New to cycling, seeking advice on a bike

[Steve7]

I decided I'm going to ride a bike to work everyday (or at least most days). Thankfully most of my 13ish mile commute will be on a bike trail (seen here) and the rest on a bike friendly road. All but a few blocks will hopefully be low traffic.

I went to a bike shop yesterday and got some ideas but I'm still torn on whether to buy a hybrid bike or a road bike. I may have to go off road once in a while and I would like a bike that if I want to I can modify it to go mountain biking occasionally. I wasn't sure if he was trying to sell me on a bike or what would work best for my situation/commute.

Not sure if I should go for a used or new bike, or what I should be looking for. It's a little overwhelming and I want to try to get my conditioning down before it gets cold in the mornings in about a month or so.

What kind of hybrid bikes should I be looking for new and used? I'm hoping to not spend more than $700 - $800 or so, of course less would be better, I plan to upgrade sometime next spring once I have more experience and knowledge.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[robn311]

I'm pretty new to the cycling scene myself, so take my word as you wish. BUT I bought my first bike just over a month ago for commuting to school/work and for general recreational riding and exercise. I bought what I think most would consider a 'comfort hybrid,' a Jamis Citizen 3 for about $500. I absolutely love it for my purposes. The downside is that it's quite heavy. But it's pretty fast, extremely comfortable, a very smooth and easy ride. I just put a rack and some bar ends on it yesterday, in fact. It is really great for commuting, but I've also gone on some 20-30 mile rides on it on the weekends, and it works just fine for those as well.

That said, it can't match the speed of a road bike. And you can probably get much more bike for the money if you shop used, but of course you have to know what you're looking for and make sure it fits properly. Plus, as someone who didn't know much of anything about bikes getting into it, there is something nice about establishing a relationship with some folks at a local bike shop if you buy from one near you.

Good luck!

Here's my Citizen 3:

 

[davereo]

Originally Posted by robn311 .


. Plus, as someone who didn't know much of anything about bikes getting into it, there is something nice about establishing a relationship with some folks at a local bike shop if you buy from one near you.

Good luck!

Here's my Citizen 3:

+1 good advice

 

[Steve7]

Great, thanks for the advice!

 

[Crocosis]

I have a 2001 Giant OCR 3 RB and a 2011 Giant Escape 2 HBB, I am a clydesdale in every sense of the word! With that said the Escape gets the most seat time these days although I do still ride the OCR 3 too! I really like the fact that I can put my RB wheels and tires on the HBB and make for a little faster ride on the road; and use the stock wheels and tires when I want to do a combination of light dirt and road! I cannot fit my HBB wheels and tires onto my RB because they are too wide.

My RB is a large frame and my HBB is an XL frame, @ the time of purchase in 2001 the large frame was the biggest size offered. The XL frame just feels alot more comfortable to me. All being relatively equal: rider ability/weight, equipment and price range of bikes, the RB will definitely be the faster of the two. Don't judge a rider by his/her bike, sometimes you will be surprised how they can make that machine move!! Not me though; I'm slow as heck!!! lol. GL with your decision!

 

[Look 566 Rider]

Also look at entry level Cross Bikes. These typically have heftier frames with gearing that splits the difference between road and mountain bikes. So put skinny tires and to and from work. Swap out tires and head to the mountain bike trail. You should be able to find these bikes with mounts for panniers.

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/road/cyclocross/2011-caadx-105

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22307&menuItemId=0

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/ProductDisplay?storeId=10052&langId=-1&catalogId=10551&productId=1094122&utm_source=Google_Product_Search&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=datafeed&CAWELAID=859289314

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/cyclocross/steel_cross/erwin/#

Just four examples. These are all entry level for the respective brands. Pretty much every bike company should have something like these. You can spend less or more if you want. look at Fuji, Diamondback, GT and Jamis.

Good Luck,

Mike

 

[Steve7]

Did some looking around and found this bike at a local shop: KHS Urban Xscape

I've searched for reviews online but only found a couple. Do any of you have experience with this bike or KHS in general?

 

[Steve7]

After doing more searching I found a great little bike shop with very experienced staff who helped me decide on a bike. I finally settled on the Cannondale Quick CX3

 

[magie007]

a friend suggested a store to me(primo cycle) in fort. he told me that they can measure and get the best possible bike that will fit me... have anyone heard about this?