What kind of bicycle do I want? (long, sorry)

In My Humble Opinion
1

I go into a bike store and stand there slack-jawed, wondering what to look at. Mostly I don’t find clerks who are very helpful (they seem to be used to dealing with people who know what they want or who will take whatever they are handed, or something).

So, here are the parameters: I am 64, healthy, reasonably fit for my age. I live in San Francisco. There are days I might want to bike to work (6-7 miles, I think), although I do have the problem of what to do about being sweaty when I get there. Mostly, though, I’m thinking of non-working situations, including after I retire.

I would be biking in the city mostly, I’m not interested in trekking or off-roading.

There are some hills where I live, but in a lot of cases I can mitigate them by going around.

I used to bike a lot, up hills and down, with a 15-speed or similar, but I was younger then, and every single bike I owned was stolen. One was stolen from the paid parking garage where it was locked. The last one was stolen from my apartment’s garage, where it was locked next to my car. After that I gave up on bikes. (I have a house now so at least it would be safe at home.)

I am more interested in comfort than speed, and in ease-of-use rather than fancy gadgets. So fat tires rather than thin, a wide saddle rather than the one that makes your perineum beg for mercy, and a sit-up handlebar rather than the racing kind. I don’t need a ton of speeds any more, I always found changing gears to be a nuisance. I saw one bike in a shop that had enclosed gears, 5 speeds I think, instead of a derailleur, but I was worried about not being able to work on it myself if something went wrong. I don’t know if this concern is warranted or not.

So, sorry this is so long. If you have any ideas of a bike that would suit me, or if you know of a bike store in San Francisco that has staff that would be great at helping me figure this out, please share.

(I will say up front that I don’t think I’m interested in recumbent bikes because they don’t seem to me safe in traffic, but I’m open to persuasion.)
Roddy

2

I had criteria similar to you and I went with a Trek 7100 and have been thrilled with it. It is a hybrid bike (like a road bike that you can also ride on grass or gravel and is tough enough to absorb some serious bumps) which sounds like a category you may be interested in. It is a joy to ride and has a fairly wide stock seat and you can easily replace it with an even bigger one if you want. There are several other very similar Trek models in the same line that offer great quality overall and especially for the relatively low cost. I bout mine new for about $475 from a real bike shop. Any bike shop should be familiar with that line of bikes because they are popular and will probably even even some in stock.

3

I think you just have to find the right bike store and/or salesperson. I’ve found most reputable shops have salespeople who are very interested in matching you up with a bike that suits your needs.

4

If I were you, I’d look for a better shop with a more friendly shop. There are many bike shops that cater to enthusiasts; there are others that are more beginner-friendly, and stock entry-level bikes.

As for internal gear hubs (the “enclosed” gears you were talking about) - they are generally very reliable, though exceptions exist. The SRAM/Sachs 3-speed hub has been on the market for a long time (decades?); I’ve owned several variants and I’ve never had trouble wit it. I’ve also owned two of the Shimano Nexus 8-speed hubs and they were awesome - very smooth and perfectly reliable. But stay away from the Sachs 8-speed, I had to get it repaired under warranty and it still never worked properly for me. (I think the Sachs 8-speed is designed for folding bikes anyway, and you probably won’t find it on a city bike.)

5

I am going to echo Shagnasty’s recommendation for a hybrid. That, or what is known as a ‘flat-bar road bike’ which is essentially a road bike with mtn handlebars and posture (may be a bit lighter than a hybrid).

You may want to reconsider the gearing - if you live in SF, unless you do all your riding along the waterfront, you are going to encounter some hills. Make sure your bike has a decent granny gear to help you when you decide to tackle Divisidero.

6

what types of bike locks do you use and how are you locking up your bikes?

locks are just a deterrence. the point is to make it too much trouble for the thief.

Are thieves using a power angle grinder or a jack to break your locks?

If they are I suggest using multiple heavy duty ulocks and chains. Thieves could still saw through all your locks but it will take them at least 5 minutes or more and that should be enough of a deterrent and make the thieves go onto the next bike.

It may add 30 lbs to your bike commute, but it is better than losing your bike.

7

Get a single speed Trek Cruiser.

Simple, hard to break, classic look.

8

Those are good bikes too but I wouldn’t get one for riding in San Francisco. There is no way to avoid hills and someone would have to be seriously in shape to tackle even the moderate ones there with a single-speed.

9

The OP is 64. Even a youngster of 20 is at risk of blowing out their knees riding a single speed around SF.

10

I missed the SF part.
Sorry.

11

Like I said earlier, I wanted roughly the same thing. People told me to get a Trek hybrid bike so I did and have been thrilled with it. Trek makes great bikes at about the best cost/quality ratio out there so you can’t wrong as long as you pick one your happy with. A Trek dealer bike store can help you figure out exactly what model and size (very important) are best for you.

You can get better specialty bikes for a steep price but it doesn’t sound like you need one of those. You don’t want to end up like my stepfather who is about your age and got sold some fancy-ass road bike for $2500 and ended up in ICU a day later after shattering his ribs and puncturing his lung in a very fast ride around the neighborhood. That one is a garage queen now although I have ridden it recently. It is a great bike if you have Tour de France ambitions but that doesn’t apply to most of us and I love my sub $500 Trek a whole lot more.

However, there is a huge leap in quality from the <$300 bikes to the $400 - $700 range. The former are mostly trash that aren’t very fun to ride while some of the latter can get you 85% of the performance of bikes costing many times more as long as you choose wisely.

12

could you explain this a bit more?

13

In brief, you can get adult bikes at places like Wal-Mart, Target or general sporting good stores for a cheap price but they tend to be heavy, unreliable and not very customizable. I don’t think they are very fun to ride in general. They will work to some degree but I don’t think it is worth it at any price.

The quality leap from the lower-price tier to the mid-levels is huge and I have owned both. I have also ridden other people’s bikes up to the $5000 range. The expensive ones were nice too but not something I would ever need and it certainly isn’t worth it for the riding I do. With a quality brand like Trek and a couple of others, you get a bike that has good components that are upgradable selectively if you wish and they are really reliable plus they have good support in place both from the company and online forums.

I test road many bikes before I bought mine. The difference between the low priced bikes and the mid-tier is roughly the same as trading in a 1980 Volkswagen Rabbit to get a new 3 series BMW. The difference in pleasure of riding one is really dramatic. The former doesn’t feel that stable, gear shifting sounds like you are beating a slave if it works at all and they are always heavy. The mid-tier bikes usually have some suspension at least in the front so it feels like you are gliding and it is really smooth. The brakes are good and you can easily keep up with cars in city traffic without feeling unsafe. Shifting gears is about as dramatic as it is in a car (not very).

You don’t have to worry about maintenance that much either as long as you get a common reputable brand. The only things I have ever had go wrong with mine are a slipped chain which you can fix in less than a minute just with your fingers and a couple of flats (you have to know how to change a flat on any bike you use for longer distance rides because you WILL get them). Reputable brands can also be fixed at any bike store if you have any more serious issues for not much money.

14

I ride a cyclocross bike with a double chainring and a full cassette, but I’ve ridden with young fixed gear hipster kids with track bikes that only have one gear and no freehub/wheel, and they can ride just fine up griffith park to the hollywood sign along side myself. That is a total elevation gain of over 1200 ft in 2 miles with a max grade of over 30%.

Now going down hill is a different story. I’ve got disc brakes, they only have their feet for brakes.

15

I’m in my 60’s and now ride a 3 wheel recumbent (Catrike). Most comfortable bike I have ever used.

16

Yes, you want a hybrid aka commuter bike. Don’t be afraid of lots of speeds, they can be useful for hill climbing. And you don’t HAVE to use them. I had a nice Gary Fisher hybrid I picked up used that I liked a LOT. And as posted, Trek makes them also.

17

Speaking as a man with a 68 year old and still biking father are you sure you can handle the high cross bar getting on/off a normal bike. He’s moved to a step-through design as he found having to lift and cock his leg to mount a conventional bike difficult.

18

I have no affiliation with these guys, but you might check out Bikes Direct. Their prices seem to be much better than one finds in the shops, and I have had more than one acquaintance recommend them to me.

19

GGRRR.:mad:

Just went out to the bike rack, & found my front tire flat.
I’ve been recovering from a broken toe, & have not ridden in in sabot 2 1/2 months.

I hope it still holds air.

20

I’m also 64 and reasonably healthy, and my only exercise has been walking / hiking. A couple of months ago I decided to get a bike for the first time in a very long time. Did lots of research and bought a Specialized Crossroads Sport.

Started off with half mile trips and now ride a nine mile loop four or five times a week. It has an upright seating position and the seat is comfortable; shock absorber in the seat takes a lot the ‘oooph’ out of bumps in the road.

It has 24 gears, so no problem with hills, and the gear changing is like nothing I recall from the old days. You just click with a finger or thumb to change gears, no guessing or taking your hands off the grips to fiddle with little levers in the middle of the handlebars.

I really like it and have no regrets whatever about choosing this bike. Well, except that I am going to have to buy all new pants … I have lost two inches in my waist.