Old man and son need advice.
I, somewhat urgently, need help in making the right selection for a couple of bikes I'm prepared to buy for my son and I.
After a ton of online research, we have settled on Trek as a brand ... our individual specs and needs are as follows:
Me
1) 57 years old, 6 ft, 190 lbs
2) will be using on pavement 50% of the time, gravel 25%, off-road 25%
3) my area is hilly terrain with some steep inclines (Ozark Mountains)
4) maximum price $750
Son
1) 24 yrs old, 5-11, 225 lbs
2) pavement 75%, light off-road 25%
3) his area is less hilly
4) maximum price $600
We have been to our local Trek dealer and test-driven several bikes ... the store is new and they have been somewhat helpful, but not to the extent that they have made us confident in choosing the right bikes. Basically, they have recommended the GF Bodega for my son and the 4300 for me ... we both have also considered the 7300. We are relatively new to biking and all we basically know about Trek is what we have gathered online and from the bike shop ... specs for each of the bikes becomes very confusing to us after a while.
Can anyone help us make the right selection? One question I have in particular is about the GF Collection ... it doesn't seem to have caught on in our area ... research shows that there are a lot of recent changes with Gary and Trek ... should that be a concern in buying a GF bike now?
Anxious to pull the trigger and get to riding, but dazed and confused about hybrids versus true mountain bikes and all of the various models and specs, we are
Bill and son
Last edited by Honest Bill; 02-24-11 at 05:43 PM.