Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We may be moving soon to an area where bicycle riding is a safe alternative. I’ve heard about bicycles with automatic transmission but never saw nor rode one. If I do get a bicycle when we move it will be for riding in town for fun and relaxation. I know how to shift manual gear bicycles and I know they’re cheaper. Am just curious about the automatic. Are they less likely to get clothing caught in gear sprockets or chain falling off the sprocket? I’m not as young and healthy as I once was. Last time I Road a geared bicycle I stayed within the first five gears and there aren’t any real hills nor mountains where I live so I find anything more than five gears to be a waste. Besides the big box discount stores, there are a few bicycle specialty stores that also service bicycles. I’m not using my bicycle as a daily commuter so would the higher price from these specialty stores be worth the price over discount store price bicycles?
There are inertia automatically shifting bikes. They are kinda a gimmick that's gone out of style
There are electric shifting road bikes that can shift themselves. You'd know about them if you wanted one. I haven't seen any under $5000.
There are electric-assist bikes. They are the new big thing.
Your not finding any of these in a big box store.
A cruiser bike will have a chain guard. Some use belt drives instead of chains. I've seen ONE with a shaft drive. Really weird for a bike
... would the higher price from these specialty stores be worth the price over discount store price bicycles?"
in my opinion, not at first.
here is why: after you have ridden your discount bike for several months, you will learn...
1. you are riding a lot, or not enough to justify higher costs.
2. what you want in a bike when you go for the better bikes.
3. what "used" bikes are available in your area. might get a deal.
You don't need a $3500 bike. But a quality bike with a a geometry suited to older riders and a frame that's sized to fit you will be more comfortable and enjoyable to ride. Most of the big American brands also sell models today that use some Southeast Asia manufacturing to keep costs down, while still providing a high quality product. People in a bike shop will know how to choose your frame size and adjust it to fit you, among other things.
I'd suggest looking at the Specialized Roll line. It's an aluminum-framed bike with a relaxed geometry and wide, shock absorbing tires with a smooth profile for efficient street riding and a comfortable saddle. It's kind of a cruiser bike, but it's more efficient than a basic cruiser, so you'll be able to ride it further than just around your own neighborhood if you want. If you're sure you don't need too many gears, the base model 2019 Roll ($535) has a single front gear (chainring) and 7-rear gears. So shifting is simple, it's all on the rear cluster with a shifter at your right hand, only one decision to make - up or down?
We may be moving soon to an area where bicycle riding is a safe alternative. I’ve heard about bicycles with automatic transmission but never saw nor rode one. If I do get a bicycle when we move it will be for riding in town for fun and relaxation. I know how to shift manual gear bicycles and I know they’re cheaper. Am just curious about the automatic. Are they less likely to get clothing caught in gear sprockets or chain falling off the sprocket? I’m not as young and healthy as I once was. Last time I Road a geared bicycle I stayed within the first five gears and there aren’t any real hills nor mountains where I live so I find anything more than five gears to be a waste. Besides the big box discount stores, there are a few bicycle specialty stores that also service bicycles. I’m not using my bicycle as a daily commuter so would the higher price from these specialty stores be worth the price over discount store price bicycles?
Eastside Seattle, they fancy themselves "the biking capital of the ____" ...whatever. Earth, Wind, Fire, I'm not sure really. However, there are a lot of awesome custom bike shops, plus a few specialty shops of top guys who build race and road bikes. Where else would one buy such a thing, at K-Mart? A "big box retail store" that sells what, Huffy or other Chinese trash? That's retarded, my dad's thinking from about 1972 (penny wise, pound foolish, was my dad).
I took up bikes in 2010 and rode most of that year. It didn't grab me. I bought an intermediate bike, somewhere between off road and street, that did neither well. If I go there again, won't be doing that: I think it's an "urban" style. I don't remember what the brand was, I still have it on a hook in the garage more for decoration than anything else and since I don't care haven't spent a moment thinking on it. There are various brands to get you in for less than a grand, along with some gear you'll need to do it right vs. some idiot in shorts and sneakers with a damn reflective pennant on the back of his Schwinn.
Should I do it again, I'll probably get a road-only which by-appearances look something like the Raleigh's of the 1970s. Trek is (still) a great brand, all these years later. Raleigh was one of the few brands back then that made non-garbage road bikes. Materials science and everything else has gone so far beyond since I don't know where to start, so maybe start some reading. Or buy a moped, if Aprilia still makes one worth a crap. I'm sure there must be something in whatever an "automatic" is anymore, since those existed in the '70s, too. I remember them.
I'd also go used, probably from one of the nerds who had something hand-assembled, at $.33 on the dollar or so since new you can spend $5K w/o breathing hard on a truly stellar road bike. Not what OP asked for, just illustrating the point that the market exists.
And yes, custom shops have the right gear, the right bikes, non-pushy salespeople, and a support system of people who genuinely ride. Gearing up properly is non-trivial. There is an entire world or "genre" of people into this, of course.
We may be moving soon to an area where bicycle riding is a safe alternative. I’ve heard about bicycles with automatic transmission but never saw nor rode one. If I do get a bicycle when we move it will be for riding in town for fun and relaxation. I know how to shift manual gear bicycles and I know they’re cheaper. Am just curious about the automatic. Are they less likely to get clothing caught in gear sprockets or chain falling off the sprocket? I’m not as young and healthy as I once was. Last time I Road a geared bicycle I stayed within the first five gears and there aren’t any real hills nor mountains where I live so I find anything more than five gears to be a waste. Besides the big box discount stores, there are a few bicycle specialty stores that also service bicycles. I’m not using my bicycle as a daily commuter so would the higher price from these specialty stores be worth the price over discount store price bicycles?
Dont buy a bike from A Big Box store. They are thrown together and can actually be dangerous. If you decide to go that route, have some one that knows what they're doing, go over it and check it out. Craigslist always has excellent bikes, just a few years old from manufacturers that know how to build bikes, with parts available for repairs that sometimes you cant get for a box store bike.
Bicyclists: I could really use your help! What do you call the extensions you can put on your bike to essentially make it a "bicycle built for two", usually so a child can ride along with you?
Bicyclists: I could really use your help! What do you call the extensions you can put on your bike to essentially make it a "bicycle built for two", usually so a child can ride along with you?
One of those would be Xtracycle, if you're not talking about trail-a-bike trailers, such as Treks Hitchhiker.
We may be moving soon to an area where bicycle riding is a safe alternative. I’ve heard about bicycles with automatic transmission but never saw nor rode one. If I do get a bicycle when we move it will be for riding in town for fun and relaxation. I know how to shift manual gear bicycles and I know they’re cheaper. Am just curious about the automatic. Are they less likely to get clothing caught in gear sprockets or chain falling off the sprocket? I’m not as young and healthy as I once was. Last time I Road a geared bicycle I stayed within the first five gears and there aren’t any real hills nor mountains where I live so I find anything more than five gears to be a waste. Besides the big box discount stores, there are a few bicycle specialty stores that also service bicycles. I’m not using my bicycle as a daily commuter so would the higher price from these specialty stores be worth the price over discount store price bicycles?
The only bike I destinctively remember being pretty much fully automatic was a brand called Land Rider from back in the mid 00s, on infomercials. Very hard to find, and I've only seen four or five in person since then.The flywheel mechanism that shifted them was not the best.
If you have rental bikes in your city; those usually have automatic electric shifting three speeds, they are thousands of dollars and with their design I'd class them as commercial vehicles. Some of them have regular counterparts that are not as robust(looks like a regular ass bike) for public sale.
Either of these would still need the same bit of effort to shift, so I don't see the desire, much like shifting a regular bike when you don't need to is pointless, they won't shift until a set rpm is reached and for those electric shifting ones it's like shifting an automatic truck; you redline a few rpms before it shifts. If you just want to shamble along, get a single speed cruiser, or a five or six speed cruiser. If you got the cash; some Electras have 3 speed IGHs... and you don't mind the pedal foward design of nearly every model. There's not much a market for automatic bikes other than those rental bikes and some of them have gears that you manually select.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
