-
Folders for less than $500
http://www.downtube.com/Full_Suspens...ding_Bike.html $499, 27 pounds
http://www.downtube.com/product541.html $299, 24 pounds.
Check out Dahon http://www.dahon.com/folding-bicycles Many bikes under your price range, some with coaster brakes.
The Giant Expressway is $40 over your budget: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...11/6964/43126/
The KHS "Latte" is super cheap $219, but super heavy at 31 pounds. http://www.khsbicycles.com/10_latte_06.htm
The KHS "Mocha" costs twice as much -but still under $500, and probably isn't any lighter (but it has multiple gears) http://www.khsbicycles.com/09_mocha_11.htm
There are many out there (Brompton, Bike Friday, et cetera) that will be lighter and will cost more than your $500 budget. But at least this little list will give you an idea what is out there and what you might find easier to carry up the stairs. :p
-
I have arthritis in my hands and cannot tolerate weight on them at all - nor can I tolerate road bars or road brake levers. This is more due to the position that road bars and levers puts my hands in than anything else.
I've trigger shifters and mountain bike brake levers on two of my bikes, and SRAM X0 grip shifters and mountain bike brake levers on my road-go-to-bike. Combined with a very upright riding position + short reach it works well for me, I can literally ride all day long without pain.
It sounds like your arthritis is worse than mine, and a coaster brake could be your best solution, but don't give up in brake levers yet. A qualified professional fitter who knows his or her business might be able to develop another solution for you. Not all fitters have the same skills or are accustomed to working with more than minor physical limitations so if there is more than one LBS in your area ask around to find out which one has the best fitter. That being said, a good fitter is expensive.
-
Thanks to everyone for the excellent advice!
I went to an lbs that has a stellar reputation and talked to a few of the guys there about possible alterations to make brake levers doable for me. I was told categorically, though nicely, not a chance. It couldn't be done. Went to another LBS with a good reputation and got the same answer. Tough luck. Called others. Ditto.
Ok, fine. I went online and found several 3-speed coaster brake bicycles, not all cruisers, and made a chart of them all listing characteristics, pros and cons (can you tell I really really wanted to do this?). Then I visited a couple of lbs and called others and no one had any of these bikes available to try except for large cruisers. I asked (having worked retail I am always polite) if it would be possible to try a frame that was somewhat similar to what I was looking for before I ordered it. Or if they knew of someplace that did have them. I was told that bicycle shops know their customers and they tend to all stock the same mix. And clearly what I really wanted was the large cruiser that I had said was too large and too heavy. Sigh.
There was a Trek shop that was pretty good, and I liked their cruiser style better, but I could not order one because they were out of stock at trek. But the guy was nice and had a sense of humor, which after the other places was refreshing.
But all in all at this point I was getting bummed out, particularly since the cruisers that I didn't want and they kept pushing at me, all seemed to have these wide handlebars that would be fiendishly difficult to get through my old house's narrow doorways and hallway. Now I knew this was going to be funny later, but it wasn't at that moment. I did think hard about folding bikes, but decided they weren't going to work for the kind of errands I have in mind, though I surely would love to have one of those too. (Thanks so much for the info on them!)
I made up my mind that I was not going to be dissuaded and broadened my scope. I started to check sites for people with physical limitations, and found the Biria Easy Boarding Bicycle. After more searching I found a place that had them in stock, and a forty-minute heavy duty city drive later was at the store. The guy there was bit supercilious but I don't care if I get what I need. I rode the bike around the store for a while (really) and tried a cruiser at the guy's suggestion for comparison.
The Biria was much better for me. I can get on it with no problems and it feels good. I've never ridden anything but junky bikes so it feels marvelous. It kind of looks like a European style bike which will suit the errand running, grocery shopping functions I have in mind and weighs a little over 30 pounds which is okay. Because the bottom is very low there are problems with banging it on steep stairs when I carry it, so I found some old luggage straps and rigged up a shoulder harness and a strap to keep the front wheel from moving when I carry it. It will work.
But alas. Anguish. It suffers from serious gear slippage and DH and I must take it in to be fixed. I miss my beautiful bicycle already.
Katerine
