Step through bikes - future proofing

[NotMeNoNo]

I'm in the process of getting a bike through the Cycle to work scheme.

I was on the point of getting a Specialized hybrid but the Covid situation has put things on pause. I've been doing some more cycling on my old bike (a unisex one) whilst in lockdown. It occurred to me, I'm 50 now, hope to still be riding to work for 15 years. I might be glad of a step through frame when I'm even less flexible than I am now. Also for riding around town with a lot of stopping and starting as opposed to performance riding, it's much easier to get on and off with a lowered bar especially with panniers on.

Am I over thinking or should I narrow my search to the small range of step through hybrids?

I just looked up my bike, and it's a Raleigh tantrum, probably 15-20 years old, and is described in the the few listings I can still find for them as a 'lightweight alloy frame'. Can't find the actual weight and I have too many accessories attached to try to weigh it myself now for comparison purposes. But when I look up average weights of ladies mountain bikes, they say around 13kg, which is almost exactly the same as some of the hybrids I have been looking at online because of this thread, like the Avenida or the Liv Alight etc.

So maybe my plan of getting a hybrid because it would be lighter than the old mountain bike is flawed from the beginning!! I think a hybrid might still be easier to ride and maybe less wobbly, but it might not solve the problem that my bike feels generally very heavy and unwieldy - like trying to wrestle it in and out of the bike sheds (especially top racks), trying to load and unload it and keep it balanced etc. (obviously some of the weight is the stuff that I'm loading, but just generally it seems heavy and awkward).

I guess a step through might still be easier to get on and off, especially with stuff in the panniers (and I have to carry an awkward shaped thing on my back as well often) so it might still be worth a look once lockdown is over. But I was surprised to find that average mountain bikes were similar weight to these hybrids. I just assumed that mine would be loads more (and I guess it might still be, as it's older, as that is obviously an average, so mine could be on the upper end - but it's small, and a ladies' frame, and described as lightweight-alloy, so I'd think not).

hmm

My hybrid has an aluminium frame. Not sure how much is weighs. Up thread I linked to a bike which was listed as about 11kg I think.

This is interesting for me to read - I (barely) learned to ride in my late 20s and then moved for years to somewhere we had no room for a bike, but I want to get a bike so I can ride around for exercise and maybe, eventually, to work (because the tube is clearly going to be out of bounds for a very long time even if the office could reopen). But I have a bad hip - so bike exercise should be really good for me, but it means I cannot easily get over the bar and that is one of the things that made me feel really insecure when I first learned to ride, so I think a step-through is the answer for me.

The Dawes Mirage bike upthread looks lovely for the price, and is pretty light. Ooh, I can feel temptation.

Bimble, did you look at the Islabikes link? That was very light.

Again starting from a Dutch perspective so maybe not what you're looking for, but try googling "moederfiets", Echobelly. It means mother bike. They've got a really low step-through so that you can safely hold it up and get started when you're 8 months pregnant, carrying three children, a dog and a lot of cheese whilst wearing clogs. If you saw a model you liked, you might find a shop that stocks it in the UK. They're not quite as extremly low as the ones aimed at people with limited mobility (google very low step though bike) so look a bit more stylish!

I have this clip-on bicycle tote bag for going shopping and for picnics. I love it! It goes on the front or back.

The Islabikes Janis looks awesome!

The medium size is only 9.4kg

I got a specialized hybrid on the same scheme 15 years ago and it served me well. Maybe sizing down on frame would help?
My kids have Isla bikes and they are amazing.

I did see the Isla bikes, but some of them looked pretty expensive (maybe I need to browse the site a bit more though).

It's more that I just assumed hybrid bikes were a lot lighter than mountain bikes, and that that would solve my problems. I expected that my mountain bike might be more like 18kg or something, and that even something 12-13kg would be noticeably different. But it sounds like my bike might not be as heavy as I thought, and I don't know if that means that it's not really the weight that is the problem, but more the size, shape ,balance, my fitness, my expectations of how easy it should be, something else...? Or is it that I do actually find a 13kg bike too heavy, and thus need to be looking for one of the much lighter hybrids. I'm not sure at this stage, and of course won't find out really until I can go to the shops and try them for real. I'm just window shopping (online!) for now.

The thing is a bike can be literally heavy to pick up, or "heavy going" to cycle.

The Dutch bikes weigh upwards of 20kg but they bowl along nicely when up to speed on the flat.

Mountain bikes are often light to pick up and carry through a stream or something, but the grippy tyres, shape, short frame and suspension eat up your cycling efficiency. I am really noticing it on the one I'm using is laboured on the flat and desperate on hills.

You don't want a heavy bike if you have to lift it or cycle up hills, (Although I think a few kg on the bike are dwarfed by the extra kg on me!) but the main advantage of a hybrid is the tyres, gears and shape are built for, well, riding around normally.

Also there's a lot of snobbery in the bike world about "Bike Shaped Objects" i.e. cheap/own-brand bikes sold in places like Halfords. These are often heavy and not well engineered with poor quality parts so can be no fun to ride. (Although of course many people do get on fine with them). I live in Nottingham so I feel I should respect the Raleigh name, but over the years I think the brand has had some ups and downs. So your old bike may not be a good example of a mountain bike.

You can weigh it on bathroom scales by weighing yourself carrying it if you're interested.

Yes that's very true, and I"m not sure which (or both) is my issue. I do find it somewhat heavy riding, I think, but then also just unwieldy and heavy to get in and out of the racks, or to hold upright when I'm trying to adjust something or load a pannier or open the gate or whatever (also to do with the load of course!). And a bit heavy to turn sideways to get my leg across, especially if it's got the panniers on. It could partly be the weight distribution as well. I just seem to always be fighting with it somehow! (Stupid double level, narrow, bike racks don't help either!). I'll be intrigued to try a hybrid, both a step-through and a low-bar ladies version, to see how that feels in terms of weight distribution and balance and rigidity.

And of course it could be that my old one does weigh more than 13kg, given that it's 15-20 years old, so I have no actual specs on it.

This is the bike I have. Not sure what size frame I have though. It doesn't look like it should be old or wobbly or difficult to ride. It was second hand, and I'm not fantastic at maintenance, but have had it serviced a couple of times...

(luckily there aren't many big hills around here, certainly not for the every day riding, perhaps slightly more for countryside, or going up and over bridges and things like that).

Another vote for the Ridgeback Avenida here! I did LOTS of research. My criteria were: proper step through, sit up and beg style and light weight. Many of the ladies bikes are not proper step through and I struggle to get my leg over the crossbar. I've always ridden an upright bike as it suits my back better and love the Avenida. I looked at Pashley and Pendleton and they were just too heavy. 6 gears is fine for me - like you I'm mainly on the flat so I don't need more (and it's twice as many as my old bike had!) I ordered from www.bikes2udirect.com after a great chat with the chap. I told him what I was looking for, he asked what I was riding (vintage Raleigh Cameo!) which he knew exactly what it was and then suggested the Avenida. If you are a seasoned cyclist you will probably manage a bigger frame in a step through. I'm only 5ft 2in and ride a medium. I also do the beautiful elegant Edwardian coast to a stop on one pedal

Which Avenida model do you have Bert2e?

Avenida 6!

How far do you find it good for riding? Would you go out for an hour or two cycling on it (like on paths out to different villages, that kind of thing) or just in town? Do the 6 gears cover quite a lot of range? There are some good deals on the 6 at the moment I think, although some of the shops are closed, but I expect the deals will still be there when they reopen!