Noticed something last night that I need to remember and get used to: lifelong habit makes me lean forward when I need to bring some effort to my pedaling, but that misses the point of the crank-forward design in combination with my Awesome Seat: I get more power with less effort by leaning back into my seat and using that for extra support when I need to apply more effort.
I wouldn’t be caught dead on a recumbent - but anything that gets more bikes on the road is a net good. Glad you’re liking your new ride!
Man, I had no idea people could be so ego-invested in their bikes! But they get incredibly ego-invested in their cars, so I guess it’s the same animal on some level…
Oh man, you have no idea. 
Stoid, I spoke with my Townie friend last night, and both of you are correct about the multiple speeds. She verified that there is one model out there with one speed, though, and that must have been what I saw. She has bad knees, too – initially she was a walker, but switched to biking per doctor’s recommendation. She also lives in a warm climate so she can bike all year.
I’ve tried biking several times. I can’t afford a Trek or any of the “name” bikes, so I’ve bought and subsequently discarded a lot of the cheaper Walmart/Target/Kmart type brands in my lifetime.
If your budget is tight – let’s say you can’t afford to spend less than $200, $150 being better – which brand of bike would you recommend?
You generally won’t get a quality bike(new) for under 200. Save up for it or look in the want ads/Craigslist/local bike shop for used.
You must get a proper fit so don’t just buy any bike. Quality bikes come in a range of sizes and fit options unlike the dept. store bikes.
I have no idea, I am not any kind of expert. The only reason I could afford this was because I am paying for it out of the proceeds from selling my car; it’s a serious transportation commitment, making the investment justified in spite of my current circumstances. Otherwise I’d be in the same boat…a smaller one, really!
What I’d do if I had your budget is educate myself about bikes in the price range up to around $600 and then aggressively watch Craigslist, ebay and local ads looking for a used version of the bikes I liked that were too expensive new.
You now lost all that money already on the inferior stuff, can’t do anything about that. But from what you’ve written, you’re not considering your bicycle the long term investment it can be. If you buy a piece of junk - from your own experience - it won’t last long. On the other hand if you invest in a bike approaching reasonable quality, you are virtually guaranteed that it can last a long time - as the frame will last a lifetime - and the components will have reasonable enough quality to be durable and have potential to be maintained. A walmart bike does not have any of these characteristics, hence a throw away bike.
From what you’re saying, you want to make the same mistake again - only allowing budget for a bike that will not hold up. Please reconsider your philosophy and the potential of what a bike can give back to you, in means of improving your life through better health and fitness. Plus all the fun you can have riding. If you invest in a nice bike, you’ll have fun riding but perhaps more importantly your bike will spend more time with you - rather than in the shop for repairs.
To add to that a friend of mine wanted to take up riding. Went to target and bought a P-O-S bike.
We went for a ride. The bottom bracket (where the pedals go through the frame) disintegrated in less than 10 miles. As in the bike was unrideable.
Save your money buy a real bike and be happy.
I do a lot of trail riding, so my bike doesn’t resemble much a city bike. Stoid, this is my trusty steed, and the one in SD gallery pic, 2009 Scott Spark LTD. It came stock with this seat, which isn’t the most comfortable if not having ridden on for a while, but otherwise is plenty comfortable and weighing in at four and half ounces helps keep the weight of the bike down, a serious factor when nimbly climbing up steep forest pathways, which we have a lot of here.
With a couple of aftermarket swaps, including latex innertubes, skewers, and a seatclamp purchased in euros and shipped from Austria, I have the bike - fully shock absorbed and including 2.4 inch knobby tires, at almost exactly 19lbs.
Kiz, $200 is a bit low for a decent bike, but here is one for $400.
But what you really want to know is what the difference is between that bike and a Walmart/Target/Kmart bike is. The answer is the components (click on the specs for that bike to see what parts are on it). The $400 bike has components which are standardized bike industry type parts - they won’t be top of the line parts at this price point, but they can easily be replaced and even upgraded.
Contrast that to the bottom bracket on the bike Rick’s friend had - I’d bet that was a cheapo part and that you couldn’t upgrade it even if you wanted to.
I just got a new bike myself. I was looking for something that would be comfortable for day-to-day transportation because my town is small enough that riding is much more practical than driving. All I need to do is ride around my neighborhood to get used to stopping and shifting before I hit the road.