cs1

I'm looking for a fitness or hybrid bike for my son. He's a big kid and needs something sturdy. Any suggestions that won't break the bank? We're planning on doing most rides at 20 miles or less on a MUP or the road. Thanks in advance.

Street Pedaler

Hi, I'm an older Clyde that has gotten great use from a Trek Hybrid. I've been riding a 7300 for the past, not quite, three years to the tune of about 6,000 miles. I'm about to go pick up my new roadie but I still have and will continue to ride the hybrid. Just my own experience, but I've loved that bike. Good luck!!

exile

Depending on the age of your son, you might want him to determine which bike to get. While the most important thing is fit & feel, a very close second is the desire to ride. Something along the lines of 1a. and 1b..

If he actually wants to ride with you I take it he's not quite 16 . Nonetheless, it would probably be best if he was in the decision making process.

Just be prepared when he has his own ideas of what he would like (lets say a BMX compared to a MTB). While it may not be an optimal choice, what you want is something that he would enjoy riding to help him along the fitness lifestyle.

contango 

It's a bit hard to know what to say without knowing what you mean by "a big kid" and "break the bank". "A big kid" could mean anything from a 150-pound 7-year-old to a 400-pound 15-year-old, and what might break the bank for me would be pocket change to Bill Gates.

As a general observation you'll probably end up with a hybrid bike on the basis they will take in most MUPs, are fine on the road, and are usually built to take a heavier rider. A mountain bike will probably look like it's a lot more fun if he likes the idea of trails but it takes more effort to turn knobbly tyres on tarmac than the smoother tyres you'll find on a hybrid. A drop-handlebar bike will look like more fun if he likes the idea of speed but may not be built to take his weight (again, hard to say with nothing more than "a big kid" to go on)

JusticeZero

Though once again, if one likes the look and feel of a MTB, you can get high speed road bike tires for 26" wheels and put them on. You can do that with any bike running 26" tires really and add a bit of pep on the road. Just remember to change the tubes out too, because the tube size is different. Change them back to the knobbies if you ever actually do make time to get it out to the dirt.

cs1

5'11" 240 lb 18 year old who just graduated high school. He's not going to play sports in college so he needs something other than ipod touch to keep him amused. He's 2" taller and 90 lbs heavier than dad. So, I've really got nothing in my stable to fit.

CraigB

Oh, for the golden age, when getting a bike for college was pretty much limited to deciding between a Raleigh Grand Prix and a Motobecane Mirage.

cs1

When we toured some campuses back in Feb Wally World MTB's with Ashtabula cranks were all I saw. To be fair, I wouldn't want to take anything nicer away to school. That's not my problem, my kid is commuting for the first year or two. I'm looking more for a fitness type of ride.

contango 

For what it's worth my Specialized Rockhopper was built to be a mountain bike although I've partly hybridised mine with more road-friendly tyres and I love it to bits. Most of the riding I do these days is tarmac and good quality trails so if I were buying a bike from cold I'd probably go for something more like a Tricross, but to be honest the Rockhopper feels like an old friend.

Whether I'd want something like that at college is another matter, it still feels like the kind of thing that would get stolen quickly.

exile

At 18 he's old enough to make his decision on what type of bike he would like. Will he be living on campus or commuting? If living on campus where would he keep it? If commuting, how long of a commute?

Not all campuses are the same as far as theft goes. Just teach him how to lock properly, where to lock, and what type of lock to use.

As far as bikes, let him make the decision. Its far more important the he enjoys riding the bike than the actual type.