Giant Simple 3 vs 7 (or even Apollo tiki 7)

[Shilks]

Apologies if this is against forum rules/etiquette, but have also just posted this in the general bike buying section...

Hi all,

New to the forum and haven't ridden a bike in almost 20 yrs, and am now about to buy a Giant Simple 3 or 7 - mainly to take casual rides with my 7 and 10yr old daughters, mainly on bike tracks/ around parks etc.

I've picked the cruiser style as I have back issues, made worse by forward bending, so the 'sit up straight' style of the cruisers is best (not to mention that the style suits my attraction to all things vintage!).

I hate to start a form vs function debate, but when I trailed both bikes the simple 7 (ie gears 1-7) was the more comfortable ride when going up hills, and the range of gears and smaller transition between each were more comfortable too ... But (and please be kind) I just really love the colour and the extras (wheel guards, bag rack, etc) of the Simple 3.

So, my question is, 3 months down the track when I've been riding a bit, will I likely be comfortable with the less gears of the 3, or should I just buy the bike that's the better ride right now?

I've also ridden a tiki 7, but the simples seem better.

Thanks

Todd