PS-- the bike shop PP mentions is in Del Ray on Mt. Vernon ave.

Get a hybrid or a comfort bike. The beach ones often don't have gears. Here's a good article. http://www.active.com/cycling/articles/a-beginner-s-guide-to-buying-a-bike-870028

Target sells crap bikes. Cl is a better bet or Costco if you want to buy from a big box store.

Anonymous wrote:I was thinking of getting a bike to ride around the neighborhood bike trail. Is a beach cruiser what I'd look for? Would a <$200 bike from Target be appropriate? I don't expect it to be much exercise, I was imagining more coasting than peddling, lol. Just want to feel the breeze.

Makes sense to me. A couple other ideas:

1. If you happen to live near a Capital Bikeshare location, you could just sign up and use on of theirs. Might be cheaper than buying your own, and you'd never have to worry about maintenance.

2. You could check Craig's List or your local listserv. Lots of people have unused bikes sitting in basements and garages, so you could take one of theirs. Local bike stores will give you a "safety check" tuneup for under $50.

3. There's some store in Northern Virginia that has a great program -- it takes donations of used beat-up bikes and part, teaches area teens to rebuild the bikes, and then sells the resulting bikes to the public to fund the program. A very cool idea, and I've read they do good work on the bikes. I can't recall the name, but it should be easy to find with a search.

I was thinking of getting a bike to ride around the neighborhood bike trail. Is a beach cruiser what I'd look for? Would a <$200 bike from Target be appropriate? I don't expect it to be much exercise, I was imagining more coasting than peddling, lol. Just want to feel the breeze.