Re: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.

2009-12-03 Thread Anne Paulson 
I looked at the title, and I was thinking, OK, the guy wants a bike
for his elderly mother, something she can ride from the retirement
home to the grocery store half a mile away. Then I remembered-- oh
yeah, I'm a fiftysomething mother. I need to stop thinking of fifty as
ancient and decrepit.

I suggest that if she is truly becoming more interested in cycling,
her next bike doesn't have to be her last bike. The Betty Foy is a
fine bike, but pricey. A solid mixte commute bike, with gears, doesn't
have to be as expensive as the Betty.

A bike like the Bianchi Milano, which someone recommended already,
looks like a good choice. It's not too expensive, it has gears, it's
good for commuting/errands but can still be ridden on longer rides.

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Austin Andrews
 wrote:
> All,
>
> My mother has a 3 speed bicycle that she rides around town on. She
> gets some groceries, visits friends, rides to the gym, that sort of
> thing. She's really taken to cycling and she's taken the bike on some
> longer rides, probably 30 miles at the longest. She wants to do more
> of this. She wants to ride up big hills, she wants to ride on groomed
> dirt paths, she wants to get even more groceries, she wants to go
> riding with friends; basically she wants a do it all bike that is
> comfortable, user friendly and will get her up that big hill coming
> up. She'd also like a mixte/step through because she is getting older
> and it's much easier to mount those sorts of frames.

-- 
-- Anne Paulson

He who wills the ends wills the means

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Re: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.

2009-12-03 Thread Cheryl Mitchell 
Some of the Specialized Globe and Civia models looks really nice, though 8
and 9-speed setups would be $1400-1550.

http://www.globebikes.com/us/en/globe/GlobeBike.jsp?pid=10LIVE3

http://www.civiacycles.com/civiacomplete_loring.php

The SOMA Mixte and Bianchi that have already been mentioned would have lower
price points.

Best of luck!

-Cheryl


On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Austin Andrews <
austinfromthefoodc...@gmail.com> wrote:

> All,
>
> My mother has a 3 speed bicycle that she rides around town on. She
> gets some groceries, visits friends, rides to the gym, that sort of
> thing. She's really taken to cycling and she's taken the bike on some
> longer rides, probably 30 miles at the longest. She wants to do more
> of this. She wants to ride up big hills, she wants to ride on groomed
> dirt paths, she wants to get even more groceries, she wants to go
> riding with friends; basically she wants a do it all bike that is
> comfortable, user friendly and will get her up that big hill coming
> up. She'd also like a mixte/step through because she is getting older
> and it's much easier to mount those sorts of frames.
>
> The 3 speed just isn't cutting it for those longer rides. I ask you,
> members of this lovely list, what sort of bicycle does this lady need?
>
> I know the obvious choice would be a Betty Foy but she is squeamish
> about the price tag. I really think she should get one but she just
> doesn't want to spend that much money on anything, be it a bike or
> whatever else might cost that much. I am well aware that the bikes are
> worth the money and I've told her that. She just doesn't want a bike
> that nice. So, does anyone have any suggestions?
>
> I honestly cannot think of a single bike she could buy off the rack
> that would fit the bill and look good doing it.
>
> Best,
>
> Austin
>
> --
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>
>


-- 
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Re: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.

2009-12-03 Thread PATRICK MOORE 
I personally would look at the Bianchi Milano which, I think, comes with an
8 speed hub. I wanted to get a twee little one for my 8 yr old daughter but
she preferred the cruiser style Electra Townie 3i. I personally like road
bikes for grocery getting, drop bars, fixed gears and all.

http://www.bianchiusa.com/603.html

Patrick Moore, who is 50-something
himself.

On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 9:49 PM, Austin Andrews <
austinfromthefoodc...@gmail.com> wrote:

> All,
>
> My mother has a 3 speed bicycle that she rides around town on. She
> gets some groceries, visits friends, rides to the gym, that sort of
> thing. She's really taken to cycling and she's taken the bike on some
> longer rides, probably 30 miles at the longest. She wants to do more
> of this. She wants to ride up big hills, she wants to ride on groomed
> dirt paths, she wants to get even more groceries, she wants to go
> riding with friends; basically she wants a do it all bike that is
> comfortable, user friendly and will get her up that big hill coming
> up. She'd also like a mixte/step through because she is getting older
> and it's much easier to mount those sorts of frames.
>
> The 3 speed just isn't cutting it for those longer rides. I ask you,
> members of this lovely list, what sort of bicycle does this lady need?
>
> I know the obvious choice would be a Betty Foy but she is squeamish
> about the price tag. I really think she should get one but she just
> doesn't want to spend that much money on anything, be it a bike or
> whatever else might cost that much. I am well aware that the bikes are
> worth the money and I've told her that. She just doesn't want a bike
> that nice. So, does anyone have any suggestions?
>
> I honestly cannot think of a single bike she could buy off the rack
> that would fit the bill and look good doing it.
>
> Best,
>
> Austin
>
> --
>
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
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> .
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
>
>
>


-- 
Patrick Moore
Albuquerque, NM
For professional resumes, contact
Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com
(505) 227-0523

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Re: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.

2009-12-03 Thread CycloFiend 
on 12/2/09 8:49 PM, Austin Andrews at austinfromthefoodc...@gmail.com wrote:
(mom goes 3-speeding, snipped)
> I know the obvious choice would be a Betty Foy but she is squeamish
> about the price tag. I really think she should get one but she just
> doesn't want to spend that much money on anything, be it a bike or
> whatever else might cost that much. I am well aware that the bikes are
> worth the money and I've told her that. She just doesn't want a bike
> that nice. So, does anyone have any suggestions?

Longer riding really comes down to fit.  If you feel handy enough with a
wrench (or know a shop that does), you might set up a used mixte frame for
her.  By paying close attention to comfort and fit, you could set up
something that would make her even more interested in riding.

There have been several stories of mixte conversions and resurrections over
on the ibob list. 

But, really what you are looking for is pretty scarce in the new market.
Combine the versatility of on and off road, and you're right back to the
Betty Foy design tenet, a set of about one.

Most of the lightly used "off the shelf" mixtes were set up with relatively
narrow tires, so you'd probably be looking at a 65B conversion project.

It's not difficult with a resurrection or conversion project to spend a good
chunk o' change, and you might work the numbers with mom to point that out.
Also, if your mom is only 50, she's probably got 20-30 years of riding ahead
of her, which may help her to amortize the expense a bit in her mind.

Good luck! Great to hear your mother is getting excited about riding.



-- 
Jim Edgar
cyclofi...@earthlink.net

Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com
Current Classics - Cross Bikes
Singlespeed - Working Bikes

Your Photos are needed! - Send them here -
http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines


"I threw one leg over my battle-scarred all-terrain stump-jumper and rode
several miles to work. I'd sprayed it with some cheap gold paint so it
wouldn't look nice. Locked my bike to a radiator, because you never knew,
and went in."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Zodiac"

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RE: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.

2009-12-03 Thread Frederick, Steve 
If her current bike fits well and is otherwise up to the task, could you 
upgrade it to a 7-8 speed internal geared hub-based drivetrain?  New rear wheel 
and shifter should do it...

-Original Message-
From: Austin Andrews [mailto:austinfromthefoodc...@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:50 PM
To: RBW Owners Bunch
Subject: [RBW] A bicycle for my fifty something year old mother.


All,

My mother has a 3 speed bicycle that she rides around town on. She
gets some groceries, visits friends, rides to the gym, that sort of
thing. She's really taken to cycling and she's taken the bike on some
longer rides, probably 30 miles at the longest. She wants to do more
of this. She wants to ride up big hills, she wants to ride on groomed
dirt paths, she wants to get even more groceries, she wants to go
riding with friends; basically she wants a do it all bike that is
comfortable, user friendly and will get her up that big hill coming
up. She'd also like a mixte/step through because she is getting older
and it's much easier to mount those sorts of frames.

The 3 speed just isn't cutting it for those longer rides. I ask you,
members of this lovely list, what sort of bicycle does this lady need?

I know the obvious choice would be a Betty Foy but she is squeamish
about the price tag. I really think she should get one but she just
doesn't want to spend that much money on anything, be it a bike or
whatever else might cost that much. I am well aware that the bikes are
worth the money and I've told her that. She just doesn't want a bike
that nice. So, does anyone have any suggestions?

I honestly cannot think of a single bike she could buy off the rack
that would fit the bill and look good doing it.

Best,

Austin

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