Old Newby needs a bike
 

Just found y'all. I am a 72 y.o. male in fair shape with some balance issues who has not ridden for 20+ years. Looking for a new step-through or urban cruiser for flat-ish neighborhood exercise. Got my eye on 3, for whenever they are actually in stock again. 1. Cannondale Treadwell 3 at $635 2. Marin Presidio 1 at $630 3. Trek Verve 2 or Verve 2 Disc at $650. Any thoughts on these or recommendations for other similar? Have test ridden the Verve Disc briefly but of course can't find the others to test. Thanks in advance!

I think your biggest decision is between an internal gear hub and a rear derailleur. I suspect at the price range, theyre going to be very similar riding.

All I can add is I've own a Trek and I currently own a Marin, and you won't have a quality issue with either.

I picked up a co-op cty 1.1 (the REI brand) last August and have nothing but good things to say. It’s $550

24 speeds, mechanical disc, 28 lbs. Not sure if the top tube is what you are looking for.

Here is the link and there are a number of reviews

https://www.rei.com/product/121596/c...es-cty-11-bike

Check out the Breezer. I got my dad a 5 speed internal gear job when he broke his hip. Pretty able bike. I even took it on some less technical single track when I visit.

For what it is worth, I purchased this bike, obviously a garage queen, virtually unused, then changed the handlebars and brake levers. Total expenditure = about $110.

If you are on relatively flat roads the gearing and brakes are more than adequate. Pedals just like any new bike. 40 years young.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b81e0d003.jpeg
27 in wheels, 1 3/8” tires, easy to step thru, upright pedaling position. Lower the saddle for feet-on-the-ground starting/stopping if you have balance issues.

Those are all nice bikes that have been mentioned. There are tons more. Tons. If you bring in Giant and Specialized and smaller builders like Salsa ... ... but ... balance issues. What does that mean? A fall off one of these bikes is no joke. Step-through or not, you are still sitting with your butt 30" off the ground when you are underway. None of the bikes mentioned are real step-throughs though. Will a step-through really be enough accommodation or should a trike, upright or recumbent be considered? I'm 61 and still on a road-racer but I plan to be on a recumbent trike by the time I am the o.p.'s age. I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of. One thing that has not been mentioned is tire size. There are bikes coming out now with tires that are 45mm and even over 50mm in 27.5" (650B) and this makes sense for urban riding. A parallel crack that will grab a 28mm, even a 32mm tire and throw you to the ground can be ridden over by a 50mm tire. It might scare you but you can stay upright. If you haven't been riding in 20 years you really want to give yourself every advantage. FWIW.

Here is my take on it. As Leisesturm pointed out, those are not step through bikes. Search for low entry bikes, or even crank forward bikes.

My older brother wanted to get a little exercise and tried my younger brother’s crank forward and he hadn’t been on a bike in decades. He was able to ride it and was glad he could put his feet on the ground starting and stopping.

Any bike you are interested in riding, you should try first.

John

Great information and suggestions all -- many thanks! Wish I could try some more bikes but all I can find within a 100 mi radius are $2,000+ that no one wants or few can afford. There is one Trek Verve 2 Disc Lowstep available locally but I was hoping for 7-8 speeds and this one has 24, which I won't need. Appreciate especially Leisesturm's comment and I do worry about that issue. FWIW I have no interest in speed and am very cautious by nature, staying within my cookie cutter neighborhood. You might see me wearing my COVID mask while riding :)

Actually you do have only 8 gears if that is all you want. There are only 8 cogs in the back and 3 chainrings in the front. You never have to shift the front if you don’t want to. You can actually have the front derailleur and the other chainrings removed. And just run it as a 1x8. Easy peasy.

People with older mountain bikes do it all the time.

I did look at the Verge online and it looks like it might fit the bill.

John

Verve 2 step thru should work for your needs. My wife leaves it in the middle ring in front and shifts between a few gears on the rear cassette essentially using it as an eight speed. It’s a stable bike with the 45 mm tires.

To me, the answer to balance issues is a trike. Unfortunately trikes aren't cheap. You'd have to go used to stay anywhere near $1000. And there's the image problem, since a lot of owners are older & have balance issues. I got my older-but-perfectly-functional Catrike Speed for $800, not counting the totally optional mods I've added to it since the initial purchase. Since this pic was taken I've replaced the aluminum handlebars with carbon, and plan on replacing the front rims this winter.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c44889b679.jpg