Comments on LandRider?

Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she doesn't like to shift. She is
59 years old and intends to use the bike for short (less than 20 miles) rides, mostly on country
roads. Is this a good choice for her?

Fred

 

In article <%[email protected]>, Fred <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she doesn't like to shift. She
> is 59 years old and intends to use the bike for short (less than 20 miles) rides, mostly on
> country roads. Is this a good choice for her?
>
> Fred
>
>

Hi Fred and welcome to the bicycle group. These bikes have been discussed here many times and the
consensus is that they are heavy, poorly built of bad components and that the auto shifting rarely
actually puts you in the right gear for the conditons because there a way more variables than just
how hard the force on the pedals are.

Has your wife considered or tried a modern twist shifter bike? Stick it in the middle or big
chainring up front depending on her strength and if the terrain is rolling or not. Now leave it
there and she has an 8 speed bike that shifts by rolling her right hand back and forth without
even having to leave the grip with her thumb like you have to do with Rapid Fire type shifters.
Lots of people do leisurely (half a day) 10 mile out and bike rides on single speed beach cruisers
but if you're trying to keep it under 4 hours she's going to appreciate being able to make it
easier to pedal with a twist of the wrist the first time she has to fight even a small headwind
all the way home.

Helen Highwater

 

"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:%[email protected]...
>
> Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she
> doesn't like to shift. She is 59 years old and intends to use the bike
for
> short (less than 20 miles) rides, mostly on country roads. Is this a good choice for her?
>

I'm a casual bicycler in the same age category as your wife.

I have not ridden a LandRider but I did do a Google search on the subject because I found the
infomercial intriguing. Most of the comments I saw from people who had ridden the LandRider bike
were not favorable.

The one feature that distinguishes this bike is the auto-shifting. The seven-speed rear derailleur
is auto-shifting. The two-speed front gear sprocket has to be shifted manually. Many people
commented that the auto-shifting does work but does not work well and I suppose that shouldn't be a
surprise. I thought this auto-shifting was a new development but apparently it isn't. It has been
around for quite a while and its forerunner was previously used on another bike called the Autobike
which is no longer marketed. It seems to me that if this was really a wonderful and worthwhile
feature it would have received universal acceptance. But it hasn't.

Other complaints were that the LandRider is much heavier than other bikes. It is overpriced for the
level of its overall quality. Having non-standard components makes it more difficult and expensive
to get parts and repairs. It was also mentiioned that the money back guarantee is not easily
accomplished if you are dissatisfied. A bicycle is just something that is not easy to pack up and
send back.

A couple people said they had benefited from purchasing the LandRider because it got them out
bicycling. But they could could have just as well purchased a decent conventional bicycle elsewhere
for a lot less and had the same result.

Over the years there have been major improvements in bicycles. Index shifting on modern bikes has
made gear shifting remarkably easy and non intimidating.

I think part of the theory around many infomercial marketing ploys is that they invent nonexistent
problems for which they purport to have a solution, albeit an expensive one.

 

> >
> > Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she
> > doesn't like to shift. She is 59 years old and intends to use the bike
> for
> > short (less than 20 miles) rides, mostly on country roads. Is this a
good
> > choice for her?
> >
>
> I'm a casual bicycler in the same age category as your wife.
>
> I have not ridden a LandRider but I did do a Google search on the subject because I found the
> infomercial intriguing. Most of the comments I saw
from
> people who had ridden the LandRider bike were not favorable.
>
> The one feature that distinguishes this bike is the auto-shifting. The seven-speed rear derailleur
> is auto-shifting. The two-speed front gear sprocket has to be shifted manually. Many people
> commented that the auto-shifting does work but does not work well and I suppose that
shouldn't
> be a surprise. I thought this auto-shifting was a new development but apparently it isn't. It has
> been around for quite a while and its
forerunner
> was previously used on another bike called the Autobike which is no longer marketed. It seems to
> me that if this was really a wonderful and
worthwhile
> feature it would have received universal acceptance. But it hasn't.
>
> Other complaints were that the LandRider is much heavier than other bikes. It is overpriced for
> the level of its overall quality. Having non-standard components makes it more difficult and
> expensive to get parts and repairs. It was also mentiioned that the money back guarantee is not
> easily accomplished if you are dissatisfied. A bicycle is just something that is not easy to pack
> up and send back.
>
> A couple people said they had benefited from purchasing the LandRider because it got them out
> bicycling. But they could could have just as well purchased a decent conventional bicycle
> elsewhere for a lot less and had
the
> same result.
>
> Over the years there have been major improvements in bicycles. Index shifting on modern bikes has
> made gear shifting remarkably easy and non intimidating.
>
> I think part of the theory around many infomercial marketing ploys is that they invent nonexistent
> problems for which they purport to have a
solution,
> albeit an expensive one.
>
>
Thanks for the comments. I'm intrigued by the twist shifter. That may appeal to her. I'm going to
make a visit to the bike shop later this week to see what I can find for both of us. The "comfort"
style road bikes look like they would be a good choice for both of us. They look like they will
perform well enough and still prevent sore necks and backs. I'll look into the twist shifting
feature. She may go for that. We've looked into some organized rides in our area and, after we get
our "bike legs" we may do one of those. In the meantime we can cruise the roads around our country
home together just to get outdoors and get some exercise. We operate an e-commerce company from home
and we sometimes don't leave the house for days at a time. Take care and thanks again.

Fred

 

Mon, 26 May 2003 20:05:05 GMT, <[email protected]>, "Fred"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Thanks for the comments. I'm intrigued by the twist shifter. That may appeal to her. I'm going to
>make a visit to the bike shop later this week to see what I can find for both of us. The "comfort"
>style road bikes look like they would be a good choice for both of us. They look like they will
>perform well enough and still prevent sore necks and backs. I'll look into the twist shifting
>feature. She may go for that. We've looked into some organized rides in our area and, after we get
>our "bike legs" we may do one of those. In the meantime we can cruise the roads around our country
>home together just to get outdoors and get some exercise. We operate an e-commerce company from
>home and we sometimes don't leave the house for days at a time. Take care and thanks again.
>
>Fred

Depending on your local conditions you might find a 7 spd internal gear hub completely satisfactory
though harder to find. It can also be shifted with a twist grip or push-button shifter.

All around they'd be fitted on better machines than the LandRider's quality. There's no derailleur
so it's less intimidating to somebody who doesn't like gear shifting. It requires somewhat less
maintenance and they're more standard so repairs and spares would be easier acquire.

I trust you weren't going to get the LandRider at your local bicycle shop. A good bicycle shop is
important when starting out cycling.

Bikes like these may be had using the Shimano Nexus 7spd.

http://www.electrabike.com/bikes/classic/c_b_1.html http://www.breezerbikes.com/bdp-town-d.html
http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/16_Auto_Milano.html
--
zk

 

> >Thanks for the comments. I'm intrigued by the twist shifter. That may appeal to her. I'm going to
> >make a visit to the bike shop later this
week
> >to see what I can find for both of us. The "comfort" style road bikes
look
> >like they would be a good choice for both of us. They look like they
will
> >perform well enough and still prevent sore necks and backs. I'll look
into
> >the twist shifting feature. She may go for that. We've looked into
some
> >organized rides in our area and, after we get our "bike legs" we may do
one
> >of those. In the meantime we can cruise the roads around our country
home
> >together just to get outdoors and get some exercise. We operate an e-commerce company from home
> >and we sometimes don't leave the house for
days
> >at a time. Take care and thanks again.
> >
> >Fred
>
> Depending on your local conditions you might find a 7 spd internal gear hub completely
> satisfactory though harder to find. It can also be shifted with a twist grip or push-button
> shifter.
>
> All around they'd be fitted on better machines than the LandRider's quality. There's no derailleur
> so it's less intimidating to somebody who doesn't like gear shifting. It requires somewhat less
> maintenance and they're more standard so repairs and spares would be easier acquire.
>
> I trust you weren't going to get the LandRider at your local bicycle shop. A good bicycle shop is
> important when starting out cycling.
>
> Bikes like these may be had using the Shimano Nexus 7spd.
>
> http://www.electrabike.com/bikes/classic/c_b_1.html http://www.breezerbikes.com/bdp-town-d.html
> http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/16_Auto_Milano.html

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, we have a very good bike shop in our area that's been in business
for 70 years and carries about 15 brands. I don't know if they sell the brands mentioned in the
links but I'm sure they will have something suitable. I'll check it out tomorrow on my way to my
store. There is also a specialty sporting goods store a couple of blocks from my store that sells
a few brands - Trek is one of them, I know, and they make a "comfort style" road bike that appeals
to me. The owner of that store is a customer of my store so perhaps I can return the favor and
become his customer.

Yes, I've abandoned the idea of the LandRider. It got 100% "not recommended" here on the newsgroup
so that's good enough for me. I think the people at the bike shop will be able to steer me in the
right direction. Thanks again.

Fred The Good Gourmet http://www.thegoodgourmet.com http://www.knifeoutlet.com
http://www.pendomain.com http://www.chefsoutlet.com

 

Tue, 27 May 2003 00:54:55 GMT, <[email protected]>, "Fred"
<[email protected]> wrote:

> I think the people at the bike shop will be able to steer me in the right direction. Thanks again.
>
>Fred

It's harder than you might think to resist the temptation to get matching bikes. Get her the best
bike for the job. Get her the one that fits her best. If your wife likes her bike she'll use it more
frequently than if she just gets the one that matches yours but is otherwise less than ideal. Get
matching socks or shirts if it's important but resist getting bikes just because they match.
--
zk

 

Fred <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she doesn't like to shift.

IMHO, a better choice would be a bike equipped with a modern internal-gear hub (e.g. Shimano Nexus
or SRAM Spectro). They're available in 3- and 7-speed versions, and they're quite easy to shift.
They can even be shifted while standing still, if necessary. Shimano also has a 4-speed
electronically-controlled automatic version of the Nexus, but I'm opposed to bike drivetrains that
require batteries, and I'd rather shift when I need to, rather than leave it to something that might
make the wrong decision.

If cost is no object, you could go with the Rohloff 14-speed hub, but that hub alone costs as much
or more than a complete bike with a Nexus or Spectro hub, and would be overkill for a newbie.

As for gear hubs, have any of the new (Sunrace) Sturmey-Archer hubs hit the market yet, and if they
have, how do they stack up to the competition?
--
Russ Price * [email protected] * kill the wabbit to email "...shrink-wrapping the average
stick-built suburban bungalow against anthrax, VX and radioactive fallout is akin to rolling a
rubber on before diving naked into a shark tank full of blood." -Patrick O'Grady

 

In article <%[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> Hi, I'm a newbie. My wife is interested in the LandRider because she doesn't like to shift. She is
> 59 years old and intends to use the bike for short (less than 20 miles) rides, mostly on country
> roads. Is this a good choice for her?

Generally speaking auto shift bikes are a poor choice. They don't have any adjustments that would
accomodate how you feel. Some days you feel strong and the bike will always be in a gear that is too
low. Other times you will feel weak and the bike will always be in a gear that is too high. I would
suggest you check out bikes that use the Shimano Nexus rear hub. It comes with a single, simple
twist shifter that anyone can learn to use very easily. You can even shift when the bike is stopped,
something you can't do with a derailleur mechanism.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)

 

I am surprised by the response you have received regarding the Landrider. I purchased one for my husband almost 2 years ago and he LOVES it! Sometimes he over rides the gear shifting because he wants to be in a different gear but says it is the most comfortable bike he has ever ridden. He has never complained about the weight of the bike. He will be 40 years old this year and is in pretty good shape. Actually I was hoping to get one for myself this Christmas. Also his brother-in-law just ordered one for his wife. I was shocked to hear that this company is no longer in business but I know you can still purchase the bikes online. The bike has held up just fine and my husband takes it out on some tough trails. Our neighbor is an avid rider and used to race. We let him try out the bike and he agreed that its the most comfortable bike he has ever ridden. I give the Landrider a thumbs up!!