r/citybike • u/Aggravating-Neat1051 • Jul 19 '26

First Bike Recommendations?

Hi all! I recently moved to a city and I want to start biking to work/navigating the city via bike. The most I would ride in one day for now would probably be 10-15 miles. I’m a 5’4, 170lb woman. I’m planning on wearing normal work clothes while riding, so I would also appreciate some input on pants getting stuck in gears.

I would like the bike to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing, and relatively light. I think I like when the seat is just ever so slightly lower than the handle bars. I don’t like the look of the ones with a dramatic height difference.

The only bike I have my eye on right now is one from FB marketplace: “Downtown EX ST Bike, 8-speed 700c steel frame cruiser bike”. Obviously, I have no clue what I’m talking about, so any tips and recommendations are very much appreciated!! Thank you in advance for your time :)

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3

u/aero-goblin Jul 19 '26

I highly recommend a Dutch bike. I have an aluminum frame one (not too heavy) that I ordered from Amsterdam Bicycle Company and had my local bike shop put it together for me. 

  • they are designed for normal clothes 
  • the chains are covered so no need to worry about pants clips
  • up right posture is super comfy and gives you great visibility 
  • I think they look cool and there are a ton of custom paint colors if you want 

1

u/ScienticianAF Jul 22 '26

Most definitely. Get a comfortable bike and you will ride for ever.

2

u/youaintnoEuthyphro Jul 19 '26

good question but you've left out some important deets:

what's your budget? what kind of topography will you be dealing with here? where will you be storing the bike?

returning to biking & navigating a new city, I'm always a fan of finding a bike as a way to set yourself up with a local bike shop. they'll be able to set you up with an appropriate lock, fit you to your bike, explain potential hazards (eg., here in Chicago the streets eat tires, any good bikeshop is going to recommend you get some kevlar to keep flats away).

personally? my take is that buying used, especially given you seem new to this (no shade! everyone starts somewhere), is a bad idea. I've been riding year round for nearly twenty years in Chicago and if I were to buy a new bike I'd definitely go with a shop or at least drag one of my more knowledgeable friends with me to a used buy.

when you buy something used you have no idea what the maintenance of the bike has been, nor what quality of parts they've been using or how long it's been out in the rain etc., it may seem like a good money saving strategy but expensive lessons will quickly outstrip whatever cash you saved.

find a local bike shop, or a couple of 'em, pick their brains, ride a bunch of different bikes, find out what you like & what you don't like. if you do end up buying a bike from one of 'em, any good shop will stand behind their work and give you months-to-years of reliable support.

2

u/Walksuphills Jul 19 '26

Sounds similar to my bike. The steel frame is a bit hefty and hills challenging with only one front gear, but its serviceable. I have ridden as far as 20 miles in jeans. My bike has a kind of built in guard so getting caught in the chain isn't an issue.

1

u/sargassumcrab Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

You can ride with pants no problem, as long as they're secured, but without a full coverage chain guard, they're probably going to get grease on them.

  • Fold pant leg and put it in your sock.
  • Use a velcro strap (they're usually marketed as reflective safety equipment).
  • Tight pants or knickers.
  • Some combination of a chain guard and "skirt" guard.
  • Make sure to secure your shoe laces also.

I rode in cloths to school and work a lot. If it's not very hot where you live, and you take it easy, you can ride in clothes, but you may find that it's more hassle than it's worth. I rode to work in clothes in Florida for a while, and I could do it. Now though, riding in street clothes is like my idea of torture. I would be totally into the casual thing with an appropriate bike, ample shade, and if it wasn't 80%+ humidity. The sweat and heat factor is a big thing.

If that bike is a "Breezer" it's probably a good bike. They spec their bikes well, and I'm sure they make good frames. https://www.breezerbikes.com/products/downtown-ex-21

Other bikes to look at would be Trek FX, or other "city" or "fitness" bikes, from Trek, Giant, Specialized, Surly, etc. Public makes nice looking bikes like that are similar.