"...Anyways i figured a hybrid with front shock was the best 'starter' bike to go with cause i'm not sure if i wanna go the mtb route or rb route this way it'll give me the best/worst of both worlds and in a few years either upgrade parts on my 1.0 or just replace it with a new one..."
Welcome!
re: the MTB/RB/hybrid is totally your call! I had been riding for many years. I rode a road bike almost exclusively. I guess I like the aerodynamic position and I'm very competitive (I've been told) & in college I would ride with this 1 other rider; we used to go out & ride but the return was see who arrives first; he only beat me the first ride. Anyway, I guess it was the speed I liked.
I did Tri's then I, like a dummy, sold my R700 TT & purchased a MTB & 1 for the wife. Currently we reside in southwest MI.
A couple of years ago I had to junk my MTB (dummy, should have salvaged parts) & used my wife's MTB (she didn't use it that much, she likes cruisers) then sold it & bought a hybrid, previous yrs. model at a discount at the LBS. I was sitting on the 1 on wanted but couldn't get the seat height up where I wanted; they put me on a little bigger bike and the seat was adjusted properly but my crotch was kissing the top tube (could make for a disaster!). I guess he just wanted to make a sale. He could have suggested a longer seat post!
I rode it for 1500 miles in 2 years & just didn't like the "sitting up" position on it. Mostly my riding was road, 95 -99%. I thought of customizing it but that was $$$ which I don't have! I searched the internet, sold the hybrid, never went back to that bike shop again after being charged $60 for a rear cassette side spoke replacement.
Long story short, I purchased a Motobecane Mirage S on BikesDirect.com for what I sold the hybrid, it's a new road bike & I really like it, extremely like it.
I go online to get a lot of tips like sizing at ebicycles.com, & maintenance/repair tips videos from youtube. I also purchased an inexpensive repair stand ($38) so I can do a lot of the maintenance myself. It also came in handy for assembling the bike when it arrived (actually the assembly was "turn the fork forward, attach front brake, front wheel, handlebars, seat post (seat was on post) & pedals! Then I adjusted the derailleurs & all the cables, rear hub & personalized the seat & handlebar position.
So, it's how & where you ride that will tell you what kind of bike to get and it's up to you where you buy it and what you want to spend!
Sorry for the long dissertation... Good luck
Keep the Roll Going
