New bike for me Mum

[fatblokish]

My dear Ma, 71 last week, is thinking about renewing her interest in cycling.

Although she's been off the bike for 30 odd years, as a youngster she travelled widely by bike, both at home and abroad. Anyways, she is looking at buying a new bike. She lives in a flat part of the country and needs summat that has both mudguards and a pannier rack.

For ease of use and maintenance, I thought she would suit something with a 5,7 or more hub gear, lowish cross bar to make getting on/off easier and possibly disc brakes. Moneywise, no idea, but medium to expensive.

Certainly not clipless pedals nor QR skewers.

Any suggestions?

Maybe even an electric bike? Dunno.

ta in anticipation

 

[vickster]

Pashley?

I'd take her to your LBS, or somewhere like Evans with lots of choice and see what she fancies

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pashley/britannia-2010-hybrid-bike-ec022921

Or this is cool http://www.evanscycles.com/products/viva/juliett-7-womens-hybrid-bike-ec023195

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bikes/hybrid-bikes/f/female#!Brake Type=Hub - lots of choice

 

[snorri]

, lowish cross bar to make getting on/off easier

A 'step through' perhaps?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step-through_frame

 

[Norm]

Pashley was my first thought too, something like the 5-speed Princess or the 3-speed Poppy sounds like it would fit the bill.

A couple of years ago, I helped build a deliver a trike to a lady of a similarly respectable age to your mother. It was big and heavy, as they often are, but it gave her mobility which she hadn't known for years. I hope that's not taken the wrong way as its suitability depends entirely on how well your mother can move about.

 

[Moss]

Something quite dignified about a Pashley Ladies bike! Nice chaingaurd and a basket mounted on the front! Would look very countryfied and Lady-like. Alternatively a XC MTB would do the job nicely, especially one with a slopping top tube.

Good luck and enjoy the searching; it's part of the fun when looking for a new bike! Please let us know what Mum decides to buy?

M

 

[YahudaMoon]

Why not clipless pedals nor QR skewers ?

 

[fatblokish]

Ta for the pointers; I will let you know the Chosen One.
(Pashley, me hopes...)

Never having used drum brakes, how do they compare both in terms of use and maintenance with disc brakes?
Also, with hub gears, does one need to relax on the pedals when changing gears like wot I do with my derailleurs on changing up to a bigger ring?
Finally, is there any drag when the light is not in use on a drum dynamo?

Ta

 

[Norm]

Drum dynamos will always have some drag, but not much.

Hub gears can be changed pretty much at will, much more so than derailleurs.

Can't help with the drum brakes, though I've had them on motorbikes and they seem ok.

 

[mickle]

There's nowt wrong with Pashleys but I'd be more inclined towards a modern Dutch bike.

Same upright riding position, slack seat angle (which rotates the legs closer to the ground whilst maintaining good pedal to seat dimension for efficiency), swept back bars, hub brakes, kickstand etc etc - as a Pashley. But lighter. And a little more 'evolved'.

Gazelle, Batavus, Montego, Giant.

There's an article on cycling in old age on Cyclorama which might be of interest.

 

[Chutzpah]

I sometimes go riding with a group that my friend helps run fatblokish, it aims to help older people or those with debilitating diseases to get riding. They're slow to ride with but the conversation en route is cracking and the cake stop always worthwhile. All I can say is get the right bike and she'll have a whale of a time

 

[fimm]

My boyfriend's Mum has "always" cycled. She's now 65ish and has recently got an electric bike - she has some health problem (I'm not quite clear exactly what it is) that affects her fitness. Positives are that she's now able to get up a long hill from her house which was stopping her before. The big negative is that the bike is quite heavy, especially with the battery attached. It was also fairly expensive. Overall I think she thinks it was worth it, though, as it means she can get out on the bike for short trips that she was starting to feel reluctantly she had to take the car for. Also she can cycle with her husband, who, although 70, is rather fitter than she is...

 

[steve52]

my mums 76 and was finding the hills hard, so we got her an eletric pedal assited thing £700 from ebay ,lithion polimer battery step though dutch style she loves it road 17 miles to the seaside for a picnic with her avg speep 11mph cool