Recreational & Family - Newbie looking for suggestion

Hi everyone. Im totally new to bikes and have a few questions for all of you on what I should look for. I am guessing that most of my riding will be on paved streets, and maybe sometimes on a trail. I went to Denis Sporting Goods today after getting a recommendation from a friend who is big into biking. I test rode a 2002 Specialized Crossroads, and a Giant Cypress DX. The Crossroads was 330 bucks, and the Giant was the same. They also had a 2002 Specialized Expedition for 200 bucks. So there is a bit of a price difference there. I havent ridden a bike in forever. I want something to excercise with, and ride around for fun. Is the Expedition considered a mountain bike? What would you suggest I get? I am kinda leary about spending a lot, because I dont feel I will recognize the difference in a better bike, because I havent ridden a bike in a long time. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

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The '02 Specialized Expedition is considered an ATB (ALL TERRAIN BIKE) That style bike will be a very comfortable ride and yes that bike would be excellent for what you are wanting from a bike. Also, you will be saving good money as the '04's are already hitting the LBS's.

You can go to this link for better info:
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkFamily.jsp?my=2002&fan=Expedition&JServSessionIdroot=ptxvrcdzw9.j27003

Thanks for the reply. What makes this Expedition so much cheaper than the Crossroads? They are both of the same year. I know they are both Specialized, but is there a quality difference between the bike? Are the parts on the Crossroads better quality than on the Expedition? I test rode the Crossroads a bit, and will test ride the Expedition tomorrow. Thanks for your input.

I went ahead and picked up the 02 Crossroads A1. This bike felt better for me. Im looking forward to putting a lot of miles on this bike.

Congratulations! You should have a great bike there that will last you many years.

The Crossroads is a good choice for an around-town local streets and bike paths bike. The main difference between it and the expedition are the 700c wheels (more of a 'hybrid' wheelset - they'll hold a reasonably high pressure, probably about 80lbs, thus be easier to pedal on hard surfaces) and a larger crankset (thus overall higher gearing than the Expedition).

The Expedition would be better for low-speed climbing of steep hills e.g light mountain bike trails, as it's essentially a 'rigid' (no suspension) mountain bike.

:cool: Great choice in bikes, I have one, it was my second bike and I really enjoyed riding it. When I went to buy it I rode a couple of lesser brands and really noticed a difference right away. I have about 5000 miles on mine. I have since upgraded to a Litespeed Blue Ridge frame with mountain bikes components. I still have the comfort of being more upright but get the speed and lightness of a road bike. Now I just use my Specialized in the trainer and use the Litespeed for everything else. I'm sure you will get many years of pleasure out of that bike. Have fun riding!