MsPerry

I have been all over this site and cant find a answer for my issue, so I am hoping to find one here.

Little background:
I am a mother of 3 little girls 8,2,and 4. I have been disabled due to Lumbar issues that have kept me almost completely immobile for the past year due to a traffic accident. I was told by numerous doctors I needed back surgery. I refused. I now have been healing with the help of a chiropractor.With the doctors consent have been walking daily and now am very bored and want to move on from pushing a double stroller.

With that said, I have been on a hunt for the perfect bicycle. At first it was a cruiser, but I have discovered not Ideal for trailer and baby seats. Then I thought I wanted a mountain bike, but I can only do very light tails. I need to be upright and comfortable is priority. Just hoping for guidance, we will be riding as a family and I will be riding to build strength and endurance.

Used or new? Comfort or Hybrid?MTB or Crossover? Build a bike? I went to a few bike shops and they all carry totally different brands? And different suggestions?Gears? Shocks? Is there things I should look for since I have health issues? I thought I could walk in and pick out a bike, but things have gotten way more complicated.

Sorry for such a long post just want to get out there and ride already

Thanks For Looking!

FunkyStickman

What exactly do you want to do with it? Where will you be riding? What kind of roads are there, how much do you want to carry, and how bad are the hills?

Hard to help with what kind of bike you need without knowing what you're going to do with it. WHat do you want to be able to do with it?

MsPerry

Thanks For the reply. Light trails and Paved roads, then hopefully build up to more. I would need to pull a children's trailer most of the time. I live in LA so we have it all,but I want to build up to more trails. Not many hills and not intending on carrying to much. I will need to start off going to Rose bowl and Griffith park and the beach.

atbman

If the light trails are not rough (but paved?) then perhaps a recumbent trike might serve, tho' this would obviously make anything other than paved MUP-type trails out of the question. A recumbent seat would obviously give more back support, but might leave your back open to jarring since you couldn't raise yourself from the saddle.

It would also be much more expensive, so much depends on your budget, which, with 3 girls, is probably not generous..

Alternatively, a full suspension mtb might help protect your back and, given that you will only be riding light trails, you would only need relatively short 3"/4"/100mm suspension

steve0257

Mountain bikes work just fine on streets.

Otherwise you might be interested in what is sometimes called a city bike. They have an upright posture and usually no suspension.

MsPerry

- can pull a trike with a trailer? MTB full suspension sounds like a great idea!

-So a mountain bike on paved roads is fine, I figured I would have to work harder to ride on paved roads.

I think I will lean towards a MTB I want the option of being able to go off road.

Bicycletrain

You can buy a biKe that is in between MTB and road bike. Here are a few examples :
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...792003645.html
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/2776568953.html
These hybrids/comfort bikes can have front shocks, seat shocks, and wider tires than road bikes. This makes it more comfortable. Also some have a gooseneck allowing the handlebars to be adjusted to different riding positions. These hybrid/comfort bikes are good for all around biking.
If you plan on pulling a trailer it is nice to have a big gear in the back in case you need to go up a hill.
Here's some trailer options: https://sites.google.com/site/bicycletrain/trailers

My wife rides a Giant Cypress https://bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeS...ss+W&Type=bike
It is nice and inexpensive ($120 used). She pulls a trailer with it on easy trails or on the road. It has front shocks, seat shock, light frame, comfy seat, Granny gear for going up hills,700c size tires, and gooseneck. We also added Bullhorns ($8 at walmart) on the handlebars so she could have different holding positions because her hands will go numb. A bike like this might be a good start until you ride some and find out how you like it.

MsPerry

Wow this is great advice thank you, I called for the diamond back love the price. The trailer info is awesome too!!! Thank you very much! I think you are right, something simple and comfortable to start and see what I like more! I was also worried about being numb! thanks again for the CL probably gonna pick it up tomorrow!! Really helpful!!!!You rock!!!!

Bicycletrain

Here's another that might be better than the diamondback, might not be, depends on the make/model https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac...800045836.html. Seat shock and front shock will be more comfortable. check bikepedia.com for original price to compare quality. I texted them but they didn't respond yet.

Here's the bullhorns/ bar ends: https://www.amazon.com/ORIGIN8-Comp-L...593285&sr=1-12
these are better than walmarts. walmarts are smaller/cheaper but they also work well.

Here's diamondbacks sizing info to see if medium will fit: https://www.bicyclewarehouse.com/merc...g_page-mtb.gif

MsPerry

When you refer to "granny gear and Big gear" is that like 21 gears, 18 gears or? Feel kind of dumb for asking.
Thanks for the reference to bikepedia I was unsure while I was hunting on cl of specs and values.

You really all have been so helpful and very nice.

mr,grumpy 

If I were you, I would no way buy a full-suspension MTB! Ones that are Amy good weigh as much as you do, cost as much as a car and have you bent over like a pretzle. It will be HORRIE to peddle on the streets.

If I were you, I would buy a "comfort bike". The kind with the step-through frames and high up handle bars and the handle bar clam (stem) that can be adjusted up and down. Wide seats. With your back problems, they will have you in an up-right position. They will bemcomfortae amd come with tires for road and light trail riding. They will pull a baby trailer and a baby seat you can mount a basket on the front. They are relatively cheep I HATE those things with a passion. But I'm not you. If I was, that's what I would buy.

LesterOfPuppets

Only XC full suspension has you bent over much. Most other types have you with at least a 45° back angle.

But yeah, they don't start getting good 'til you drop $2500 or so on 'em.

Bicycletrain

No problem, I'm not sure how well I can explain it?
Gears change how many times your pedals go around compared to your back wheel. If the "sprocket" connected to your pedals is small and only has few teeth while the back sprocket has many teeth you will need to turn the front sprocket/your pedals around more times to get the wheel around. This would be 1st gear( easiest gear to pedal/ granny gear). If your front sprocket has 8 teeth and your back sprocket has 40 teeth you would need to turn your pedals 5 times in order for the back wheel to turn once.
If you shift into a "harder gear" where your front sprocket has 20 teeth and your back sprocket has 10 teeth you only need to turn your pedals half way to turn the back wheel all the way around.
Its just like your car and RPM's (revolutions per minute). If you try to drive on the freeway in 1st gear your car will blow up. If you try to go up a steep hill in 5th your car will stall.

So to answer your question A granny gear would be a back sprocket with a lot of teeth. Beach cruisers and road bikes don't have this normally while mountain bikes and some hybrids do. On my bike it says "Mega Range".

here's more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_gearing

bendembroski

I agree with those who suggest that you keeps things as simple as possible. If you are going to be pulling a trailer, you will want mountain bike gears (put in the simplest terms). Unless you want to spend thousands, stay away from full suspension mountain bikes. Instead, try to find a bike a that will take really wide tires. They smooth out the little bumps you are likely to encounter on a light trail as well as suspension and are maintenance free! Schwalbe Big Apples are are generally considered to be some of the best.

My guess is if you find a bike that fits you well, and can fit those tires, you are already onto a winner.

Gears: It's not the number of gears that's important. It's the range of those gears. Describing it accurately gets technical in a hurry. If you want to read up on the finer points, see https://sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

If you want it in a nutshell, 21 or 24 mountain bike or touring gears should have you covered without issue. This is very different from 'road bike' gearing that tends to have a the gears closer together, for a more narrow range.

I don't know if that makes any sense. If you want / need clarification, give it a holler!

The only other thing I would recommend is to really try to find a good local bike store and buy from them if you can. They are worth their weight in gold when it comes to good advice and getting the bike to fit properly.