Quasi newbie looking for some help

[brulena]

So here's my story-

I had been riding a Scattante R560 for several years. It was a nice ride but it's over now since it was my brother's and he's back from school.

I need a new bike and I'm not entirely sure what kind of bike is most practical for my needs:

I'd like to get a bike to use for exercising, commute to work (14miles), and run some errands. I live in Chicago- so everything's mostly flat. The bike trails here are mostly paved but not without the occasional pothole or bump- just like the city streets. I've got a little one on the way so eventually i'd like to add a hitch/trailer. But that's something to a consider in a year or maybe I just get a separate bike for those leisure rides.

Is it a hybrid, commuter, or road bike I should be looking to buy?

My current budget is $800 max. May not even be willing to go that high since this will be my 1st purchase/can do an upgrade in the future. I already have shoes, helmut, gear, and computer. But I will need to get new pedals

Thanks!

 

[kdelong]

Use the $800 to send your brother back to school. But seriously, go to several bike shops in your area and try riding different styles of bikes to find out which you like best. When you start talking to the salesman at each shop, tell him that you want a bike that you can use to pull a trailer in the future.

Be mindful that you are not going to get the same quality of bike as your brother's R560 for $800. Maybe he would be willing to sell it to you for that amount? Anyway, any bike that you get at your LBS is going to be of lesser quality unless you fall into a really good deal. It happens but not often.

Another route that you might take is http://www.bikesdirect.com . Most of their customers are happy with them but every now and then they will end up with an unhappy customer. A lot of it seems to stem from the fact that their supplier changes the specifications on the bike and there is a little lag time between when the change occurs on the bike and when the description on their website is changed. I just looked on their site and they have a sale on a Windsor model Fens.http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/fens_xi.htm#specs It has the same quality of parts as the R560 and comes with a pair of pedals for $749. It looks like a good deal to me, and it has holes in the rear dropouts for a rack or a trailer hitch.

 

[brulena]

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

Had a very busy week at work but I was able to go to a few LBS this past monday. One shop was pushing me to buy a KHS hybrid bike. I had never heard of the brand before. the shop didn't even let me test the bikes so I left. I went to another shop that sold most Treks. I tested the FX 7.1-7.5 line. I impressed with both 7.3 and 7.5. The 7.5 felt a little lighter but outside of that, i couldn't tell any other subtle differences. There's a few hundered $$ difference between the 2 lol

I'm going to check Peformance bike this weekend and check their own brand, Scattante, and their Fuji line. I'll post back here after the visit!