recommendations: lightweight step-through bike for my wife

The bike I'm seeking probably doesn't exist, but....

We keep our bikes in the basement (up 1/2 flight of stairs to the alley). My wife's currently riding a mid-60s Schwinn Hollywood cruiser that weighs a million pounds. She loves the look and ride of it but it's just too much of a pain in the ass for her to haul up and down the stairs (especially if she wants to take our 2-year-old in the bike trailer, also).

Any recommendations for something more lightweight that's still a stepthrough? I've been trying to sell her on a mixte frame rather than the traditional curvy stepthrough but she's not convinced. I think that's probably the answer, though. Her sister has a new Electra Townie but even that is still pretty heavy (around 40#). She really like the Biria "dutch series":


but even that's billed at 35+ pounds. Anything around that would be easier to haul up/down steps?

--anthony

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Permalink Reply by Liz on February 3, 2010 at 5:14am
Gary fisher has a line of city "step thru" bikes that are aluminum, that should cut back on the weight significantly. The also have an 8 gear internal hub which may be better for going between towing the kiddie/items or having nothing on the bike.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/simple-city-8-stepthru
Permalink Reply by anthony nicholson on February 3, 2010 at 5:54am
ooooh, nice.... i sent it to her and she's impressed. Looks like Village Cycle Center has the 3 and 8 speeds in stock so we might go testride this weekend.
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on February 3, 2010 at 6:10am
Not sure how heavy it is, but the Trek Belleville has a WSF. It's a mixte, but it is really pretty:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/eco_design/bellevillewsd/

I'm riding a 1980 Motobecane Nabley...it has a step through frame and I carry it up and down to and from my second floor apartment. It's really not bad. I think it weighs between 25 and 30 pounds.

One nice thing about the step through frame is that it's easier for me to carry it because the curved bottom part of the frame gives me a good place to hold onto the bike for carrying it. I'm not sure how that would work with a mixte.
Permalink Reply by J on February 3, 2010 at 6:17am
http://www.linusbikes.com/?page_id=22

These are light for inexpensive steel mixtes, but probably not as light as the alloy ones listed above. The wheels and tires are very nice for the price and the rack, though it looks steel, is actually aluminum.

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