JackOrlFL said:
I've been looking at a Cannondale Adventure 5, or perhaps a Specialized. Not sure I want a comfort bike, would that be slower/heavier than a hybrid? Any feedback on what brand/type that would be a good fit. Another thing, I keep hearing that Trek's aren't that great, hearing negative press on them, not sure if it is a sales pitch or not. Thanks for reading and any feedback.
Your trek 7100 is a comfort bike so I don't understand why you might want another comfort bike.
Hybrid is a general class that includes all bikes that aren't cruisers, road bikes, or mountain bikes. That includes comfort bikes, fitness bikes, urban hipster bikes, the whole spectrum. Generally I call anything that has derailleur shifting and flat handlebars and is not a mountain bike a hybrid.
Now that we have that settled you have to decide what kind of riding you're going to do. If it's mainly on pavement then you have to decide how deep you want to go--fitness bike (Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus, for example) or full bore road bike. If dirt is a significant part of your riding, then you should look at dirt-oriented hybrids (Specialized Crosstrail, for example).
Now here's my scoop on fitness bikes. We've been selling Trek FXs, throughout the spectrum, like hotcakes for two seasons. The entire range is wonderfully designed and marketed and we have never had a technical or sales problems with the bike. You determine that you want a fitness bike and choose your price and performance level, simple as that.
We'd been a little less successful with the Specialized Sirrus line. There was nothing wrong with the bikes, but it was harder, either because of Specialized's marketing or our store's buying, to match the bike to the rider. Now we have received and built up some standard 2010 Sirruses and Vitas, and I have to say they're just beautiful. They're equipped like the 7.2FX but the frames are a bit lighter and prettier, like a 7.3 with curves.
You can probably guess I'm pretty enthusiastic for fitness bikes. This is true. I think most mountain bikes are never ridden off pavement, and many riders would love a bike they can get into without a lot of commitment and still grow with.