Commuting - Gary Fisher Bikes

I am a cycling newbie and am looking at a Gary Fisher Nirvana S for my first bike. I realize there are higher-end bikes out there, but my budget is limited and I want to see if I really like cycling before I invest a bundle on an expensive bike. I would appreciate some of your expert opinions on Gary Fisher bikes and especially anyone who has experience with the Nirvana S. Thanks.

Edit: I'll be using this bike for recreation and fitness. I posted on this forum because I knew that the Nirvana was a commuter bike and was hoping people on this forum would be familiar with it. If there is another forum more appropriate, let me know and I can post there instead. Thanks.

I commute on a Gary Fisher bike, a hybrid like the one you are considering, but mine has a few more upgrades -- disk brakes, etc. You can't go wrong with a Fisher bike and the price of the Nirvana S looks very appealing. I say go for it and enjoy your commute!

I ride an '04 Gary Fisher Advance and (until yesterday) have not had any problems with it. Yesterday I was pulling away from a red light and bent my big chain ring while trying to pedal. Otherwise the bike has been great. Guess I'll take it to the LBS soon and get it replaced. *sigh*

[QUOTE=mtntrail]I am a cycling newbie and am looking at a Gary Fisher Nirvana S for my first bike. I realize there are higher-end bikes out there, but my budget is limited and I want to see if I really like cycling before I invest a bundle on an expensive bike. I would appreciate some of your expert opinions on Gary Fisher bikes and especially anyone who has experience with the Nirvana S. Thanks.
QUOTE]

Mtntrail-

I have a GF Paragon that is 5 or so years old, and my wife has a GF Hoo Koo E Koo that is 7. Neither bike has ever been a problem in any way. I rode a bunch of bikes before buying the Paragon, and vastly prefered the "stretched out" feelng of the Fisher. YMMV regarding the feel of the hybrid, but quality overall shouldn't be an issue (unless Trek, who owns Fisher, has been dropping quality on newer Fisher builds).

I have a 7 year old Aquila that just refuses to die. It even survived getting knocked off my roofrack when I drove through a parking garage with low clearance (I forgot I had the bike on top, doh!). Can't speak for newer models, though.

Thanks for everyone's responses. I bought the Nirvana S today with all the extra goodies. I took it for a 10 mile test ride and was very happy with it. Woo Hoo!

i commute on a Gary Fisher Wahoo. I like the quality of the bike (given that its a low end model) except that a should have bought a more hybrid/road bike rather than an all out MTB. Thus, i have made several special modifications to her. [And yes, she can made point 5 past light speed]. But overall its a good bike for commuting, its a good urban assault bike.

I'm currently riding a Gary Fisher Big Sur (I think it's a 1999 model), and I find any excuse to get on it. My friend loaned me this bike for the season because my bike got stolen, but I have to give it back soon. I was thinking of getting the Paragon since everyone I spoke with gives it rave reviews. Most of the people I spoke to are riding older model Fishers. Does anybody know if the quality of Fisher bikes has changed now that it's owned by Trek?

Your bike will roll faster if you put on narrower tires. When your current 42mm tires are showing signs of wear, check the inside width of the rims and this site will show the range of tire widths that will fit.

http://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

I've got 2 fisher mtn bikes and my brother-in-law has one. I've got a '94 mamba which was a step down from the Hoo Koo E Koo, i should have spent the extra for the Hoo Koo, but I didn't know I was going to get into mtn biking as much as I did. That mamba is still running on mostly all original parts. It's now retired to beaterdom since I have a FS 2001 Sugar 4, and a shiny new road bike. The Sugar is really nice, the only complaint I have about it is that it doesn't have mounts on the rear for discs. So I can't upgrade.

The bro-in-law has an old joshua Y bike. It's light as hell and he's got mostly XTR stuff on it. He likes it and I'd say it's a good bike. The only thing I'd replace on it is the rear shock, it's a little bouncy.

as far as quality of the fishers post Trek, I think my sugar is after the buyout and my mamba is before. I like them both.

Have fun on it mtntrail!

I have a 04 Marlin. its converted into a single speed now but never had any problems. I did however bend the front derailleur, but thats my fault for riding it rough on the trails. Thats why I converted to SS.