Bikes for grown ups?

[fivi2]

Dh and I are talking about getting bicycles as our main gifts this year - mainly to keep up with dds while riding around the neighborhood. I haven't ridden a bike in 20+ years (and he is probably the same).

So we don't need anything fancy. It would be used for streets (city) and maybe a few hike and bike type trails. We'd be keeping up with 7 year olds.

Bike riding is pretty big where I am (Austin), so I assume we have decent bike shops, but we aren't looking to spend a ton.

Any recs for decent, not too expensive bikes for adults (both men and women)?

I don't know anything about bikes, so I don't even know what type I should be looking for...

Thanks!

[ilfaith]

I hadn't owned a bike in more than 20 years, but wanted to get one for pretty much the same reasons as you. I ended up with a simple beach cruiser type bicycle similar to this...

http://www.target.com/p/schwinn-womens-legacy-26-cruiser-bike-light-blue-white/-/A-13241090?reco=Rec%7Cpdp%7C13241090%7CClickCP%7Cite m_page.vertical_1&lnk=Rec%7Cpdp%7CClickCP%7Citem_page.vertical_1

It's fine for cruising around the neighborhood. I'm not going to break any speed records or take it off road, but it gets me where I need to go. My area is very flat, so I went with a 1-speed, but if you are in a hillier area you might want to be able to shift gears.

[fivi2]

That is cute :) My neighborhood is flat. There are hills in other parts of town, but I don't anticipate doing a lot of hilly bike rides.

Thanks for the rec!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Find your local bike shop and let them advise you. They will have bikes in your price range. I was surprised at how cheap a decent bike was, assuming that only serious hardcore bike riders shopped at a bike store. Wrong.

[okinawama]

I wanted a bike to go around the neighborhood with my two boys. I knew I wanted something comfortable and easy to ride. I went to my local bike shop and they pointed me in the direction of a a Townie bike.

I LOVE it! I think I probably look a little silly, but all of the things that I hated about riding a bike ( small uncomfortable seat, the need to hunch over the handle bars, the need to actually hop on and off the seat when my son would stop/start...this one I'm able to put my feet flat on the ground while seated) were addressed and fixed with this bike. It was expensive, but I is an expensive bike, but I was able to find one used and like I said, I absolutely love it and use it often.