Hybrid Bicycles - First time on the forum, inexperienced biker and I need help!!!

Hi folks:

I´m a 43 year old guy with very little bike riding experience (have not ride bikes for the last 20 years) and have decided to get back into bike riding for recreational and fitness purposes. I have spent around 3 weeks researching as much as I can on which type of bike I should purchase and to be honest, don´t have a clue about what to get. I visited 5 LBS´s, which only carry Cannondale and Trek bikes (there are not a lot of bike shops where i live), so whatever bike I get will fall on one of the brands mentioned above. To complicate matters, none of the 5 bike shops had the models I´m considering for this purchase, so trying this bikes has been impossible. On the positive side, I felt extremely pleased with the service given to me in one of the 5 stores I visited (actually the biggest one and a Cannondale authorized dealer) and was able to get some good information. It seems that the consensus among all the LBS´s is that I should get a hybrid bike and that the size of the bike should be large. I´m 6´2" and my weight is 197lbs.

The bike I will purchase will be used roughly 75-80% on pavement surfaces. I really really want to get a bike that is not heavy, so I´m willing to invest more money for the right bike. I also will be riding some hills, so speed and ease for doing this is essential. My plan is to ride between 30 to 50 miles weekly, so I will want to get something that is durable. As far as budget goes, I can spend up to 2K for the bike, perhaps 25 hundred if that will make reasonable difference as the advantages I will get for a higher price bike. Perhaps this is a lot of money, but i rather invest and get something I will not outgrow in a considerable amount of time, that having to make another purchase in the short run due to being unsatisfied with the initial purchase. One final wish for me is to get a bike that is not too big. I recognize that due to my height and weight, probably the best size for a bike should be large, but among this size, a more ergonomic geometry will be extremely appreciated (if this makes sense).

Since Cannondale and Trek are the only brands i can get where I live (I will have to place an order with the LBS for the selected bike), the models between these 2 brands that caught my interest are:

1. 2012 Trek DS 8.6
2. 2012 Trek FX 7.7
3. 2012 Trek CrossRip Elite
4. 2012 Cannondale Adventure 2
5. 2012 Cannondale Quick CX Speed 1 Carbon
6. 2012 Cannodale Bad Boy (not sure about the model)

I don´t know if all these bikes fall within the budget and requirements I have laid out for this purchase, but among these is the bike I will get. Any recommendations or observations you care to provide me to help me with this purchase will be greatly appreciated.

A couple of things to point out- the CrossRip is a 2013 model. 2012 models will be hard to come by, as the 2013 models are rolling off the shipping containers at the port.

Though the LBS may not have the exact model you're looking at, if they have one in a lower trim- say 8.3DS- the frame geometry will be the same for overall fitting purposes.

A hybrid is (may be) the wrong kind of bike for you... go road bike.

You'll be more comfortable.

Size... there are sizing websites out there, a search will find them. They are 95% good... even for tall folk. Focus on getting the seat tube length right, everything else can be compensated for (within a few degrees or so)

If you are not sure about how "serious" you're going to get over time, start at en entry level bike. In a year or so you'll learn what you like and don't like and you'll know how you want to adjust your ride.

Investing $2k up front may not be the best investment... especially if it ends up gathering dust in the garage.


Remember, you're buying more than just the bike = Bike+pedals+shoes+clothes+accessories(tail bag, spare tubes, tools, lights, compressed air, bottle cages and water bottles)


Hybrid bikes will just put you up in the wind. They are great for going to the store and toodling about... but you'll hit comfort limits quickly.


I'm 6'4" @240lbs... I know what it is like to have sizing issues.

I have a 8.4 DS and it weighs about 30-32 pounds out of the box since it has a front suspension fork. From what I've read about the CrossRip it is more of a cyclocross bike and would possibly be able to go offroad and might be lighter. The Trek FX series are more flat-bar road bike which would be lighter but I'm not sure about the offroad capability (maybe someone will chime in who has one). I'm not personally familiar with the Cannondale bikes.
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Thanks for the responses!!! I started to take a look at the 2013 Cannondale catalog. What puts me off about road bikes is the riding position. I have back problems and cannot be in that inclined position for a long time. I know I wont be using the back for going to bike trails of mountain biking, so that´s the reason I´m looking at a hybrid. I just want the bike to ride along my daughter during weekends and doing exercise going on the road but not for long distances.

I have DS8.3 and it has a nice comfortable upright position and shouldn't give your back any problems. The Cannondale Quick CXs look like they have very similar geometry so I would think that either would be a good pick for you.
The Adventure 2 looks like a bike I use to have, a mid 90s Specialized Globe. I really liked that Bike. It was very comfortable. If you just want a comfortable bike to ride the adventure might be the way to go. But if you think you might want to do some off-roading(nothing crazy of course) get a DS or Quick CX.

My journey to bike riding has been similar to yours, not having been riding much for the past 20 years. I started in early June with a Trek 8.3ds thinking I might still want to do a little off road and trail but more road riding and thought front suspension forks would be a help and the 8.3ds having a lockout feature sealed the deal for me. It's a great bike although heavy for it's class. I found myself riding more and more on the road and dreaming of much longer rides and feeling that the weight penalty of the hybrid was holding me back so started thinking of a road bike. I ended up with a Specialized Sectaur apex, had it for a week now and couldn't be happier. The Sectaur is what's called a "comfort" roadbike and is very relaxed, comfortable and no more stretched out than on my 8.3 when riding on the hoods and even less than the 8.3 when using just the tops of the bars. When I want to I can drop down to the drops and am then way more aero than on the 8.3 because I'm so much narrower as well as low down. I have Ergon bar ends on the 8.3 and they are good but not nearly as comfy as the 3 main hand options on my Sectaur.
So now I've got two great bikes, keeping my 8.3 as my all around town bike with a rack and always ready to do a bit of offroad. Best of all I got great end of 2012 model year deal on both bikes with a total of about $1900 out the door for both bikes. Don't forget to budget for accessories as I've already burned through at least $600 for Ergon grips,rack,lock,computer (1 for each bike)shoes with clips and pedals for the road bike, a good windbreaker, and padded liner shorts that I can use under my regular shorts. Had I known I would get so much into road riding I would have likely gone used on the hybrid maybe even getting a mountain bike and putting slicker tires on it perhaps saving a few hundred bucks.
Good luck in your search!

Latif

Thanks again guys for your comments. Unfortunately, I dont have the option for getting Specialized or any brand of bikes, aside from Cannondale or Trek. Right now I´m getting inclined to get the Cannondale Quick CX Speed 1. I will have to check if that is part of the 2013 Cannondale offer. Since it is a carbon bike, I´m sure it will be at the top of my budget, if not more. I´m really getting interested in the Adventure, so if the price is right, I might get both. Decisions, decisions.....

Just checked the 2013 Cannondale catalog and it seems that the Adventure has not been included. I guess that narrows the search to the Quick CX Speed Carbon.

I'm very close to your age.

That's serious money for a hybrid. Even with back issues, I'd start with something cheaper. I bought kind of a higher priced hybrid and after I got comfortable on it, road a road bike and really regretted the hybrid purchase.

Lower priced hybrids are super easy to resale because they hold their value and are in demand. Higher priced ones are not as much.

As someone who came off a ten year hiatus and wasted some money swapping bikes, I advise you to get 300-400 miles on a cheaper hybrid like a Quick 4, etc, then jump on a nicer $2500 road bike and compare it to a $2500 hybrid.

If I could do it all over again, I'd have bought a nice carbon road bike and bypassed the hybrid phase entirely.

You might be completely opposite, but you owe it to yourself to ride multiple bikes.

For a lower price Hybrid, what would you recommend then? Remember that it will have to be Cannondale or Trek.

Trek 7.2 or Cannondale Quick 4.
Great starter bikes, save your cash until you know exactly what you want. :)

For fun, you should ride ~$2000 road bikes there from Trek and Cannondale. I feel confident
they'll have something in your size. Don't rule anything out! Ride, ride, ride. You're in data acquisition mode, and you want your money to go into something you can enjoy for years.

Most importantly, have fun and please report back.

You are talking about six to eight miles a day? $2500 bike? Really?

Start with something a lot less expensive. If you don't keep riding it
is not a great lose. A $2500 bike in a year or two will be worth maybe
$500 if you can even sell it.

I started on a Walmart MB, $88. Rode it nearly 6000 miles the first year.
Got a nicer bike, yard sale, rode it nearly 10,000 first year I had it.
Four summers and nearly 30,000 later I am riding a $X,XXX custom
built. I have no regrets about starting on a cheap bike. If I had not
kept riding I would have a lot of regrets about a $,$$$ bike sitting
in the shed.

I don't mean to be the bad guy, but 90% buy a bike, ride it a week
and park it. I talk to people everyday, "I got a bike a couple years
ago and the seat hurt my butt and I quit riding it."

Cyclist are a different type of person.. Most are

CRAZY! Not me though.

BHOFM, you are absolutely right. I think I´m going to go for something in the 7-8 hundred range. Perhaps some inexpensive modding could be done to increase performance, if necessary.

I'm going with the guys recommending a less expensive bike like a lower model Trek FX. I know from reading these boards and from personal experience that the lure of speed is a strong one and a hybrid just whets the appetite for a road bike. A $5-600 hybrid will be a great bike for your stated goals and you'll be able to judge whether cycling is for you. I'm not familiar with the current line-up of Trek FX's but there are folks here who can steer you in the right direction as to what the best buy is regarding 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 or 7.5.

BHOFM, you are absolutely right. I think I´m going to go for something in the 7-8 hundred range. Perhaps some inexpensive modding could be done to increase performance, if necessary.

Getting started riding is the most important thing, performance comes with conditioning. Also riding with
experienced riders will help. See if someone at the LBS can ride with you in the beginning. It is not about
speed at first. It is about cadence. Pedal speed. Get to where you can maintain 80+ and the rest just
comes along for the ride.

Check the classifieds,

BTW, where are you located??

I bought a $487 base Specialized Sirrus. Love it, but it still is more bike than I can fully use. My plan is to eide this a lot over the next year, and then maybe get a road bike. I already have ideas about what I want in a new bike, and they aren't the same ideas I had, if I had bought a road bike right at the start.

Got any tall friends with bikes you can try? Or, are the LBS near you willing to let you ride for an extended period of time so that you can narrow down what you really like? You don't want to spend a massive amount of money on something you won't like over time; at the same time, hey, a really expensive bike usually rides nicer than a cheap one!

I have an old hybrid that I still bomb around on, but really, it's not really great at any one thing...

With your kind of budget, I'd include recumbents in your search. I mean if people are recommend roadies, why not? Otherwise, save some coin and just get an entry level whatever. Speed and performance will come, but only if you train yourself to do that.

I am thinking of the base Sirrus. Could you
treadtread (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php/309224-treadtread)
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explain what you mean by to much bike for your needs... I am thinking I want more of a street bike. I am used to riding a Specialized Hardrock on the road right now. Its an older bike actually its a 93... Its needs a lil work to get it new again... It was house kept till we lost our home with Katrina... :( . I am thinking I want it to stay a mountain bike and just put new tires/brake pads What ever the shop says it needs. The Sirrus I really like the looks and the flat bar... I had a street bike as a young person... A Schwin Continental 10 speed) this was back when you got Schwin from a bike shop Wal Mart did not exist. I never rode in the position where I used the botton of the handle bars the brakes had a lever to use from that top position... I put many many miles on that bike with never even a flat tire.. I rode all over New Orleans This was a great bike.. IMO.
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I would also like to hear more about those Trek FX... My 2 local(30 miles away) Have Trek and Specialized...

BHOFM, you are absolutely right. I think I´m going to go for something in the 7-8 hundred range. Perhaps some inexpensive modding could be done to increase performance, if necessary.

I think you're on the right track. I never thought a road bike was on my radar when I got my hybrid and was thinking about improving the performance of my bike right away, partly because of the info and sometimes hype available here on the forums. I'm glad I didn't sink a bunch of money into it right away as no matter what I would do to it it would still be a heavy hybrid and a compromise. I discovered quickly was that I really wanted the freedom and feel of riding on the open road and ended up with a great beginners road bike as well as keeping my hybrid as my knock around all purpose bike. I couldn't get comfortable enough on long rides on the hybrid and it's night and day difference with my new road bike and into the whole deal for around 2 grand.

I am thinking of the base Sirrus. Could you
treadtread (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php/309224-treadtread)
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explain what you mean by to much bike for your needs... I am thinking I want more of a street bike. I am used to riding a Specialized Hardrock on the road right now. Its an older bike actually its a 93... Its needs a lil work to get it new again... It was house kept till we lost our home with Katrina... :( . I am thinking I want it to stay a mountain bike and just put new tires/brake pads What ever the shop says it needs. The Sirrus I really like the looks and the flat bar... I had a street bike as a young person... A Schwin Continental 10 speed) this was back when you got Schwin from a bike shop Wal Mart did not exist. I never rode in the position where I used the botton of the handle bars the brakes had a lever to use from that top position... I put many many miles on that bike with never even a flat tire.. I rode all over New Orleans This was a great bike.. IMO.
Economista25 (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php/317170-Economista25)
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I would also like to hear more about those Trek FX... My 2 local(30 miles away) Have Trek and Specialized...

What I meant is, this is road bike enough for me so far. Wouldn't want to ride a mountain bike on the streets - that wasn't what I meant.

I have not ridden longer than 15 miles at a stretch. My hands have not gone numb, so I haven't required drops or bar ends. The max speed I can sustain for longer periods is 18 miles per hour. At 18 mph, I am not close to maxing out the gears, so the bike has the potential to go faster (fastest I have ridden it was at 27 mph).

When I can sustain 20+ speeds, and travel longer distances, I will consider getting a road bike. Till then, the base Sirrus is doing its job wonderfully. YMMV of course, just describing my personal experience. I commute everyday - a 7 mile round trip - and the Sirrus is holding up well.

A hybrid is (may be) the wrong kind of bike for you... go road bike.

You'll be more comfortable.

You don't know that. I started out hybrid, converted to drop bars, but lately I'm thinking upright is better for comfort. I'm 6'-2" and 235. I got used to being a big windbreak and after a while comfort wins over aero for me.

Another thought is to buy a hybrid on CraigsList (I got a brand new 1994 model in 2008 for $100). I've totally customized it to my liking and it's still well under $1000 out of my pocket. With such a low up-front cost, making changes are easy and readily affordable.

Trek FX7.4 or Quick 4. Not sure about the Trek, but I tested a Quick 4 not long ago. It was by far the most upright of all the bike I tested. I rode a large frame bike, but felt like I was a little cramped....I'm only 5'10". It rode nice, but I wasn't sold on the geometry....might be something that works for you though.