Hi, all. Wanted to introduce myself. I currently live in Israel. I am in my mid-50's, and I am an old bike fanatic that is looking to get back to an activity that I have loved since I was a kid. I am in fairly good shape, walk/run 4-5 miles, 4 days a week, and do calisthenics and isometric exercises at nearby parks. I want to start biking again not to race or compete, but just to ride, and get a good workout. When I ride, I kind of forget about everything else, and just focus on riding, and how I feel as I exert myself.

I am currently shopping for a hybrid bike with front suspension. My riding will be about 70% street, and 30% bike path, gravel trail, and forest trails at some of the dedicated bike parks that are all within either a 15 minute bike ride or one hour by car from my home. While there is a strong bike culture here it is mostly mountain and road/racing. The problem is that that the local car culture does not exactly respect cyclists-sad, but true. Riding in and through the city mostly necessitates riding on the sidewalk, as riding in the street, with few exceptions is just flat out dangerous no matter how good of a rider you are. I have spent a lot of time on the forum reading and trying to educate myself on all the new technology that has come out since I bought my last bike about 20 years ago. Looking forward to learning more from all of you.

Welcome to Bike Forums from a Texas road rider.

Have fun shopping.

A friendy bike shop can be your new best friend when buying a new bike.

Hi Beachcruiser and welcome to Bike Forums! It feels good to get back into the cycling scene, it's an easy way to get fit again and not hard on the bones. Have you had a chance to check out our hybrid section?

Sure have. I have been lurking for quite a while trying to get my bearings on all of the new stuff that is going on. Seems like a great group, glad I joined.

Beachcruiser,

Don't give up on your 20+ year old group. Come on over to C&V and lets talk about getting it back on the road.
I know of one Vintage bike enthusiast in Israel, Ramat-Gan I believe.

Marty

Thanks for the thought, but I sold that bike when I moved here. It was an old Peugeot that was actually a very good bike in its day. However, it was old, and not worth the cost of shipping here. Shipping would have been more than it was worth. A neighbor of mine bought it from me, and I was happy to see it go to a nice person who wold take care of it. At this point, it makes sense to buy a new one, and I am still taking in all of the changes in technology, have already started visiting the local shops to see what is available. Very different than the US market, that's for sure.