Recreational Bike for Mother

I started researching but was waaaay too overwhelmed and thought I would turn to you knowledgeable and bike-loving gals :)

My dad has decided that my mom needs a lighter bike. Currently, she has an old steel bike (which is rather heavy) that has a horizontal top tube. She is not in the best shape and has trouble lifting her leg over the top tube when she rides. I have been trying to introduce other bike concepts to her (i.e. cruisers, hybrids, flat bars, etc) but she is somewhat resistant....

What she wants is a bike that has a pretty low top tube (she did not like the hybrid level bar which I thought was low but she wanted something lower) so I think she's looking at something more like a cruiser style top tube. She also wants to be able to be more upright accompanied by the option to be leaning forward. Notably, I think she will relinquish the idea of leaning very far forward while riding if she gets a more comfortable bar.

We went by a yard sale last week and she sat on a bike that had handlebars like this and said "maybe she would like this..."

Details:

She is 5'8" or 5'9" with common body proportions (i.e. short torso, long legs) and would love to find a frame build in the USA.

We did try a Trek hybrid in 17" but it looked very much too small.

Any suggestions of frames or handlebars that might be good for her would be much appreciated! I would like to pitch a couple options to my dad and then he can decide what he would like to spend :D

being a Giant dealer I would suggest the Giant Sedona W, or the Suede W.
The sedona has an adjustable stem that is really nice for adjusting how upright your position is.
The suede is the flat footed pedaling technology, which means she can have a lower saddle and still not have knee issues from being so low. A lot of women like this because they like to be able to put their feet down while still seated on the saddle.
Both of these bikes have a low slung top tube.
The suede also has less gears, and some people get hung up on a bike with "too many speeds"..
They also make a coasting bike where you don't need to worry about shifting at all. Tho I have been told that Shimano's coasting technology didn't go over well in the US, so no US bikes will have it after 09 or 2010. Kinda sad because it is kinda cool, and we haven't had issues with it yet. I think it was lack of marketing to the correct people.
Anyway, hope this helps a bit. I know all the major companies make similar bikes.
As for made in the usa... UGH. Good luck. Only the high end Trek's and Cannondales are still made here. Unless of course you go with a handmade bike, or a small builder.

I know most frames built in the US are high end and/or handmade :) I'm just trying to find builders who would make the type of bike which would suit my mother well :)

Thank you for your input!

I don't know if this will be helpful or just more confusing and irrelavent. I recently bought a new bike, a Raleigh Circa 1.0, for my 82 year old dad. He's about 5'11" This is a "women's" bike but he had certain criteria, perhaps similar to your mother. He can't lift his legs very well, so we went for the women's bike with the drop tube. He wanted/needed to be upright. (his other very ill-fitting hybrid bike had him leaning too far forward on the bars and caused him pain). We didn't want a lot of complicated gearing so this Raleigh is a 7-speed with the twist shifting on the right grip. We have the saddle a little lower because he needs the confidence of being able to put his feet on the ground. He also wanted swept back handlebars. We also looked for a seatpost with setback so he could be a little more behind the pedal. I wanted to find it all in one bike so we wouldn't have to bother swapping things out.

We also tried the Giant (Cypress I think it was). It had shocks on the seatpost and forks, and an adjustable stem. That also was on the short list for us. If I remember that one had 24 speeds so there's shifting on the left grip as well. It's a fine bike too.

These bikes aren't light. You also won't have the option to lean forward on the Raleigh, but as RM said, the stem on some of the Giants can be adjusted.

Just as an aside, My dad had the biggest smile when he test rode the Raleigh so I knew it was the one. I told him I insisted on buying it for him, because he bought me my first bike.
He never had his own new bike before. We hit the bike path an hour after we bought it. Now who can say they can go biking with their 82 year old dad? I bought him an inexpensive bike computer so he can see how far he goes. He put on 13 miles the first day. He put in 38 miles his first week. The guy is amazing. He has had no aches or pains.

I rode the thing myself too. It's like riding a couch. :D I am happy to find that there will be a couch to ride in my future if I make it to his age....

I think Jamis still makes bikes here. Maybe something like this? How heavy is her current bike? This one says it's 32 pounds!

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Originally Posted by MDHillSlug

I think Jamis still makes bikes here. Maybe something like this? How heavy is her current bike? This one says it's 32 pounds!

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Thirty-two pounds would definitely be way too heavy for my mom :( It would be heavy for me and I'm a lot stronger than she is. I am not sure how heavy her current bike is. I was hoping for something more like 25 pounds....gosh, that seems sort of unrealistic. I think that's what my road bike might weigh... She would need to be able to retrieve it from storage (possibly hung up somewhere).

I wonder if a nice mixte might suit her well....

If the bike does not end up being light steel, then I'm guessing it will end up being aluminum to reduce the weight.

This is a lot more difficult than I anticipated :p

Why is an Electra Townie out of the picture? Too heavy? The more commuter oriented Electra bikes wouldn't be so heavy.

My mom was all excited about a Townie (for many of the same reasons as for your mom) and then I was lucky enough to buy and give her a folding bike. She loves it! It's heavier than a Townie, but since it folds she can store it anywhere and often carries it in the trunk of her car. Hers is a Downtube, and I've known several folks who love their Bike Friday folders (steel and made in the USA)

Electra: www.electrabike.com
Downtube: http://www.downtube.com/
BikeFriday (made in the USA): http://www.bikefriday.com/

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

It's heavier than a Townie, but since it folds she can store it anywhere and often carries it in the trunk of her car. Hers is a Downtube, and I've known several folks who love their Bike Friday folders (steel and made in the USA)

Electra: www.electrabike.com
Downtube: http://www.downtube.com/
BikeFriday (made in the USA): http://www.bikefriday.com/

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I did consider folding bikes as a possibility but I know so little about them (I'm still in love with traditional road bikes), it's difficult for me to assess whether they would suit her well.

Thank you for directing me to those sites! :D

My Jamis Coda weighs about 25# but your mom will have trouble getting her leg over the top tube.

There's the women's Commuter 2 at 27#

The Allegro 2 femme is 23#

I have the Jamis Coda femme.. the top tube is sloped quite a bit. However, it might still be hard for her to get her leg over.

How about a mixte? :D Then she can join the mixte club.

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Originally Posted by Ana

I did consider folding bikes as a possibility but I know so little about them (I'm still in love with traditional road bikes), it's difficult for me to assess whether they would suit her well.

Thank you for directing me to those sites! :D

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A Bike Friday can be configured however she wants it configured - whatever bars, shifters, etc. They're not inexpensive, though:)