lowcountrybird

Greetings,

I want to get back into cycling recreationally after a 15 year hiatus and never being very serious about it before. All part of a quest for health and fitness.

I do have some lower back issues, so I thought it would be best to start out with a hybrid that would allow me to ride on roads and on bike trails with some gentle off-road capability. I am 5' 8", leggy and 146 lbs.

In the not too distant future I also hope to get a road bike and participate in long range charitable rides (I am assuming my hybrid might not be great for riding over 60 miles a day on a multi-day ride... but correct me if I'm wrong).

I am in a place with little or no hills except over a long bridge over the river. I can drive to serious hills in 3 hours.

Qualities I am looking for:
1. Slightly more upright sitting position
2. Decent components
3. A local dealer to support me (Brands sold locally include Cannondale, Specialized, Trek, Giant, Bianchi, Jamis, Liv Alight -and I'm sure there are others)
4. Nice to ride for several hours on road or on gravel trails (small gravel - no "boulders")
5. Ability to have a facility for storing a DSLR camera on board (wildlife photography is my hobby).
6. A bonus if it might actually survive a multi day charitable road ride.
7. Not off the charts expensive (under $1000) since I'm thinking of buying a road bike in a year. *If there is a hybrid that could do the multi day fundraising rides, then I might go more expensive - but Cannondale told me I should get a Synapse instead of a Quick if I want to multi day rides.

Bikes I have test ridden are:
Specialized Vita
Bianchi Volpe (not a hybrid but more cyclocross)
Cannondale Synapse (when I was initially thinking about a road bike)
Trek Neko and Neko S (Do I really need the "S" with suspension lockout if I'm probably going to get a road bike one day?)

In riding the Neko - I tried a 16 and an 18 size. I think the 18 was a better fit for me.

I feel like I preferred the Neko over the Vita, but it's hard when days went by between test rides since they are at different dealers.

I should be able to test ride a Cannondale Quick as well.

I would appreciate any recommendations or advice given my wishes and the bikes available to me locally.

Thanks in advance

MRT2

I say buy the bike you really want now. Test ride more road bikes until you find the one that speaks to you and forget about hybrids.

lowcountrybird

But a road bike isn't going to work for recreational biking on unpaved trails, is it?

I think I have two purposes for riding, and that is why I thought I would need two bikes ultimately. I just want to start with the one that will allow me to ride on the road and on trails.

Thanks.

big john

If you had a nice cyclocross bike you could have 2 sets of wheels, one set with knobbies and a lightweight set for the road.
There are also road bikes you could do this with.

lowcountrybird

Thanks big john. I did enjoy riding the Bianchi Volpe, which is in that cyclocross category.

MRT2

Why not? Get a road bike with clearance for wider tires and you can pretty much go anywhere you can go on a hybrid. Swap tires, and you are set for a 100 mile charity ride.

the thing is, you can get a pretty nice bike for $1,000, a really nice bike for $1,500. But if you spend $700 or $800 now for a nice hybrid, how much will you have next year for a new road bike?

Gerryattrick

One of the problems you get asking advice about bikes is that you will tend to get people's personal preferences. They are not you and do not know you!

There is a chance that somewhere down the line you may want to change the style of bike as you get to ride more, but that could happen whichever bike you start off with, so unless money is a particular issue I wouldn't worry too much about it.

The most important thing is to get a bike that you most think you will want to ride, and that makes you enthusiastic to ride it.

Try some out and go for the one you feel comfortable with, and don't get overly concerned about what category people fit it into. Drop bar bikes can range from out and out racing styles, to cyclocross to touring. Raising the bar height or changing stem length can give you a more upright riding position.

Hybrids can be very upright and have suspension or not, or they can have a much more sporting feel with a more stretched out riding position. Speaking from my own experience there is absolutely no problem in doing long rides on a hybrid (bar ends can give extra hand positions). All bikes can range from heavy to light of course.

Two pieces of advice I would give are: based on the description of your preferred rides, there is no need to go for suspension, which adds extra weight and cost and can also use up extra energy. And get a good bike fit.

zjrog

I will agree with a cyclocross bike and second set of wheels. Perhaps the road wheels might have better gearing for road work than your cyclocross wheels.

we bought a hybrid for my wife years ago, she never really got comfortable on it. Our daughter rides it now, and is giving a lot of thought to drop bars on like I did my 29er.

nobodyhere

Ride the bike that turns you on to riding more. That sits in the garage saying "Ride me."

In any given price range components are going to be pretty comparable, with slight differences here and there. Don't get into the
chart game" with multiple spread sheets comparing everything - unless you are an OCD engineer and driven towards those sort of things.

"I want to go for a ride today" says your bike, and you say "Yes."

BluesDawg

Several issues at play here. Of all the things listed in the original post, choosing the bike shop you are most comfortable with would be my top priority over any specific brand or model.

It makes a big difference whether you are wanting to buy one bike now and then add a more road worthy bike later or just buy one bike now and be done with it.

You mentioned liking the Trek Neko more than the Specialized Vita. There are two different takes on hybrids. The Neko is more like the Specialized Ariel, hybrids aimed more toward trail riding and upright posture with short travel front suspension and wider tires with more of a trail grabbing trad pattern. The Vita is more like the Trek FX series of bikes, fitness hybrids aimed more toward paved road riding with rigid forks and narrower, smoother rubber.

The Ariel/Neko type bike would, I think, be better suited for the two bike scenario, while the Vita/FX would be more suited to the one bike to cover it all track. There are also some versatile drop bar road bikes coming out now, like the Trek Crossrip and Specialized Dolce EVO which handle paved and unpaved roads without problems, but their entry point is a bit higher than what you have stated.

I work part time at a shop that sells Specialized bikes, so I am most familiar with them, but anything I say about Specialized bikes would equally apply to similar models from other brands. We have sold many Vita bikes (and the men's version, the Sirrus) to riders who end up riding them on century rides and multi-day events. Having ridden 20+ renditions of Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, I have seen many people complete these week long, 400 mile adventures on similar bikes.
We have also sold many Vita/Sirrus bikes to people who want to ride dirt roads, gravel paths etc. The 38mm tires that come stock on the Ariel will easily fit the Vita making it instantly more worthy of unpaved roads. In fact, even wider tires will fit on the front wheel allowing more cushioning from rocks and ruts.

There are many good ways to go, but the most important choice you'll be making is which shop suits you best.

fietsbob

You largely are picking the Handlebar control type category .. Hybrid its all under your hands

you can add top mount inline brake levers to have them near your hands when on the top of the bars, sitting Up.

But the shift lever will be not right by your hands in that position..

wheels 700c with 32ish to 40 tires can be a common element. 29ers are also a 700c rim but have the capacity to take 2"

wide full off road tires.. 50~60 mm wide..

Whizzer283

An earlier poster said you'll get lots of opinions. Here's my story. At 50 i restarted cycling with a used 90's no suspension mtn bike with a rack and rear folding basket. As my rides grew longer and the climbs more challenging I upgraded to a C'dale CAAD 10 road bike and ditched the rack and basket. For my 53rd b-day, I recently upgraded my wheels and put on some ContinGPs 700 x25. It's fine on small gravel and hard packed dirt. It's no fun in the mud and sand.

When I started, a flat 40 mile loop would be 8 mph with lots of breaks. Saturday i did a flat 50 mile loop and only took a break to eat my sandwich. Averaged 16 mph.

lowcountrybird

Thanks, BluesDawg! That was helpful. I actually kind of like your idea about putting Ariel tires on the Vita. I just spoke to a guy at the Specialized store on the phone and he liked it as well. I appreciate your analysis on the one-bike versus two bike scenario also.

augiedogie

I did just about what you did last year and started with a hybrid, which in hindsight was a smart decision. I bought a Specialized Crossroads, which was only $400, and has worked out very well. I can adjust the handlebars, quite a bit, raising or lowering, which was a great feature, because I also have occasional back problems, plus I'm 62. However, it isn't the bike I recommend. Its a pretty heavy bike, so its kind of limiting on speed. So be careful of the weight. There are hybrids that are more trail friendly, like mine, and others more set up for the road.

BUt I do think a hybrid is a good choice. It will make it easier on your back. I tried a road bike out yesterday, and just a quick spin around the block gave me a back ache.

David Bierbaum

What year? Mine is a '92, which I think is about the last year they made the Crossroads out of Cro-Moly instead of Aluminum alloy.

An added thought is, if you get a bike with front suspension as your main go-to bike, you'll want that front suspension to have a lockout for road/paved-trail riding.

augiedogie

Its a 2014 model. I believe it has a steel fork and the rest is Aluminum. Even so, its still 35 lbs.

martianone

Consider an Electra Townie ?
It touches on several points you indicated- upright ride, comfortable for gravel surfaces, can attach a rack, easy on the wallet. Plus it is easy to adjust to your fit, which may evolve some during your first year or two of returning to riding.

Classtime 

If I were you, and I was pretty sure that a road bike was in my future, I'd get a road bike now with clearance for wider tires and put townie type bars with barred shifters on it. Something like a Surly Pacer. A shortish stem and mustache style bars that will play nice with the brake levers will enable you to just switch bars and stem and you have a road bike. Any shop that sells Surlys or Somas will help you out.

RonH

I agree 100%.

dadbar

I got back into cycling 2 years ago at 58. My most comfortable bike is my 20 inch Dahon Formula S18 which has an adjustable handlebar height so I can ride very erect which is extremely comfortable for me. I use it on paved bike trails and on some smooth dirt trails. Try one....you might really like it.