I want to get a decent bike for my wife. She would mostly use it in park bike trails and on the street but no mountain biking or racing. Also, It would be for light/occasional use so she doesn't need anything that's $2,000+. Really, I'm looking for something cheap, just not one that will fall apart on her. So, I guess I need help with what to buy as well as where. Any help from cf would be much appreciated.
sun ski sports. just buy a low level street or hybrid or mountain bike for $400-600 you just need normal suspension
REI has a garage sale next weekend but you'd need to get there early to check out their bikes. Bike Barn and Performance Bike are nice too. As far as gear, you'd need a helmet, lights, a multi-tool and pump/inflator for fixing flats.
For recreational use, this is what's hot http://brompton.com/ Edit: I checked to see if they had Brompton's in Texas, Houston has 2 retailers http://brompton.com/dealers/4587/urban-bicycle-gallery-inc You really don't want to deviate too far from this, it works great on a variety of terrains
go to daniel boone cycles. they don't try to upsale you on anything. i recommend the specialized sirrus hybrid. the base model goes for about $525.
I was actually looking into these before, the fold-up feature is nice. The only thing that deterred me is a) they seem like they're more for regular commuting than weekend fun and b) the price didn't make sense for how often she would use it. They do look pretty cool though. I might consider a cheaper option.
Are you implying she needs to lose weight? Hopefully getting the bikecycle is her idea and not yours?
I did the same thing last year for Christmas. I knew she wouldn't use it a ton, but didn't want some knock off bike that would fall apart after a year or two. I bought a Schwinn at Walmart for like $150 (maybe less, I dont remember). I ride mountain bikes somewhat often and after testing it out I felt like it was acceptable for her use. It was much nicer than some cheaper ones they had, but still a good price for the use it would get. I tried Sun and Ski and various other places, but they're all pretty pricey. Go there or Target or something. If she uses it a lot, upgrade in a year or two.
Buy used. You can get a 1-2 year old bike from a local shop for more than half off. $1000 bikes for $400, in like new shape.
