be interested in a recumbent trike, I'd strongly suggest spending a half day or so at a recumbent specialty dealer. There are several variations on the design theme and they all ride a little bit differently. Also there are issues of transportation and storage. A recumbent specialty dealer can talk you through these things. A conventional bike dealer with 2 recumbents in stock probably can't.

So far all my searching has been on the internet, just looking for information. I have a not quite normal work schedule so we have not been able to actually put our feet in any bike shops. I am hoping to get out Saturday. I am interested in recumbents but it is starting to look like the cost will be to great for us. I'm sure we will be able to find something that will work. Just need to get the time to go look.

Mike, you just aren't going to find what you want on the internet. The only way to have your questions answered is for your wife to have saddle time on a variety of bikes. My wife didn't want any forward lean at all. Hers due to her wrist problems though. I bought her a decent flat bar road bike. I added a stem riser and sweep back bars. I put some good rims on it, some 32c tires and a cushy saddle. It's a lightweight performance cruiser and she loves it. It has bolt upright ergos with no forward lean at all. I let her ride quite a few bikes before I made this decision. She loved cruisers but hated the heavy weight. If you were in my neck of the woods, I'd let y'all try our bikes out for a day.

We bought us a pair of these today

We pick them up on Monday. I am looking forward to getting out and riding. I will need to get a few accessories, locks and maybe a pump...

And that's all that matters.