MacMorrighan

Hey folks, I could use some help choosing a new bike, as I am curious what you would or would not recommend (and why). Some of the physical features that I'd like my new bike to have are: cruiser/ swept back handlebars to support my posture/ upright riding position since I am a vocal major in a music program (plus, I like to look around as I ride); an internal gear-hub a la the Dutch bikes; at least three gears/ speeds; and a belt-drive (but this last feature isn't mandatory).

Amongst the use I plan to put the bike through is essentially as a replacement for a car so that I can get around my farming town and perform errands. The roads aren't "gravel" per se, nor are they paved. Every so often the city will put down a layer of tar with a top layer of gravel that it is gradually compressed into a somewhat smooth road-like surface from the weight of the cars; but you'd think it'd be more cost-efficient in the long-run just to pave the whole town! I am also a Herbalist and would like to get into the actual country roads to wildcraft for herbs when I come upon them, regardless of where I live! (This is unlikely to be mountainous terrain.) But, I also plan on taking my bike with me when I move to college and using it as my primary mode of transportation. I cannot say that I won't use it for some occasional bike-touring; but then again some colleges I'm interested in have very restrictive and severe attendance rules, which I am sure they do not equally apply/ enforce upon their faculty (e.g., 3 missed voice lessons--for any reason!--and I automatically fail the course and cannot continue taking more lessons from the faculty!)

Anyhow, some of the brands/ models I am looking at are:

• The Electra 7i step-over
• Priority
• Linius

Thanks a heap for your insights...

Iride01 

As long as you are not spending your family fortune on a bike, just get one. Then you'll start getting experience to know what worked and didn't work with your current bike and what you do and don't want in your next bike.

Since it sounds like you aren't riding pavement, then I'd probably make sure I had plenty of range in the gearing. You may not need a lot of gears, but you need to know that the low gears are low enough and the high gears are high enough. Belt drives while sounding cool just add a new set of complication for maintenance and you might not find help and parts for your belt drive when you need it.

Electra's are made by Trek, I can find a Trek dealer and mechanic most everywhere I go. I don't know about the Priority or Linius. I'd rather have a bike I could find help and maintenance for that have connections to the manufacturer.

Cruisers IMO, are a good choice for how you say you want to ride. I'd avoid hybrids or road bikes unless later you get the desire to ride like a crazed adrenaline addicted person that I am. A mountain bike actually would be something I might recommend you look at in addition to a cruiser. They are made for riding off the paved road. Whatever you get, try to get them to let you try it out on the road conditions you will be riding. If it takes a lot of leg muscle when in the lowest gear, it's not the bike for you.

MacMorrighan

Thanks for the advise!

Joe Bikerider

I think any of those choices would be fine. I am riding my Linus Roadster 8 and like it very much. It seems to be the same as the current Linus models except with an 8 speed hub instead of 3. Linus used to sell a bunch of models with different speed hubs. Last I looked on their web site the number of models was way less. Do you need/want a stepover? I did too but with some stretching I can now ride a “big boy” bike. Whatever, the important thing is to get out and ride!