Need help buying my first bike
 

I will only be riding on the weekends for on paved flat trails 20-40 mile rides, no hills and apparently I don't ride that fast, as bikes are always passing me. The most important feature for me is how it looks - I want a light baby pink or light purple, and if possible the tires that are half white (not sure why only cruisers have that look?). I need a multi-speed bike with brakes.

I know nothing about brands but these are the ones I'm considering:

1. Schwinn Hollywood
2. Electra Townie
3. Firmstrong Urban Lady

I've been reading this forum and understand the drawbacks of getting a bike from Walmart/Target. My local bike shop is going to charge me $100 to put the bike together so that factors into the price as well. I am a bit hesitant to get an expensive bike since I know a few people whose locked bikes have been stolen off city streets. So I was excited to see cheaper bikes at Bikes Direct but they use paypal only and I just didn't know if these would be good bikes and if it's a reputable site?

Which bike would you recommend for me? Thanks!

Bikesdirect is reputable, but you have to take a fewl things into account when buying from them... first, can you, or someone you know put it together for you properly? It only comes partially assembled, If not, you have to be prepared to pay anywhere from 50 to 100 dollars extra to have a LBS do it for you. Kinda like the first, if anything breaks, you will have to have someone replace it for you once bikesdirect sends you a replacement part.. So, add a minimum 100 bucks to the cost, and if its not still significantly cheaper then a comparable bike at a LBS, its not worth it. This goes for any bikes bought online, no matter the retailer.

I know nothing about those style of bikes, so I have no opinion on them.

If there is a Performance Bike's nearby, check with them.. I saw a bunch of those style bikes outside my local one the other day, they were all on sale.

Thanks for the tip! I was also wondering why are rear racks are so expensive? $50 I need it to carry my bike lock on it.

Accesories sold by the manufactuers are always more expensive then other brand parts makers... You should be able to find a rack for half the price at a LBS, or even cheaper from a discount online retailer like BikeNashbar.

Thanks I'll check that store out!