Bicycle Recommendations.

I know we have some causal & avid bicyclist here, so I'm seeking your insight. I've been thinking about picking up a bike for a while now. I'm getting sick of cardio machines in the gym. The bike would be primarily for road use with some limited trail riding. When I say trail I'm referring to a well groomed bike trail. So a dedicated road bike is out & a mountain bike would be overkill. So a "fitness" or "hybrid" bike is the direction I'm leaning to. Any brand recommendations? Brands to avoid? Definitely not buying from a big box store. Budget isn't a big deal. I'd rather spend a little money & get a quality ride ($750 ish). My last bikes were both Cannondale's. Gear recommendations are also greatly appreciated.

 

When I decided to get back into bicycling, I bought a Giant "Comfort" bike kind of like a mountain bike, but with disk brakes and some suspension. Loved the look of it but it wasn't fast enough. Then I got my current bike, a Trek 2.3. While working in WA, near Mt. Ranier, I was riding about 18-20 miles a day on great trails, hate the street.

My son had in his garage for a couple years while on another job, just got it back today:

Now I need to get back in shape!
To answer your question, the Trek is more than you want to spend, but Giant is a very good brand as well. Should be able to find something in your price range to get you started.
Make sure you get fitted by a reputable shop. I ended up with a much larger bike than I had initially, much better fit and speed.

 

I agree basically with both above. But if you want a bike that has a few better components on it, you may need to spend a bit more that the $750 or so you mentioned. Mind you, I am thinking Canadian prices so maybe I am a way off base here.

Nothing wrong with Cannondale at all. Specialized is my bike of choice. I have an Enduro. My second. First one was stolem by some pimple sucking parasite. Not the best picture but you get the idea.

The tires on this thing were fairly agressive for the riding I am now doing so I changed them out to a less knobby tire whcih makes for much easier pedaling and smoother ride.

My Enduro is a hybrid full suspension which is really nice for longer days in the saddle. Like said before. Get someone who knows what they are doing to fit you to the bike. Believe it or not, if you do not adjust the leg stroke to the right degree, you WILL bugger up your knees if you ride a lot. You need to have almost full extension on the down stroke of your leg. This I also know from experience. Because of that, a few years ago, I could not climb stairs to to arthritic knees unless I pulled myself up the bannister while trying to climb. I shit you not. Celebrex is a great pill for that.

ATGATT also aplies to bicycling too. I did a header over the bars into a rock face in a ditch back somewhere around 1992 or something like that. I just got up and rode away but have been suffering neck issues pretty much ever since. Now I were not wearing a helmet.......

You don't like spandex? Get over it. Cover it up with other shorts. Your crotch will thank you for wearing proper riding shorts beneath whatever else you choose to wear. I also found that out the hard way.

I have been away from the bike for a number of years but health issues has dictated I resume that activity. I am doing so gradually and just waiting for the heat to die down to resume that process. So enjoy. I don't know how many miles I have ridden over the years but it has been a lot.

 

If you are thinking about road and light trail use, and $750 is your absolute budget, you might have some issues with the amount of bike you get. I would stay away from "hybrids". They are overly recreational. I'd look at cyclocross bikes. It's like a road bike, that can go off road. Or even a XC mountain bike with slicks. Either will likely be more effective for what you describe as your use than a true hybrid. If you're willing to forego the name brand for a decent "second tier" frame with good components, you'd probably do better. Main brands (avoiding boutique brands) like Giant, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale will likely get you lesser components per price range. If you get a decent aluminum frame bike like Marin, GT, Fuji, you won't as a beginner realy notice a huge difference in frame quality. Without getting into the local bike shop vs mail order argument, even the Performancebike.com house brand bikes are pretty decent. Pricepoint.com house brands are not bad. None are Wally world junk quality. Even some of the bikesdirect.com Motobecanes are not bad. Like this: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/outlaw-discbrake-crossbikes.htm

Once you decide you want to stick with biking or decide more focused direction, then drop $$$ on a great bike. Just don't cheap out too much, a bad bike at the start can taint your view on biking and turn you away. Best part is, like motorcycles, bikes are completely customizable and if you start build your own bike and wheels, you'll have plenty to wrench on! The only problem with that is it gets addictive. There seems to be a competition in my garage between the bikes and the motorcycles to see who can multiply the quickest.

 

Thanks guys. I'm also not opposed to buying used. CL is littered with quality bikes. I may visit some local bike shops this weekend.

 

If you know how a bike should fit then a used one should work just fine. But if you're not sure then hie yourself to a bike shop and get fitted, it will be the best move you'll make when it comes to bikes.

 

Look at the Cannondale Bad Boy, if they still make it. It is a hybrid and takes either type of rim, road or MTB. I mounted MTB rims and run a tire that leans more to the payment than dirt. I use it for cardio training only and wanted the ability to hop curbs and other city obstacles so the road wheels had to go.

 

Thanks Tink, great analogy with the VFR & R6 reference.

 

Theres actually a few Bad Boy's available on CL's in my area. A couple claiming to be ridden only a handful of times.

 

Some bicycle shops (like auto dealers) have year end close out sales around September. I looked at (but passed on) a cyclocross two years ago. I believe they dropped the price from about $1100 to $700.

 

I work for a Specialized dealer and ride nothing but Specialized. Like Tink said an adventure touring or adventure road bike might fit you best. The Crux may be a little racey for you, but is a badass bike for everything from dirt to gravel grinding. Then there's the Tricross which is a great aluminium touring bike that can be farkled out. The AWOL like Tink said is a cool steel adventure bike that would be good for rough touring. On the more hybrid side they have the Crosstrail. A good bike that has that mountain feel with a front shock fork.

 

Thanks to all for you tips & recommendations. I've had some time to shop / test ride & have come down to two models. A Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc & a Cannondale Quick CX 3. I'm leaning towards the Crosstrail as its a little cheaper, 27 speed vs 24. Tried a couple of mountain bikes while I was shopping just for the sake of comparison. I was the most comfortable on the Crosstrail. A little more upright riding position compared to the mountain bikes. Felt really good even with just a quick fitting. Probably gonna wait till next weekend to purchase. In Mass we have a sales tax holiday so its a good way to save a few bucks.

Thanks again guys!

 

Here, our Provincial Sales Tax gets waived on all exercise equipment. But still have to pay the federal taxes.

 

Provincial Sales Tax & federal taxes, WOW. What % total does that come up to?

 

Its different from province to province. Goods and Services Tax ( GST) is Fed. Everyone paus this in some form or another. Provincial Sales Tax (PST) not all provinces have and may be different from prov to prov. GST I think is 6 or 7%. I think BC's PST is 6 or 7% as well. We are Canadian. We like to not only pay more for things, but also pay taxes. Thats how us 35 million people can afflord to build one new friggate every 5 years for our military and buy new jets every 30 years or so.

 

No break in NS ... 15% tax on just about everything, including exercise equipment...that's why buying used makes sense - save the tax right off the bat.