I'm looking for some recommendations on a new bike. For a couple years I had my brother's Specialized mountain bike, but he decided he wanted to start using it again so I just had to give it up. I'm looking for something primarily to use for exercise, and most of my riding would be done on pavement. I would like to have the option of taking it off road though, as I do occasionally like to ride the ant hills at Terry Hershey Park. So what's my best option? What's a good bike shop to check out? What are hybrids all about? I'm hoping not to spend more than $600. Also, I'm 6"4 so I'll need a pretty big frame.
I just bought a hybrid (in between a mountain and a road bike) a few months ago. It was a $450 Gary Fisher, and I'm happy with it so far. The model name of the bike is the Gary Fisher Wingra:
My suggestion is to get a bike that suits what you are going to do but unfortunately "pavement" and "trails" don't mix that well, IMO. My first suggestion would be to buy a road bike for pavement and borrow (or buy) a mountain bike for when you occasionally want to go off road. You absolutely can't ride a road bike (with road bike tires) off road. Period. If that is not feasible, my next suggestions is to buy a mountain bike with just front shocks (or whatever they are called) and then get some slick tires for it. Use the slicks for pavement and trade them out for the knobby tires when you want to go off road. This solution involves a little work but the bike should come with knobby tires and slicks can be had for probably less than forty dollars for the pair. Changing them is easy once you get the hang of it and will probably take about 10 minutes including pumping them up full of air. If you really want to make it easy get a second set of wheels (one set with slicks and one with knobbies) and just trade those out. You can do that in seconds but it is obviously more expensive. Finally, just get a mountain bike and ride it on the road. You will be just like most people who get a mountain bike because they are "in" (or were) but who never ride trails. The knobby tires will work on pavement but they aren't the best. I would not recommend a hybrid for anyone beyond the person who just wants to putt around their neighborhood once in a while. I have a hybrid (first bike) and actually rode the MS150 on it, however, now that I have a road bike I never ride it. If I had gotten a mountain bike and put slicks on it (like I recommend above) I would now have a road bike and a mountain bike - two useful bikes. Instead I have a great road bike and another bike that sits in the garage. At least I can let friends ride it who don't have bikes... With regard to what brand of bike.... set a budget (remembering that you will have to buy accessories like a helmet, pump, gloves, etc...) and then buy the best bike for your budget that fits. This means going to a real bike store and not Academy. If you are in town then I would recommend Bikesport
Simplicity without gears that can go off road. http://www.sagecycles.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BK06RL2901
Color me ignorant... but why would you pay 425 bucks for a 40 lb bike with no gears or suspension? Might as well get a Huffy, no?
Personally, I ride a Yeti 575 and a Turner Burner, but I live in an area with mountains, but if I lived in Houston, a single speed 29er would be perfect. There are no long climbs anywhere, and you never have to adjust derailleurs. You can always add a suspension fork as well if you decide you need it. Also, they don't way 40 pounds. They weigh about 28 pounds.
Thanks for the info, that's some good information. So what advantages does a traditional road bike have over just putting slicks on a mountain bike? I'd guess lighter weight is the main thing, but I'm wondering what else I'd lose by going the mountain bike route. As I said the majority of the time I'd be on pavement, so a road bike would probably make the most sense. The problem though is that in the limited amount of looking I've done, the price tags on road bikes appear to be much higher than mountain. Also, I already have the helmet, shorts, and other accessories so the only real expense for me at this point will be the bike.
If you want to ride fast and far then you want a road bike. The main things you get with a road bike are a more aerodynamic riding position (more important than you might think) and higher gearing for faster speeds. For example, if you want to start doing organized rides or the MS150 a road bike is the best tool to do that. However, having said that you can do a lot on a mountain bike with slicks. I road the MS150 on a hybrid which is essentially a mountain bike on slicks (without the shocks). But I enjoyed it more on a road bike as it was faster, I was able to get out of the wind easier and I looked less out of place. Once again, if you get a mountain bike and then later decide that you want to do more fast road cycling you can get a road bike and still have a mountain bike for trails.
My bike's more then 10 years old....so I'm not up on all the new technology. I'll echo what chase said for the most part! Get a good fit. Visit a good local bike shop (which will usually let you take a bike for a ride). I ride a mountain bike exclusively. I commute to work three to four days a week. I bought slicks when I rode from Vancouver to San Francisco -- but apart from that, I ride with knobblies. Mainly because I'm too lazy to switch them up and my commute isn't too long, and I do like to ride the trails quite often. (you slide around too much on slicks). Front suspension is key if you ride trails. Back suspension really compromises your pavement riding IMO (especially up hills). So if you're going to ride pavement I'd stay away from rear suspension. Your disadvantage in riding a MB on pavement is speed. Lots of it. And comfort to a degree. But definitely speed. I just can't keep up to my road riding friends. And that makes it less fun. Except when I find a trail, and can rip off road, while they are stuck on pavement. You can ride road and trail on a MB -- road bike restricts you to pavement. So if you have a group who goes out on road bikes and you want to join them -- you'll be hard pressed to do so on a MB. But if you're OK with sacrificing speed and long ride comfort (and it can be significant) a MB is by far the most flexible. A good bike shop will let you test drive the bikes. You know what it's like to ride a MB -- test out a road bike and decide if the better ride on pavement is worth giving up the off road option.
I need to buy a bike as well...I'll have to do more research...Unfortunely, price will dictate what I get...
