mindspin311

Looking to grab a bike to get outside and get some exercise. Thinking a hybrid is just the ticket. Most of the riding around me is paved trails/greenways/etc. I probably havent owned a bike in 15+ years.

I visited 3 local shops and have narrowed it down to the following:




I tried to somewhat rank some key components, please correct me if my thinking is wrong.

My problem is, which do I get? To me, they're all kind of equal other than the obvious component differences. Do I go for a higher spec to "future proof" myself?

AU Tiger

Most folks here are going to tell you two things: buy one that feels good when you ride it, and buy as much bike as you can reasonably afford. Both of which are good advice.

I just wanted to say that Black Friday is an excellent time to buy a bike, or at least it was for me last year. So if you keep an eye out next week, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover you can get a better bike than the ones you're looking at. I was looking at getting a Giant Escape 2 or a Fuji Absolute 2.1, and out of nowhere a deal popped up on the Absolute 1.5. It's a much better bike than the 2.1, and I paid a little bit less for it than I was planning to pay for the others.

Whatever you end up getting, I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I have. I am in much better condition than I was a year ago, almost down to my ideal weight, and I feel much better. Not to mention biking is just a lot of fun!

sonatageek

Not to muddy the water (feel free to ignore this) but the Nashbar flatbar road bike (really a hybrid) can be had for as little as $224 when the right sale is going on. Alloy frame, Altus level drive train similar to some of the bikes on your list.

I bought one earlier this year, but won't actually get to try it until January when I visit family in Florida (where I had the bike delivered).

Good luck and happy riding.

altondavis2

Aside from the spreadsheet (an admirable job) comes the emotional side of getting the bike that really feels good to you, from the LBS that you feel good getting advice and service from. You can't get a good deal from a bad shop. Spend some time talking to the local sales/service teams. Its going to be sorta tough to fit that spreadsheet between your rear and an awkward feeling saddle.

Good luck, find the one that feels right

Adistea

I started riding a few months ago and first bought a Hybrid bike to see if I even would want to really truly ride. I really liked biking after a few rides and then bought a Masi road bike. I love it. Wasn't too expensive for a new rider like me. Don't go all out money wise on your first bike. I upgraded because I ended up loving biking. Good luck!����

TriDanny47

Good for you! I think a hybrid is a great "first bike" vs. a road bike, just more comfort and versatility about where you can ride it.

of the ones above, I vote for the Sirrus Disc.

I'm a big fan of disc brakes - to me they are more reliable, and I have a Specialized Crosstrail Pro Disc that is an awesome bike - and I just ordered the Sirrus Pro Carbon last week, should be in for pickup Friday-ish.

The one poster above is right though - you may be able to get a lot more bike for the $ with holiday sales coming up, so if you are in the U.S. check out Performance Bicycle, Nashbar and Jenson USA, which are 3 big mail order places (Performance has about 120 retail locations in various states too). I have spent a lot of $ at Performance because they have good sales and a rewards program that can give you a lot of bonus $ to spend.

JES600

I put a lot of thought into buying my bike recently. It was my first bike since 1995, so a full 20 years. A lot has changed, so I had a lot to learn in order to make an informed decision. After comparing component levels and brand names and different technologies, I finally just went to the shop that I liked the best, told them where I wanted to ride, and they gave me some suggestions.

Basically, I bought the bike that I felt I wouldn't want to upgrade right away, and that would handle where I wanted to go. I did spend more than I intended, but I feel I made the right choice.

Good luck with whichever bike you choose.

Wanderer

If those were my choices, The Sirrus Sport Disc would be my obvious choice. You have to decide which one rides the best for YOU!

mindspin311

So that's a good point. Lots of what I read says buy the bike that fits you best, that rides best for you. What am I looking for exactly? What should I pay attention to?

Lt Stonez

How much will you spend on your new bike?

mindspin311

I will probably ride 2-4 times a week? Maybe a few short rides after work and something longer during the weekend.

Lt Stonez

call up your local bike shops and ask if they have some bikes on black friday sale. If yes, visit them tomorrow and look around and try some bikes. Am sure you will get the same black friday deal all the week.

SirrusEliteDisc

We have all overthought this process. You keep posing the same question we did. "What am I looking for exactly?" I don't think you can buy ONE bike to satisfy all of your needs, but based on your intended use as stated in the original post the bikes you listed fit the bill.

Now it's time to weed out based on fit. Which one feels the best ? The LBS should have you on the correct size bike with seat close to proper height and shifters and brakes adjusted and ready to ride. Do you feel too much pressure on your wrists ? Do you feel stretched out ? Does the bike respond quickly to your input steering, shifting, and braking ? Is the color of the bike just so bad you would be hard pressed to ride it in public ? If the seat is uncomfortable it can be changed and stem can be swapped out to correct length issues if you buy from a good shop. Does the shop suit you ? Are they really trying to sell you the correct bike or just trying to sell you a bike ? I have a thirty year relationship with my bike shop so I know they will give me honest answers.

We have realized that our cycling has changed to just the riding you are talking about. We no longer ride dirt trails and gravel. We just sold our two 29ers and purchased Specialized Sirrus Elite Disc (2014 leftover at reduced price) and Sirrus Sport Disc (2015 also at reduced price). The difference is amazing, like going from an SUV to a sports car.

Why disc brakes ? We switched our two Cannondale F400's to disc back in 2007 and have never looked back. When they got wet and muddy they stopped. Quietly and surely. It rains a lot here in Lower Alabama and we will be riding in the rain at times. I like brakes that stop when I apply them.

Get a feel for the weight of the bikes. My suggestion is to get the lightest one in your price range. You will be moving that weight peddling and picking it up to put on bike racks and such. Why didn't we buy Carbon Fiber bikes if I am advocating buying the lightest one ? Price. We used the money we got from selling the 29er's and all of the spares we had for them plus a couple of hundred dollars to buy our new bikes.

You may just find one of the bikes you listed trips your trigger and is more fun to ride than the others. Buy it and move on to the next phase, finding the right saddle....

Robert A

You're not overthinking it. I went through the same process last month.

So, after you've ridden these bikes, I have two unrelated suggestions...

1) Search endlessly through these forums to read comments about each bike series (i.e., Trek FX, etc.) You'll start to have a sense of what to look for.
2) If by chance you happen to like Specialized, you may find some 2015 leftovers at really good prices. I wound up getting a bike that was a full step better than the one I originally wanted, and the price was lower too.

Wanderer

You ask a good question, which only YOU can answer!

Which one rides the best for you, is the most comfortable, easiest to ride, most fun?

Which one looks the nicest to you, really trips your trigger, makes you want to ride it?

MHO - disc brakes are the future, and are awesome stoppers. Carbon forks are amazing. Fatter tires ride nicer, up to a point (32-40mm is a good balance of ride and efficiency). 700 size wheels do roll better.

You want at least a 9 spd rear, then a compact double or a triple (if a lot of hills) up front. More gear choices is almost always better, and 9 spd is a good financial choice.

Buy the most bike you can afford, to help prevent upgraditis, and get a better bike in the process.(You will never buy parts cheaper, than when included on a new bike)

Jarrett2

I dig the spreadsheet. I'm a spreadsheet guy as well and it is definitely part of my buying process to help me see things laid out like that.

That said, forget the spreadsheet

Since you haven't ridden in a long time I suspect, you are going to be somewhat reliant on your LBS (local bike shop) for a while. So for your first purchase, you are really picking where to buy more than what to buy. Buy from the shop/salesperson that give you the most warm and fuzzies. The one that takes time to help you individually and will answer the phone if you call back with questions. Make sure their service department in friendly and helpful as well as that is who you will likely be dealing with mostly after the sale. If they have a 30 day trial or trade in program even better. Performance Bike and REI have one year trial periods if I remember correctly.

I have another suggestion for the spreadsheet. Make a ride journal and start logging from the first ride. How many miles you went, how average speed, duration of the ride, etc. Also take notes on stuff. How you felt during and after the ride, lessons learned on the ride, etc. Track your total mileage. That one will blow you away.

I started mine with my first ride back in May 2013 and in the next week or two, I am going to crack 10,000 miles since I started back riding. Wild, huh? And you will see your progress as well. You'll get faster and ride farther and being able to climb more hills as you go.

You'll need something to track the ride of course for this. Smartphones have lots of cool, free apps that can do it for you, but if you have some extra disposable income, grabbing a Garmin cycling computer with your first bike would make it really easy. They have the new Garmin 25's that are reasonably priced. I have the 1000 myself, but I'm a data hound and like to track everything.

Anyway, good luck. Hope that helps. And most of all, have fun with it.

Jeffkilly

I started riding paved paths this summer and decided to upgrade from my 20 year old m40 green raleigh. I got the Specialized Sirrus Elite (no disc brakes, because it was a 2014 leftover). I feel the frame is a good enough frame to build on, so adding disc brakes and other upgrades could be an option at some point. I have only ridden a couple hundred miles since getting it, but it is a great light bike and feels like a Porsche compared to my Raleigh.

altondavis2

Good Luck, I'm casting my vote for the Sirrus Sport Disc.

mindspin311

You make a good point. I havent regularly rode a bike in probably 15 years. With that said, I can easily say which shop I prefer. Looks like Ill most likely be purchasing a Specialized or possibly Giant, as those are the 2 main brands at that shop.

JES600

Of your spreadsheet choices, I vote for the Sirrus Sport Disc. Which Giant model(s) are you considering? For what it's worth, I'm quite happy with my new Giant (ToughRoad). It's not quite the same type of bike you're looking at though.

MRT2

Your answer still reflects a bit of ambiguity. What does a short ride mean? What does somewhat longer mean? A friend of my wife's recently started cycling and rode 2 to 4 short rides per week. To her, a short ride is 15 or 20 minutes at 8 to 10 mph. Basically, a leisurely spin around the block, or two. To me, that barely counts as a ride at all, and a short ride to me might be 12 to 20 miles, or about 45 minutes to 75 minutes. For me, a longer ride might be 3 or 4 hours. But a fast club rider would consider the rides I do to be a rest day.

Bottom line is any of the bikes you are looking at should be adequate to get you started. And fwiw, derailleurs are not the key components. Past a certain threshold, consumer grade derailleurs work equally well All the generic bits like shifters, crankset, brakes, and (especially) wheels are at least as important (and are the areas all these bikes could be improved if money were no object)

mindspin311

Probably the Escape series, they seem most similar to the Sirrus.

mindspin311

So, I discovered Performance Bike's website, specifically their Fuji offerings, the Absolute lineup. They seem really aggressively priced. Aluminum frame, carbon fork and discs for the same price as a Sirrus Sport Disc. They even are showing some 2015 models at a discount with equal or better specs.

How does Fuji stack up to Specialized? Also, PB lists a few Absolute LE models, typically 2015 models. How are those different than a "standard" Absolute?

MRT2

Fuji is more of a value brand, while Specialized is more of a premium brand.

AU Tiger

I'm not familiar with the LE models, but I am VERY happy with my Absolute 1.5. The 2015 model looks to have the same specs as my 2014, just in a different color. Right now it's at $650, but I paid $420 for it last year during the Black Friday deals. I'd bet they'll have a similar deal again this year. And if so, I doubt you'll find anything else that comes close.

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400316__400316