General Cycling Discussion - Help me choose a new bike please?

Hello, I'm new to bikeforums, and a new bikeowner-to-be. Please help! =)
I'm looking to purchase a hybrid, safe to hit a bit harder terrain and of course on those local WestLA city streets too. Here are a few I personally test-rode and liked. Please give me your opinion, I value your thoughts. One main concern I do have is that I want a lighter bike with street tires (thinner) but am I able to change to a thicker tread on these bikes? I really don't like the weight of mtn bikes. I'm a lightweight to begin with, would love the swifter ride with comfort.

1.Trek 7500 Hybrid
http://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Cit.../7500/index.php

2. Cannondale Adventure 800
http://cannondale.com/bikes/05/cusa/model-5AS8.html

3. Giant Cypress SX
http://www.giantbicycles.com/us/030...asp?model=11053

Any other models in equivalent to these? and for those super nice people out there.. any place that you recommend I can great deals/service to purchase my bike? I visited Helen's Cycles in Santa Monica, pretty cool there.. any reputable online retailers?

Thanks for helping..

ECHO....Echo...echo...echo....

All three bikes you mentioned are from reputable manufacturers. However, it sounds like you primarily want a road machine with the ability to mount slightly wider tyres if necessary. Most hybrids I've seen can accept at least a 38mm wide tyre and 40mm is probably doable too. That's pretty wide for street and adequate for light trails. Any wider and you're into true MTB tyres. How much true offroading will you be doing? If you only intend to do very light trails then I would suggest you modify your selection just a bit to move to the non-suspended versions of each of those models. For instance, I'd look at the Trek 7500FX over the 7500, the Cannondale Road Warrior 800 over the Adventure 800 and the Giant FCR 2 over the Cypress SX. You might also be interested in the Specialized Sirrus and Fuji Silhouette. Suspension really only starts to make sense when you start spending the majority of your time offroad. Otherwise it's a waste of money and energy. It'll be heavier and one more thing to maintain and have mechanically go wrong. For general road and improved trail riding, you will find that you will get a better selection of the components that matter by passing on the suspension.

I chose the 7500FX over the Cypress SL because it was $300 less at my LBS. The 7500FX had better wheels and a nicer paint job, but the Cypress had a better fork, an Ultegra shifter and a carbon fiber seatpost (I think). They were just about the same weight. It wasn't worth $300 for an upgraded fork and shifter, but downgraded wheels.

I hope I made the right decision, but I can always upgrade components later if I want to.

I chose the 7500FX over the Cypress SL because it was $300 less at my LBS. The 7500FX had better wheels and a nicer paint job, but the Cypress had a better fork, an Ultegra shifter and a carbon fiber seatpost (I think). They were just about the same weight. It wasn't worth $300 for an upgraded fork and shifter, but downgraded wheels.

I hope I made the right decision, but I can always upgrade components later if I want to.

I think you made the right decision. The Bontrager Select wheelset is superior to what comes on the Giant. Assuming fit is equal, my order of importance when comparing bikes seems to be:


Frame
Wheels
Fork
Drivetrain
All other components


A new high-quality CF seatpost will cost $100. The one that comes on the Giant is probably worth around $75. A CF fork of higher quality than the one on the Giant can be had for around $200. So if you wanted to, you could have used the $300 difference and upgraded to beyond what the Cypress SL offerred plus you'd still have the better wheels. And FWIW, your bike actually came with better shifters than the ones on the Cypress SL.

Keep in mind that 38 tires are a no-no with the sirrus. I could barely fit my finger in there to size a 32.

I think you made the right decision. The Bontrager Select wheelset is superior to what comes on the Giant. Assuming fit is equal, my order of importance when comparing bikes seems to be:


Frame
Wheels
Fork
Drivetrain
All other components


A new high-quality CF seatpost will cost $100. The one that comes on the Giant is probably worth around $75. A CF fork of higher quality than the one on the Giant can be had for around $200. So if you wanted to, you could have used the $300 difference and upgraded to beyond what the Cypress SL offerred plus you'd still have the better wheels. And FWIW, your bike actually came with better shifters than the ones on the Cypress SL.

Well that's spiffy. :) The CF fork would be lighter and absorb more vibrations, right? I'll see how the bike rides with the aluminum fork, the CF fork may someday become a birthday present or something.

Well that's spiffy. :) The CF fork would be lighter and absorb more vibrations, right? I'll see how the bike rides with the aluminum fork, the CF fork may someday become a birthday present or something.

Yes. The CF fork should help take some of the buzz out of the road. But you're wise to get some time in with the current fork to see how well you like it first. If you do decide to replace, keep in mind that you'll need a cyclocross style CF fork. Keep your eye out for the ones from Winwood and Spicer.

Keep in mind that 38 tires are a no-no with the sirrus. I could barely fit my finger in there to size a 32.

Okay... so maybe a 38 is a little wide. I have seen plenty of hybrids with 35s though. I guess the Sirrus has pretty narrow tyre clearance in the fork? Still, even a 32 is pretty wide for the road. That's a 1.25" tyre and that's a common width for MTB road slicks.