Tips on First time bike purchase

bwogilvie

If by hybrid you mean a flat handlebar bike with no suspension and tires that are fatter than a typical road bike but skinnier than a mountain bike or cruiser, then I think that is an excellent choice for a first bike. Some bikes like that, such as the Jamis Allegro Sport and Coda Sport, aren't marketed as hybrids.

I second the advice to avoid suspension; it's unnecessary for most riding, and at your price point, suspension will add a lot of weight. You're better off using wider tires and somewhat lower pressure to provide pneumatic suspension.

And I second the advice to check out bike shops, and buy your bike from a shop you like and trust. The brand doesn't matter as much as the relationship you build with the shop that will tune up your bike in a month or so after you buy it, and then service it as needed (unless you learn the skills to do it).

If you get seriously into cycling, your hybrid may be succeeded by another bike, but it's a good way to start. I don't ride my 1997 Trek Multitrack 730 much anymore, but I still keep it set up for visitors, as a spare bike when my other bikes need work that I haven't gotten around to doing, and for errands that are longer than I want to ride on my upright Dutch-style commuter. I also put studded tires on it in the winter for riding on snow and ice.

DuckiesorDie

Thank you everyone for the feedback! This has helped a ton, I think I'm going to go with a trek 7.2 or specialized Sirius, just not sure if I really need the disc brakes and the other upgrades or just get the basic stock model

Roza42

I have a trek 7.3, and I commute 10 miles round trip. I also have a cargo bike and a tandem. I don't know that I would go with the trek again unless I upgraded as I have to adjust the front brakes every time the front tire is removed.

bwogilvie

For the average rider, disc brakes are a good way for bike shops to separate customers from their money. Ditto for carbon forks. There are cyclists who need those, but not beginners.

LauraRae2

Definitely go to a bike shop and try a bunch of things. I have a comfort bike that I adore (Electra Townie). It's comfortable, fits me well, makes me happy, is easy to ride. Husband got a road bike and decided I should have a road bike too, since we were doing a ton of riding, generally going 30 miles or so round trip, and I couldn't keep up with him on my comfort bike.

Let me tell ya, that was the biggest waste of money. I hate that thing. It's so uncomfortable that I dread getting on it, and when I do ride it, I complain the whole time. Technically it "fits" me in that it's the right size and shape for my body, but it doesn't fit ME. I am waaaaaay happier having work my butt off to stay up with him on my comfort bike than riding that thing.

brocantrs

I had a hybrid for several years and spent a lot of time trying to make it perform like a road bike. So this year I went ahead and bought a road bike!

csman49

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0mmar7ymLs

my roadie, taking in every type of surface imaginable on a single commute.

williamg63

bwogilvie wrote: »

For the average rider, disc brakes are a good way for bike shops to separate customers from their money. Ditto for carbon forks. There are cyclists who need those, but not beginners.

Yeah, I would agree that disc brakes are unnecessary for this type of riding. They do have a few advantages, but given the proposed budget under discussion I'd rather put extra money into things like a helmet, lights & fenders instead.

Disc brakes have their place, of course. I have discs on my heavy steel framed touring bike (Specialized AWOL Comp) and for sure, when I'm doing a steep descent with 25-30 pounds of camping gear on the bike I'm very happy to have discs. And I ride year round, so I like having discs when I'm riding in yucky weather in winter. But outside of those situations I'm quite happy with calliper brakes.

msf74

DuckiesorDie wrote: »

Thank you everyone for the feedback! This has helped a ton, I think I'm going to go with a trek 7.2 or specialized Sirius, just not sure if I really need the disc brakes and the other upgrades or just get the basic stock model

There's only two real things you need to worry about 1) does the bike suit the kind of riding I want to do 2) do I feel comfortable / like riding it.

You seem to have the first one sorted out. With regard to 2) while you have listed two great bikes you won't really know until you have tried them out. I would say go and test out 5 bikes in your budget without any preconceptions and you will pretty much know which one suits you best. Buy that one.

williamg63

DuckiesorDie wrote: »

Thank you everyone for the feedback! This has helped a ton, I think I'm going to go with a trek 7.2 or specialized Sirius, just not sure if I really need the disc brakes and the other upgrades or just get the basic stock model

Those are both excellent choices. The stock 7.2 FX and Sirrus have pretty similar specs, so it would really come down to how much you like the ride. If you can step up to the Sirrus Sport, it's got slightly better components, but it costs more and that difference may or may not be worth it to you. At your budget I personally wouldn't go for disc brakes.

kcjchang

You're better off buying a second hand bike. Pricing are pretty competitive and at the end you are just paying for looks and a few bucks for the advertisement and brand. I would stay away from suspension at the lower price range as they are more trouble than gain, a gimmick, and maintenance nightmare. Same goes with disc brakes. Markups are typical 2/3 to 1x so your $600 really cost the LBS $3-400 and much less for the manufacturers. What you get is $100 or less of junk.

If you are handy, you can try online (e.g. bikes direct, bike shop warehouse, & bike island) and find local org/TMA/club where you can borrow tools. It pretty simple as they come nearly 80-90% assembled; you just need to adjust the seat, mount the bars, index the gearing, and true, round and mount the wheels. YouTube is your friend; GCN and Art's Cyclery are my tops. It's less than an hour of work if pressed. You'll need to do basically the same for second hand. Read up on basic fitting and you'll be in the ball park (Google Steve Hogg, Sheldon Brown, John Allen, & Keith Bontrager). Your LBS will probably give you a very basic fit for $600 bike (adjust the seat height, level, and fore positioning and perhaps adjust the stem height) and probably based of KOPS (run away, it's garbage). Get it from LBS if you don't want to do any work.

As to bicycle types, they each have their strength and weaknesses. I'm partial to road and race geometry (road here also) so here is my bias: ditch the flat bar and get the widest tire that can fit the frame. If your plans don't include fast pace and long rides, get a hybrid and circle around the neighborhood. If you anticipate going mostly in the dirt and loose gravel, get a CX bike. If you are going to take on single trails, get a mountain bike. If it mostly paved, stay with road bike and start with one that have a more relaxed geometry.

Save room in your budget to get a helmet, road kit, and a good pair of shorts. Once you find that cycling is your sport, you'll be pouring in the $$$.

beemerphile1

I have a Trek 7.2FX about 3 feet away from me right now in my office. It is the bike I ride most frequently. I love the bike.

My Trek Madone is reserved for longer road rides and club rides unless the wife is along and then it is the Burley Duet tandem.

Old_Tymer

Take it for what it's worth - A good fitting regardless of hybrid, mountain, or road goes a long way. Happy riding