Tips on First time bike purchase

girlinahat wrote: »

Like you, I bought a hybrid. Hated it. Never rode it. Hated the way my hands sat on the flat bars, hated the suspension in the forks, hated how heavy it seemed.

Just recently I bought a cyclocross bike (giant/Liv Invite). Love the weight, love the drop handlebars. Love how it fits me. Look forward to getting home and jumping on it.

I see so many people commuting on hybrids with heavy front forks, too much suspension and knobbly tires. They just don't need it. Think about where you are going to cycle most, what the conditions are like, them go down to your local bike shop and tell them, keep open minded, and get them to find a bike that fits you, not get you to fit the bike.

Your description sounds like a comfort bike or mountain bike. A hybrid uses a road bike frame (no suspension) with mountain bike gearing and bars. I do have a sprung seat post.

I have a Specialized Vita (the entry level one so around $500) and love it. I call it a "road inspired hybrid".

beemerphile1 wrote: »

Your budget can get you a very good quality Trek hybrid at your local bike shop.

I'll warn you though, bicycles can be addictive, it is hard to only have one. Many of us end up with a garage full.

However, a hybrid is an excellent choice for your first bike.

Yeah, I agree with all of this, particularly the addictive part. But it's a good addiction

I do think hybrids make a great first bike. I rode one exclusively for 8 or 9 years before I decided to change it up and bought a cross bike. Honestly, if I'd started with the cross bike I don't know if I would have kept cycling, primarily because the gearing was pretty brutal for hill climbing and I've got lots of hills to climb. I think I would have found that quite discouraging early on.

That's not to say that I think cross bikes are a bad choice: they can be a perfect bike and are more versatile than pure road bikes, and still I ride mine regularly though I have made some modifications to better suit my riding.

beemerphile1 wrote: »

girlinahat wrote: »

Like you, I bought a hybrid. Hated it. Never rode it. Hated the way my hands sat on the flat bars, hated the suspension in the forks, hated how heavy it seemed.

Your description sounds like a comfort bike or mountain bike. A hybrid uses a road bike frame (no suspension) with mountain bike gearing and bars. I do have a sprung seat post.

It is a Trek 7200 FX. Described as a hybrid, with front fork suspension and sprung seat post. It is not what I would call a mountain bike. Most of the hybrids I see advertised have some form of suspension in the tyres which just isn't needed. The problem is that bike descriptions change all the time. I have never heard of a comfort bike. These days they have added 'adventure' and 'endurance' to the mix, so something that may have once been described as a cyclocross bike with slightly more upright body positioning, is now marketed to a different audience.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.