Northwoods Springdale Women’s 21-Speed Hybrid Bicycle Review 

How do you even start shopping for a new hybrid bike?

With so many different models, features, and price ranges available, figuring out which bike is actually right for you can be incredibly difficult, at the best of time.

Knowing which features are the most important to you, what different types of construction materials mean for the durability of the bike, how it will perform on different surfaces -- dirt trails, rocky asphalt, slick pavement -- and how comfortable it is, when you're buying a bike online, just makes it that much harder to do.

The problems really come into play when you realize that some manufacturers tend to believe that a "hybrid" bike is some rare commodity that requires a premium price tag, and decide to sell their bikes for thousands of dollars.  The bikes that have the exact same features as bikes that are priced far lower.

That means you can't always use the price tag as a justification for whether, or not, the bike is a good bike.

The truth is, when you compare those high-end bikes to more budget-friendly bikes, the differences between the two aren't nearly as big as you would think, based on the price tag alone.

To help you sift through some of the many different models available, we've done the hard work for you.  We have found one of the best women's hybrid bikes currently available, at a price tag that will probably shock you if you've done any amount of shopping for a new bike already.

Introduction to the Northwoods Springdale Women's 21-Speed Hybrid Bicycle

Our top three picks for the best hybrid bicycles for women – which encompasses both budget and the most expensive bikes on the market – includes this one from Northwoods: the Springdale women’s 21 speed hybrid bicycle.

This is one of the top hybrid bikes for women riders for quite a few reasons. But you will probably notice that the most appealing thing about it is the price – which is about a quarter of what some of the other companies are charging for bikes that offer even less performance than the Springdale does.

With 21 speeds, anyone should be able to find their perfect pedal resistance and the Springdale will be able to keep up with the other hybrids that we have picked out – even the ones designed for male riders. 

Let’s take a look at the features.

what about the results?

The results have been great with this women’s hybrid bike. What makes it different from other hybrids, even those in the same price range, is the fact that it uses top-quality parts from Shimano and that every single aspect of this bike has been designed for performance, durability and smooth riding.

The truth is, the price on this bike is so low that it is probably off-putting to some people.

We have been taught and carry the misconception that quality products cost more money and the low price tag may make people believe Northwoods has sacrificed quality to achieve it.

Don't let the price tag fool you, though, because this is one of the most high-quality women’s hybrids that we have reviewed, which is why it easily secured a spot in our top 3.

Testimonials from Northwoods Hybrid Customers

Customer reviews are about what you would expect with this bike. Nearly 80% of the people who bought the Springdale rated it as good, great or excellent.

Some of the things that people commented on included how light the bike was, and how easily they can carry in and out of the house.  There were quite a few customers shocked that they were able to get a bike like the Springdale for less than $200.

There were a few people that had problems but there was no pattern that looked like something was wrong with the bike.  All of the issues the people face seemed to be isolated incidents and were probably resolved by Northwoods.

What to watch out for before buying this bike

When it comes to things to watch out for, it is difficult to know exactly what to list because there are very few complaints that people left in the reviews for the bike.  Any aspect of owning the bike that they did complain about appeared to be more user error or isolated incidents, which didn't ring any alarms during our research.

However, in the interest of fairness here are some of the complaints that people had about this bike.

Some people said that the brakes were really squeaky and others were concerned that they had a hard time finding parts. 

The brakes can be broken in, and with Shimano constructing a large portion of the parts on the bike, finding replacements (if you can't get them from Northwoods) should be easy to find by contacting Shimano.

One thing that should be mentioned is that this is not the lightest bike in the world and if you are using it to commute and need to take it up staircases or carry it around, there may be other bikes better suited to your needs. The shipping weight for this bicycle is 44 pounds so you can probably assume that the weight of the bike itself is at least 30.

Buying Advice

When it comes to saving money while you're trying to buy the Northwoods Springdale, I would strongly recommend that you check the prices on Amazon.  Even though other retailers may be selling the bike, Amazon's prices are incredibly competitive.

Amazon also offers free and reduced-cost shipping for their Prime members.  While it doesn't appear that the Springdale qualifies for free shipping (probably due to its weight), you should be able to get cheaper shipping than you will through other retailers.

Amazon also offers an amazing no-questions-asked refund policy, so if you have problems with the bike or decide it's not right for you, getting a refund or exchanging it for a different model shouldn't be a problem.

Conclusion

Is it a solid purchase that is going to be the perfect hybrid bike for you?

We think this is one of the best budget-friendly women's hybrid bikes on the market and with the price less than $200, you have absolutely nothing to lose by giving it a shot.

With an aluminum frame that is designed to be as lightweight and comfortable as possible, 700c wheels and 21 speeds to get the bike into perfect sync with your riding style, we think you will love everything about the Springdale.

It's also shipped with both front and rear fenders, along with a rear rack, so you're getting even more value for your money than you get with other bikes that charge a separate fee for these options.

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