Hybrid Bicycle Recommendation for New Female Rider
 

I am currently searching for a bicycle for my mother in law. She keeps insisting that the bicycle be "comfortable", however I am beggining to realize that she really means "looks comfortable."

Who makes a solid hybrid with a front suspension fork for a reasonable price? Any links would also be appreciated.

what is a "reasonable" price to you?

Here is one: http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/women/eva-20-11/

Nigel,

Glad to see you on this forum.

Motobetird,

I don't know how old your mother in law is or if she has any medical issues where she may have trouble riding an upright, but another option you may want to look into is getting her a recumbent. My wife has one and loves it. No back, shoulder or hand pain/numbness. My wife says it's like sitting in her favorite lounge chair on wheels. You can look on Craig's List in your local area to see if there are any used ones available which can go for around the same price as a decent upright hybrid.

A Trek Navigator. I have the 2.0, in a men's frame. It's well balanced and VERY comfortable. A friend at work, in her late 40s, went out and bought a bike last week because her old one was hurting her back. I asked what she bought - a Trek Navigator 2.0. I guess we both felt the same way, love at first sit. ;) She said as soon as she sat on it she knew it was "the one."

It has front fork suspension, seat suspension, and shifts very smoothly. Comfortable seat without being too big like some of the cruisers. It seems faster than some of the similar comfort bikes out there that I tried. I do, however, have a faster, more road oriented hybrid. But I do love my Navigator!

In my search for a bicycle for myself (older female, new rider), the comfort/cruiser bikes that I saw were the Trek Navigator and the Suede and Simple made by Giant (websites). Giant and Trek were the only two brands available near my area. I was going to buy a Giant Sedona W or Cypress W hybrid, but they never got my size in stock, so I wound up buying a Trek 7100 WSD (hybrid), and didn't try any of the "cruiser" models. Giant and Trek are supposed to be good brands and not too expensive on their low end as far as bike shop brands go. Check out the Trek and Giant websites for their lifestyle or town bikes. Good luck!