Hybrid Bicycles - Trek DS 8.4 or...? Newbie in need of help!

Hello everyone,

So I've been riding a Marin Larkspur for the past 14 months, and due to some idiotic carelessness left it right outside my house without locking it up, and of course it was stolen (I live in Baltimore City). Instead of lamenting my obvious mistake, I've reframed this as an opportunity to upgrade.

Baltimore's roads are crap so the lack of front suspension was difficult though manageable, and I'd like to start getting out to some trails and maybe even mountains more than in the past. I've read up on the front suspension tradeoff

-More comfortable ride, particularly in Bmore where the roads often suck
-Capability of mountain/trail biking
-Front shock lockouts provide flexibility

BUT:
-More expensive in initial cost and upkeep
-Energy efficiency, particularly on hills

Today I tested out a Trek DS 8.4 but they only had a 15 built and I really should be on a 17.5, which they're building for me to test out tomorrow or the next day. To be honest, I had no intention of spending 780 on a bike, but that thing was so damn sexy now I'm having trouble walking away from the desire.

Are there any other hybrids in the 500-700 range that you think are comparable or even superior? Am I being a complete newb by even wanting front suspension?

Thanks for any advice yall can offer!

Corey

I think the Giant Roam 1 is your best bet for under $700. or you could look into the Specialized CrossTrail bikes.

I just picked up a Trek DS 8.3 (msrp $639.00) and am very happy with my decision. I did not feel the 8.4 was worth the diff to me. Here is mine.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Uu3NSu3uzcQ/TlZNVAhkcNI/AAAAAAAABfs/s6qAj1E5r3k/s800/DSC00625.JPG

Here's the Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc (730 retail) http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52744&scid=1003&scname=Path%2FGravel

The Giant Roam 1 (620 retail) http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/roam.1/7507/44080/

And the DS 8.4 (830 retail, but I found a shop that has it for 780) http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/dual_sport/ds_series/8_4_ds

As an amateur all of the specs just look like gobbledygook to me. The 8.4 site mentions exactly what the upgrades are from the 8.3, for example the 8.4 has hydraulic disc breaks as opposed to the 8.3's mechanical disc breaks, but I have no idea what that means, and how different they are.

Thanks for your recommendations so far!

Sorry, I have no opinion on this style bike (other than I hated the front suspension on my old bike) but I did want to recommend Race Pace Bikes in Federal Hill as somewhere you can try out a lot of different models and get good advice. I was underwhelmed with the shops in the city until they opened this year.

Would have sent you a PM but board requires 50 posts to do that. (really?)

I also have an 8.3 I really like it. I didn't like the front suspension at all though and swapped it for a rigid fork. The tires do most of the absorbing of the bumps anyway. It's a great bike. The brakes have really good stopping power. I think it would be a good bike for Baltimore city. I'm in Annapolis, and it seems like there are a lot of people on this board from MD.

Thanks guys. I was also told the Diamondback Men's Trace Comp Hybrid is a good bike and a bit cheaper, http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10850665&cp=4406646.4413993.4418012 there's also the Trace Pro http://www.amazon.com/Diamondback-Trace-Wheels-X-Large-22-Inch/dp/B0041VA3D8/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1314829238&sr=8-14

Can anyone speak to those bikes?

I haven't tried them, but I would avoid a bike coming from a department store and not a bike store. I would assume they are cheaper for a reason. Just my thoughts.