algrant33

Hi all,

I'm a 27 y/o male, 6'1, 320 lbs. I've been eyeing bicycles for a while, and I'm ready to quit eyeing and start riding. I've read through a good number of these posts, and the one main takeaway is that buying a bike is a lot more complicated than picking the right size. I grew up on $69 Wal-Mart 26" 10-speed mountain bikes so this was originally a shock to me. I haven't ridden regularly since before college (about 8 years now).

I'm over that now and I'm busy narrowing down a few bike styles to start trying out at local bike stores. I live in Colorado Springs so there's absolutely no shortage of bike shops. (Might need help sorting between the bike shops but will save that for another post.)

My chief needs are:
--Commuting. Riding back & forth to work (~8 miles) on paved roads and urban trails, some gravel, some hard-pack dirt, but 95% of my miles will be pavement or concrete. I have plenty of hills I can access on pavement but I don't ever plan on going rock-hopping with this setup.
--Fitness. I'm not going to be 320 for the rest of my life. Endurance and quad strength will come with this too (I want to take up skiing and biking is good cross-training for the leg muscles.)
--Durability. I'm not afraid to do a little wrenching (I like it, even) but if I have to spend as much time tinkering as I do riding, I'm not going to end up doing either. (And I know this.)
--Value where it counts. I have the cash but not the desire to drop $900 into a first bike. I want reliable, long-wearing components but they don't have to be top-of-the-line. My comfortable budget is about $550 not including accessories. For me to overspend this budget for a single feature or component will require a quantum leap in the associated quality.

My desires are:
--A stand-up/hybrid stance on flat bars. I have no desire to sit in race position. Not yet.
--Fenders and a rack or topbox, standard or easily added.
--700c or 29er wheels (sturdy)
--Any front suspension MUST have lockouts and SHOULD have preload. For rear suspension, I prefer a hardtail and a cushy seat.

The current objects of my affection (and within my budget) are:
--Trek FX 7.2
--Trek DS 8.3 -- I can justify the "quantum leap" from cantilever brakes to discs and I like the longer wheelbase.

I DON'T CARE AT ALL about getting the newest 2012 model--in fact, if I can get an overstock '10 or '09 model that's an easy way for me to get more feature than I feel comfortable paying sticker price for.

SPECIFIC QUESTIONS for you guys:
--What are similar bikes to the ones listed above that are available from well-known/no-name manufacturers? What are the quality on any of those? I live near an REI and I understand the house brands are decent quality for the price. I also live near a Dick's and I'm not convinced as far as the quality available there.
--What other styles of bikes should I be looking for? Some in other threads have mentioned the cyclocross. Would also be interested in a 29'er hardtail setup which I can convert to trail.

And also--hit me with any other information or suggestions you can think of.

I'll continue to read the wealth of information on this site and pose any other questions I can think of.

Thanks!!

Pamestique 

For the price range you are looking - go to REI or a Performance store. Both have a generous return policy and have a fairly knowledgeable staff.

I am of the belief that you buy a bike for the purpose... an "all purpose" bike is not good at anything. You decide what you need the bike for most and then look for a bike that best suits that need. If mostly road and possibly some trail (and by trail I assume you mean dirt bike path) a cyclocross bike would be OK. I see no reason at all to get a 29er hardtail unless you are solely riding dirt trails. Just like with a car, the more things on a bike, the more that can go wrong and needs maintenance, especially at your price point (cheap forks are just that - really cheap and will fall apart). Get a good solid, rigid bike, simple and to the point. Make sure it fits you well. Fit should be your main concern.

For $600 you can get a fairly decent rigif steel bike but for the same amount, a poor quality suspension bike. Your choice...

jethro56 

You won't find new cyclocross bikes from LBS's for less than $1000. The 7.2's brakes are called V-brakes or linear pull brakes. Cantilever brakes are the ones with a wire Y'ed above the tire leading to each separate cantilever. Cyclocross use cantilever brakes because the amount of cable pull is the same as caliper brakes that road bikes use but they can span wide tires. V brakes and cable operated disc brakes use a different amount of pull requiring different levers to operate them.

As far as quality. I'd say that the Trek will cost a little more than it's competition but I think they force their dealers to stand behind them. Given that you have so many LBS's to choose from finding one that will treat you right is as important as anything.

algrant33

To be clear: My purpose is to ride, and to ride almost exclusively on streets and paved trail, with an occasional helping of hard-pack dirt trail. No racing, no BMX, no stunts, no bombing down the ski hill. I might--no, I WILL--occasionally hop a curb.

Went bike-shopping at REI this afternoon... I have a lot more looking to do but I managed to clarify my mind on a few things.

1--At my price point and for the concept of road biking, the front shocks are overrated. I spent more time caring about whether or not I could completely lock them out because they would Literally. Jump. Up. And. Down. On. Every. Pedal. Stroke. Annoying as hell (and this is new we're talking, imagine 500 miles of wear on them). The one I tried with tubular forks and no suspension at all convinced me I wouldn't miss having a front shock.

2--The hybrid bikes in my price range had crap components and didn't appear to stand up to abuse very well. One of them, I didn't get out of the parking lot before the pedal stripped out of the crank.

3--If I'm going to be working with the stock setup, I'd rather have stock 32-spoke wheels designed to handle knobby tires & puddle-jumping and outfit them with street rubber, rather than having stock 32-spoke wheels designed to handle street rubber and having worry about them every time I want to ride off of a 2" curb. Simply put, everything's just built sturdier, so I can get a "cheap" mountain bike frame and "cheap" mountain bike wheels that will carry heavier load than similarly-priced road or hybrid versions. (Am I correct in thinking this way?)

4--The mountain bike gearing fits where I'm at physically with the road in mind, it makes hauling up our hills MUCH easier, and when I outgrow that gearing I can trade up to a more aggressive front crank and gearset.

For these reasons I'll be looking much more closely at a 29er hardtail mountain bike setup if I can find one with a solid front fork...and then worry about converting it to street use with thinner rubber and a rack and lights. I still have yet to seriously consider the 700c lineup, I intend to do that tomorrow.

How hard is it to change up to a higher-tooth-count front gearset? My intuition says I just have to pull the crank, swap it and get a longer chain. Am I going to have to swap out the front derailleur while I'm at it or can I re-position it to work with the new gear? What are we talking cost-wise to do that?

Are "cheap" mountain bike wheels sturdier than "cheap" road wheels or "cheap" hybrid wheels? My intuition would tell me yes, but then I've bent the hell out of several Wal-Mart 26" rims in my hellraising days.

Where can I find a 29er hardtail mountain bike with rigid front fork? What's an example of one?