first time buyer

[thilly]

ive been riding for a few years with some crappy SportChek bikes. this year i feel i should buy a more serious bike. i do 120 km rides mainly on the road, but i do want to try some dirt trails. from what ive read, i think should get a hybrid bicycle. something with shocks at the front fork, a light frame, and a comfortable handle bar and seat. im not quite sure how much i should spend. i was thinking about $1000 should get me an entry level bicycle for what i want to do. i live in Toronto and this shop http://www.dornellas.com/DOrnellasHome.asp seems to be a popular choice in my area, more specifically Scarborough.

any help is appreciated

 

[vspa]

120 km rides in one day ? if you want to ride serious gravel roads, more than an hybrid i would buy a MTB with 2 sets of wheels, one for pavement (narrow slick tires) and the other for dirt trails (wider off road tires)

 

[thilly]

120 km for two days. i rode during the weekends. sorry shouldve been more specific.

hm never thought of using a mountain bike with slimmer tires. sounds like an option. is it hard to change tires?
which brands should i be looking at? ive been lookin at the Giant website.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-ca/bikes/model/roam.xr/9784/49382/
would something like that be ideal?

 

[thilly]

no its 120 km within two days. i rode during the weekend. sorry shouldve been more specific. would be awesome to do 120km in a day.

hm a mountain bike with different sets of wheels sounds like a good option. is it easy to change wheels?

i was doin research earlier, would the following link be an ideal bike?
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-ca/bikes/model/roam.xr/9784/49382/

 

[thilly]

any brands i should look out for?

 

[alienator]

any brands i should look out for?

Yes. You should pay most attention to the brands whose bikes fit you best, feel best when riding, look best, and best fit your budget. There are almost no bad bikes any more, except for those you buy at big box stores.

 

[thilly]

wow so i really cant go wrong, huh? alright. well i live in toronto. any one know of any good stores in the scarborough area? ive been told that D'Ornellas is a good shop. ill also probably check out these stores too

http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_bike_stores_in_toronto/