I don’t know whether to buy a folding bike or small frame ebike or which are the best buys. I’m in my mid 70’s, live at the top of a long steep hill (1/15). I would like something with peddle assist and throttle. I haven’t biked for quite a few years but I used to love it. Whatever I get, I would like to be able to encourage my husband to also take up biking. He is a very nervous rider. He needs to be able to put his feet on the ground while seated. Good brakes are also necessary. Anyone got any suggestions? We live in Victoria BC. We are both reasonably fit as we walk a lot.
What bikes are suitable for seniors
- Thread starter Stroma
- Start date
AguassissiM
Well-Known Member
@Stroma
Welcome to the forum.
These days it may be a challenge to go and visit some stores and take a bike for a test ride however that is the best way to find out what kind of bike will be most suitable for you or your husband.
There are quite a few places in Vancouver that you can visit, Volt bike is one of them...
Perhaps you can find a shop locally that will be able to set you up with a test ride...
For now have a look at the reviews section of this forum and see if you like anything there.
Welcome to the forum.
These days it may be a challenge to go and visit some stores and take a bike for a test ride however that is the best way to find out what kind of bike will be most suitable for you or your husband.
There are quite a few places in Vancouver that you can visit, Volt bike is one of them...
Perhaps you can find a shop locally that will be able to set you up with a test ride...
For now have a look at the reviews section of this forum and see if you like anything there.
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Hard to say what bike to buy but, based on your comments on your husband, I would suggest looking for two features at least based on my wife originally being nervous.
First would be a dropper seatpost. While intended for mountain biking, a dropper post also allows you to drop the seat when coming to a stop and put your feet down while still on the seat. Second would be a step through frame to allow easy mounting of the bike.
Most bikes will stop well but hydraulic discs will be the best.
Otherwise, whatever bike feels best would be what is best for you both. As far as shifting, try something with both trigger shifters which are the most common or grip shifters might feel better.
Good luck and hope you both find a bike that works! My wife started very nervous and now rides a full suspension MTB on easy trails and a hardtail MTB set up for street riding.
First would be a dropper seatpost. While intended for mountain biking, a dropper post also allows you to drop the seat when coming to a stop and put your feet down while still on the seat. Second would be a step through frame to allow easy mounting of the bike.
Most bikes will stop well but hydraulic discs will be the best.
Otherwise, whatever bike feels best would be what is best for you both. As far as shifting, try something with both trigger shifters which are the most common or grip shifters might feel better.
Good luck and hope you both find a bike that works! My wife started very nervous and now rides a full suspension MTB on easy trails and a hardtail MTB set up for street riding.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
The electra townie go has a crank forwards design that allows one to put her feet down without fiddling with the seat post. https://electricbikereview.com/electra/townie-go-7d/
The step through frame is for smaller people, so I hope you are not over 70". You may find bike shops do not stock frames for small people. I had to order mine from the west coast. My pants inseam is 28", rather short.
Townie has disk brakes which are a new kind that actually work in the rain. Rim brakes were dangerous in the rain.
Hydraulic disks require IMHO professional maintenance, whereas I am able to work on my cable operated disk brakes myself. I don't have a car suitable for hauling the bike to a shop. Townie go has mechanical disk brakes. I can stop in 20' with 60 lb groceries on a 15% downgrade if a deer jumps out.
Trigger shifters destroyed my thumb joint, I'm age 69.
Townie go doesn't have a throttle. It has torque sensing, which feels you pushing on the chain and adds power in one of several levels. This is better than pedal assist using magnets, as the response can be quicker. Magnet pickups require more than a half turn to start assist, due to the requirement that people turn the crank backwards at stops to put the pedal at the top for takeoff.
Townie go has a geared hub motor, which starts well on hills, and can be ridden power turned off if you wish to build up your heart & lungs. If you wish to not shift (I don't) geared hub motor can climb hills or go from 0 to 25 mph w/o shifting. By not having a mid drive, my chain lasted 2 1/2 years and
about 5000 miles.
The step through townie go has 26" wheels which I find much more comfortable to run through a pot hole or valve hole than 20" wheels on compact bikes. i ride in the rain so I suggest you buy the optional fenders. I oil my chain shafts & controls biweekly to keep them from rusting up.
Townie go is not suitable for grocery shopping. I do this off my yubabike shown left, which has the motor & battery on the front and large bags in the back. I tied the paper towels on top of the book rack Wednesday. I had $100 of groceries since I don't like to go to the store often in these times.
The step through frame is for smaller people, so I hope you are not over 70". You may find bike shops do not stock frames for small people. I had to order mine from the west coast. My pants inseam is 28", rather short.
Townie has disk brakes which are a new kind that actually work in the rain. Rim brakes were dangerous in the rain.
Hydraulic disks require IMHO professional maintenance, whereas I am able to work on my cable operated disk brakes myself. I don't have a car suitable for hauling the bike to a shop. Townie go has mechanical disk brakes. I can stop in 20' with 60 lb groceries on a 15% downgrade if a deer jumps out.
Trigger shifters destroyed my thumb joint, I'm age 69.
Townie go doesn't have a throttle. It has torque sensing, which feels you pushing on the chain and adds power in one of several levels. This is better than pedal assist using magnets, as the response can be quicker. Magnet pickups require more than a half turn to start assist, due to the requirement that people turn the crank backwards at stops to put the pedal at the top for takeoff.
Townie go has a geared hub motor, which starts well on hills, and can be ridden power turned off if you wish to build up your heart & lungs. If you wish to not shift (I don't) geared hub motor can climb hills or go from 0 to 25 mph w/o shifting. By not having a mid drive, my chain lasted 2 1/2 years and
about 5000 miles.
The step through townie go has 26" wheels which I find much more comfortable to run through a pot hole or valve hole than 20" wheels on compact bikes. i ride in the rain so I suggest you buy the optional fenders. I oil my chain shafts & controls biweekly to keep them from rusting up.
Townie go is not suitable for grocery shopping. I do this off my yubabike shown left, which has the motor & battery on the front and large bags in the back. I tied the paper towels on top of the book rack Wednesday. I had $100 of groceries since I don't like to go to the store often in these times.
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Dewey
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Arlington, Virginia
Victoria Electric Bicycles in Oak Bay are a Blix dealer. The Blix Sol is a good one to test ride because it has a deep low step through so it is easy to get on and off. It is a cruiser with wide handlebars and an upright seating position. Here is a good review of the bike https://electricbikereview.com/blix/sol/. Blix also make a nice folding ebike the Vika+ model, here is a review https://electricbikereview.com/blix/vika-plus/
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I am 75, 230 pounds, 6’4”. Drive an Elby 9 speed. Could t be happier. And Elby has knocked about $700 off its original price. Check out the reviews on Amazon and on this web site.
Thanks for your recommendation. I don’t think I that this bike would suit. I’m 5’4” and need a step through, but appreciate you help.
Thank you, I have been looking at those. I also like the Magnum Lowrider but will probably have to wait a while before I can test anything out.
I like the Townie8 commuter because of the flat foot feature. Magnum Lowrider is also a flat foot ebike. I’m not sure which would be better. I need to try them out once this pandemic eases.
The Elby is a step through. You shouldn’t have any trouble with it, although we are both at the extreme range for the bike.
Thank you for your detailed advice. If you are going up a 1/15 hill, without a throttle, how would you set your gears? In a regular bike, I would set the gears at low for hills. I tried that with a test run on a pedal assist bike. I had the gears at the lowest and the pedal assist at the highest. I was pedaling like crazy and getting no where so I gave up. The motor on that bike was 350. I thought that maybe I need a bigger maybe 500 motor. Have you any thoughts?
Thanks a lot for your help.
indianajo
Well-Known Member
A 1/15 hill is about 7%. I could probably do that unpowered in 42:28 or the middle sprocket in the front and the 2nd biggest in the back. I'm in pretty good shape though, been doing this full time since 2008. For a 15% grade unpowered sometimes I'm in 32:28 or if the cargo is really heavy, 32:32 . That's without power. Most of the time I roll down the previous hill in 42:14 at 30 mph and hit the next hill at near 25 mph, letting the motor do the work as I slow down in the middle. My bike is 70 lb, I'm 170, the cargo is 60 outbound. I pedal with the motor as the speed slows down to what 42:14 can keep up with.
The more you do this, the more wind you have. My rest pulse is about 80 now, will slow to 66 in the middle of summer. I stop when I "run out of breath" same as when I was a kid. Sometimes pulse is 144, sometimes 169 (13 in 5 seconds). I was asssigned a cardiologist before my shoulder surgery, he spent $7000 testing my heart and said "there is nothing wrong with your heart". Waste of medicare money, I told him that in the beginning.\
Don't get pulse above 120 until you've done 30 minutes exercise 4x a week for a year. See Dr. Ken Cooper's book.
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