Townie or Verve 2...or?
 

I am mostly a neighborhood and paved trail rider with an average ride between 3 and 8 miles. I ride for fresh air, enjoyment and exercise. I live in Florida so not too many hills. I have a 14 year old hybrid Schwinn that has served my needs well and am now looking to upgrade as well as looking to ride some more. I have friends that are pointing me toward Electra Townie and others pointing me toward the Trek Verve 2. I am looking for some opinions and technical expertise on which bike would best suit me.

The Electra Townie is a cruiser bike, meant for short rides. The positioning is upright which isn't very efficient so if you want to ride more, this is not the bike you want. While cruisers are generally categorized as hybrids, they really aren't. Hybrids are a cross between two types of bikes, usually mountain and road bikes. The Verge leans towards mountain and the FX leans towards road. The Verge is more for unpaved where the FX is more for paved, though both can handle paved and unpaved. You might also consider the Trek FX line.

You can find an upright cruiser that isn't a boat anchor, or go the light hybrid route. I don't think you have figured out what you want. And, the bikes you are looking at are probably about 30 lbs, I think you could do better.

We don't cross-post on these them forums, Terry.

Given your use, either bike would likely work, but the Townie has a completely different geometry than most bikes -- even than most standard cruisers. Electra moves the bottom bracket forward, with a pretty shallow seat angle, so you can stop with both feet on the ground and still have enough seat-to-pedal distance for a proper fit. I've never ridden one, but I imagine that it feels totally different from a standard bike. Definitely try one -- it may be just the thing for you, or it may feel very weird.

The Verve 2 will feel like a traditional bike, and would likely be a good fit for your use. I have a 2015 model Verve 3, and I ride mine on rides up to 12-15 miles...distance limited more by time constraints than by bike constraints. The current Verve models use large wide tires and a rigid fork, and weigh in at 27-28 pounds -- so not bad.

Definitely go ride them and see what you like. There are, of course, other brands with similar models. Specialized sell the Roll and the Crossroads that you may also enjoy, Jamis sells the Citizen, Giant sells the Cypress. Lots of great choices in this market.