Grocery getter

Is there such a thing as a step-through frame that's not err.. feminine?
With a baby seat on the back a traditional frame is a real bitch to mount if
you're not Jean Claude Van Damme. Plus it'd be good to have a bike that the
Mrs could use as a grocery grabber rather than driving the two blocks away
just to get milk/bread etc. I wouldn't mind using it too for such trips, but
I'm way too masculine to be seen dead on a girl's bike. ;-)
She's err... "bicycle challenged" so it has to be dead easy to ride or she
won't ever go near it, so I'm thinking coaster brakes and maybe a 3-speed
hub to be as familiar as possible with the bikes she has ridden in the past.
Anyone selling 3 speed hubs in Oz? I can only find them already fitted to
bikes or the Nexus 7 speeds and they're a bit out of the price range of this
project.
The "Africabike" frame would be perfect if they made them for "rich"
westerners - http://www.konabiketown.com/

--
www.ozcableguy.com
www.oztechnologies.com

OzCableguy Wrote:
Is there such a thing as a step-through frame that's not err.. feminine?
With a baby seat on the back a traditional frame is a real bitch to
mount if
you're not Jean Claude Van Damme. Plus it'd be good to have a bike
that the
Mrs could use as a grocery grabber rather than driving the two blocks
away
just to get milk/bread etc. I wouldn't mind using it too for such
trips, but
I'm way too masculine to be seen dead on a girl's bike. ;-)


There's a shop in Grey Street, St Kilda which sells that sort of
thing, buggered if I can remember the name of it though. Next time I'm
riding past I'll check.


--
EuanB

OzCableguy Wrote:

so I'm thinking coaster brakes and maybe a 3-speed
hub to be as familiar as possible with the bikes she has ridden in the
past.
Anyone selling 3 speed hubs in Oz? I can only find them already fitted
to
bikes or the Nexus 7 speeds and they're a bit out of the price range of
this
project.

I have in my garage my original bike from the 70's It has a Sturmey
Archer 3 speed hub. 40 spoke shell. still attached to 28" wheel. It
could be used in such a project. would make a strong wheel. build
date on the hub is about mid 60's. was overhauled 10 or so years ago,
but not ridden since. complete with cables and lever.

Mikeg


--
mikeg

OzCableguy Wrote:
Is there such a thing as a step-through frame that's not err..
feminine?
With a baby seat on the back a traditional frame is a real bitch to
mount if
you're not Jean Claude Van Damme. Plus it'd be good to have a bike that
the
Mrs could use as a grocery grabber rather than driving the two blocks
away
just to get milk/bread etc. I wouldn't mind using it too for such
trips, but
I'm way too masculine to be seen dead on a girl's bike. ;-)
She's err... "bicycle challenged" so it has to be dead easy to ride or
she
won't ever go near it, so I'm thinking coaster brakes and maybe a
3-speed
hub to be as familiar as possible with the bikes she has ridden in the
past.
Anyone selling 3 speed hubs in Oz? I can only find them already fitted
to
bikes or the Nexus 7 speeds and they're a bit out of the price range of
this
project.
The "Africabike" frame would be perfect if they made them for "rich"
westerners - http://www.konabiketown.com/

--
www.ozcableguy.com
www.oztechnologies.com


For a short range shopping bike do you really need gears?

I was thinking singlespeed cheapo girly frame MTB with rack & basket.
Paint it a non-girly colour so you can use it too.


--
Bikesoiler

It doesn't have to have a big gear, it can have a gear suitable for
getting up the biggest local hill.

A shopping bike doesn't suggest serious miles, in most places 2-3kms?

I've heard that some people don't even pedal down the hills.

"Bikesoiler" wrote in
message ...
For a short range shopping bike do you really need gears?

I was thinking singlespeed cheapo girly frame MTB with rack & basket.
Paint it a non-girly colour so you can use it too.


Yeah, that was my thinking at first too but there are a few hills around
here and I thought the gears would help a bit. On the other hand it's one
more thing to worry about.

On Wed, 01 Mar 2006 12:38:34 +1100, mikeg wrote:

in Melbourne you could, but Sydney and Brisbane in places are more
hillier

Plenty of SSers (and Fixies) in Sydney. I'm riding an SS as my Uni bike at
the moment, and I'm happy to ride it up the hills around here (North Shore
Sydney)

--
Dave Hughes |
"My ambition, naturally, is to have a student quote my own words back to
me without attribution in a final paper. That's an office hour I'd look
forward to." -- Kieran Healy, on plagiarism

On 2006-03-01, PiledHigher (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
It doesn't have to have a big gear, it can have a gear suitable for
getting up the biggest local hill.

A shopping bike doesn't suggest serious miles, in most places 2-3kms?

I've heard that some people don't even pedal down the hills.

No way! That's just talking crazy, man!

--
TimC
Black holes are where God divided by zero. -- Steven Wright