warpedlogic

Hey all! I'm looking to get into commuting via bike to and from work. It's been a while since I last owned a bike (mountain bike), but aside from that I'm just generally confused on what might best suit me. My commute is about 3 miles one way on roads that are fairly maintained, but hilly. On top of that, I recently discovered that my g/f and I would like to take a bike path from our home to the beach (about 11 miles one way and hilly coming back).

Here's the bikes I've been looking at for me:

Northrock SC7
Northrock CTM

The main difference I can see is the tires at 700x40 vs. 26x1.95. I don't want to go on very rough trails, but I'd like to have the option of using an equestrian trail if a bike path isn't available. Would either of these bikes work for what I want to do and which would do it better? Thanks in advance!

Velo Dog

I don't know anything about either bike, but from the descriptions, they're fairly low-end. For the kind of riding you describe, I'd consider a used mountain bike, something like a Specialized Hard Rock or Bridgestone MB3 or MB5, from the '80s or '90s. They're sturdy, you can get parts and they're decent to ride. There's a huge assortment of tires for them, from high pressure road slicks to wide knobbies. I did my first century, 20 years ago, on an MB-3 with Ritchey Quad tires. Around here you can find them in thrift shops, in neglected but good condition, for $30 to $70 or so.

Phil_gretz

That bike will work for your purpose, but it's not great for the money. I read the Costco member magazine article last year when they introduced their line of bikes to be carried at retail locations. These are of reasonable quality - but they're not optimal for anything, certainly not for what you've described. You don't need the triple chainring, and don't need the suspension parts.

I agree with above post. At your price point, the cushy seat, suspension seatpost, and front shock are of minimal utility and add weight. A better choice would be a non-suspension hybrid or early mountain bike. Lower cost, more durable components, lighter weight.

What shows up on Craigslist in your area under search "Trek hybrid" or "Univega hybrid"?