What kind of Bike do I want?

[GoneToTheDog]

If you want a comfortable bike, check out the Electra Townie. They have a unique riding position.
I was getting so I could hardly ride most 'mountain bikes'. It really hurt my knees. Now with my Townie, I am pain free and can ride for miles.
They are not cheap....but comfortable.

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Just an alternative idea...
We will be adding an electric assist system like this to our bikes - just swap the front rim:
Attachment 175663
https://www.walmart.com/ip/26-x1-75-...ller/126941896

If you want to shower money on a "real bike shop" for some exotic, be my guest. We do not, so we have a couple of WONDERFUL, bikes used for mixed road and trail riding sourced from a chain retailer. The bikes have everything the brands that demand 4 digit prices have (full front and rear adjustable suspension and name brand derailer) - except the brag factor.

Safe travels

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

We went to a bike shop & purchased electric bikes. Best $$ we ever spent on bikes. We can ride them with or without assist. You might try them.

Lori-

Electric "bicycles" are illegal to use on public roads in many states.

[Jake21]

Originally Posted by Grand Tour

Electric "bicycles" are illegal to use on public roads in many states.

I have never heard of a state outlawing electric bikes on a public road, but perhaps i missed it. Some do outlaw riding them in a bike lane or on a bicycle path. More info here.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transpo...ve-primer.aspx

[Algonquin]

Originally Posted by homeless

I had forgotten about this post. I hate to leave a post hanging! We wound up going to a real bike shop and bought two Trek hybrid bikes. I had a little adjusting to the idea I felt too big for my bike but now I have discover there is a real difference. We still don't know much about bikes but we now can peddle up steep hills. Its still work but it is possible with these bikes. Ours have three rings and nine speed cassettes. Paid around $500 each. Thanks for the comments.

Safe Travels

After riding conventional mountain bikes with knobby 26 inch tires, my wife and I both bought Trek hybrid bikes. What an amazing difference in ease of pedalling. I think the tires deserve most of the credit. They are 700mm diameter (27.5"), narrower, smoother, and run much higher air pressures -- 75 to 100 psi.

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by stepside454

My suggestion is this .
Go to a real bike shop . Try some of the comfort or hybrid bikes . Try s bike that actually fits you , honestly you'll be amazed .

Originally Posted by Acheron2010

Second the motion to spend a few hours at a real, professional bike shop. Explain your needs and capabilities, and an expert will fit your dimensions and gears into a proper frame/tire production or semi-production bike you will actually be able to use. Like all things, you generally get what you pay for.

Originally Posted by stepside454

Bike shop bikes aren't about exotic bikes with 4 digit price tags or brag factor as you say .
It's about finding a bike that fits .
Mongoose & other dept store brand bikes are basically one size fits all . Guess what , they don't .
You can find the same bike at a bike shop in many differant sizes .
My wife's bike a Marin Kentfield comes in 5 differant sizes , all with the same size tires . New they run about 400-500.00. Hers is 18 years old now & still works great .
My Kona is about the same age , works great

Originally Posted by stepside454

Also I'll add this , it also depends on how much you use the bike , to justify the cost . We rode 20 miles one afternoon recently & we'll be doing 18 mikes next week . I wouldn't even try that on a Walmart bike .

Originally Posted by Matfam1

I ride bikes... a lot. I will agree wholly with going to a real bike shop, yes it's more expensive than Walmart, there's are huge reasons for that. I'll add more information later, but fit and components are just part of the equation.

Originally Posted by Jake21

Ditch the Goose. As stated, go to a local bike shop or REI. Sounds like a hybrid is the style of bike that would be best. I bought my wife a Cannondale Quick. I think it is a good bike for the money and it suits paved trails and packed dirt “rails to trails” riding.

“State of the art Walmart Mongoose”? Time for a new bike, FAST.

This is all good advice. Walmart doesn't sell bicycles- they sell B.S.O.s (Bicycle Shaped Objects). One size doesn't fit, pig-iron, plastic covered stamped steel, utter crap.

Go to a REAL bicycle store.

Describe to the real bicycle store what you intend to do with the bicycle- there are many different types of bicycles, that are suited to many different purposes. For example, mountain bikes are for riding on mountains, not for riding down sidewalks.

Have them properly fit you to a bicycle- fitting a bicycle is no less personal than fitting pants- it is an extremely personal thing. As someone else mentioned before, most lay people, apart from some professional input, tend to adjust their saddle height way too low, which puts unreasonable stress on the knee joints. With the ball of your foot over the pedal spindle, your knee should be only slightly bent. If you can touch the ground at all while seated in the saddle, then your saddle is dangerously low.

And although a lot of lay people tend to select a bicycle frame size based upon stand-over clearance, that has nothing to do with proper bicycle frame sizing. Proper bicycle frame sizing is determined by top tube length. A good bicycle shop will be able to put you on the correct frame size.

It's quite possible you may find something that will work for you for $500 or so, but don't be surprised if a proper bicycle costs a little more than you were expecting. My wife's cross-country race bike, built up out of last-year's second-tier components, was over $5,000. I have never been sorry for having spent too much money on a bicycle, but I HAVE been sorry for having spent too little. A decent bicycle is obviously going to cost more than a B.S.O. from Walmart. But the B.S.O. from Walmart is utterly worthless, and a properly-fitted bicycle, suited to the type of usage that you intend to use it for, is worth every penny. The bottom line, is that you may actually be looking for a basic bicycle closer to $1,500 than $500. Which is a lot less expensive than new knees.

My next high-performance off-road bicycle is going to be something like this:

[youtube]

[Yosemite77]

Originally Posted by Grand Tour

Electric "bicycles" are illegal to use on public roads in many states.

Are you sure on this? Any sources regarding bans on public roads? Bans on trails are common.
I’ve heard that some cities have banned certain e-bikes, but I haven’t heard of any statewide bans.
Depending on the state and class of e-bike, you might a license and/or helmet.

[NLOVNIT]

Agreed. You can't make a blanket statement like that for all e-bikes. E-bikes with pedals & are under a certain wattage motor can go anywhere a non-assisted bicycle can.

Lori-

[Jake21]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

Agreed. You can't make a blanket statement like that for all e-bikes. E-bikes with pedals & are under a certain wattage motor can go anywhere a non-assisted bicycle can.

Lori-

You CAN make a blanket statement like that for all e-bikes. This is the internet. ;-)

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by Jake21

I have never heard of a state outlawing electric bikes on a public road, but perhaps i missed it. Some do outlaw riding them in a bike lane or on a bicycle path. More info here.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transpo...ve-primer.aspx

Well, you have now:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electr...ements_for_use

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by Jake21

I have never heard of a state outlawing electric bikes on a public road, but perhaps i missed it. Some do outlaw riding them in a bike lane or on a bicycle path. More info here.

http://www.ncsl.org/research/transpo...ve-primer.aspx

Originally Posted by Algonquin

After riding conventional mountain bikes with knobby 26 inch tires, my wife and I both bought Trek hybrid bikes. What an amazing difference in ease of pedalling. I think the tires deserve most of the credit. They are 700mm diameter (27.5"), narrower, smoother, and run much higher air pressures -- 75 to 100 psi.

700mm wheels are 29". 650mm wheels are 27.5".

Either way, mountain bicycles are for mountains. Bicycle path bicycles are for bicycle paths.

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by Yosemite77

Are you sure on this? Any sources regarding bans on public roads? Bans on trails are common.
I’ve heard that some cities have banned certain e-bikes, but I haven’t heard of any statewide bans.
Depending on the state and class of e-bike, you might a license and/or helmet.

Read the link I posted.

Many states require a driver's license to operate electric bicycles on public roads. Numerous states require motorcycle licenses to operate electric bicycles on public roads. Some states also require insurance to operate electric bicycles on public roads. And in some states, they are flat-out illegal to operate on public roads, under any circumstances.

If you want a scooter or a motorcycle, get a scooter or a motorcycle. But why anyone would bother with something like an electric bicycle, is beyond me. A real bicycle is much more enjoyable to ride.

[Grand Tour]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

E-bikes with pedals & are under a certain wattage motor can go anywhere a non-assisted bicycle can.

Lori-

That is not true at all. Read the link I posted.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by Grand Tour

...If you want a scooter or a motorcycle, get a scooter or a motorcycle. But why anyone would bother with something like an electric bicycle, is beyond me. A real bicycle is much more enjoyable to ride.

I have a motorcycle, and too many road bicycles. From what I've read people that buy electric bikes are getting out and riding more. They end up getting more exercise because they are having more fun. It is ok to have fun on a bicycle. So, for many people it is not more (let alone much more) fun to ride a bicycle than an e-bike. The Walmart bikes are perfectly capable providing fun and exercise. May not be as fun for me as Di2 shifters but who cares.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-f...electric-bike/

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-...lth-weeks.html

Originally Posted by Grand Tour

But why anyone would bother with something like an electric bicycle, is beyond me......

Now you are better informed!

[C.Martin]

I wonder what remedy the OP decided on???

It is possible to add gears...and opt for a different cassette (rear gears) with better ratio for climbing. It would require new chain, new derailleurs, new cassette, new crankset, new shifters, and some special tools for swapping stuff out. New cables usually accompany the new shifters. Some of this stuff is normal wear items and would eventually be replaced anyway.

The quickest swap...would be a cassette in the rear...same number of gears, but the new cassette having more teeth on the largest climbing gear. The added diameter may also require a slightly longer chain be fitted.

My wife and I have road bikes, mtn. bikes, and folding bikes...so we choose based on where we are going. My son has a 29'r mtn bike like ours...but instead of buying another bike...bought another wheel set.

For the 29" mtn bikes...a 622-19 wheel set, correctly sized cassette, disc for brakes, two tubes and two 700-28 clinchers work great. So he can swap from off road to road tires in just a few minutes. The rolling resistance is improved... but it doesn't make a heavy bike suddenly feel like carbon fiber...