Perhaps start with the basics:

1. What riding position do you most like, which feels the most comfortable while riding?

2. Do you have any injuries or health issues getting in the way of, say, using drop-bars on a "road" style bike, or desperate need for ultra-low gearing on uphills due to injuries, or ...?

3. What is your basic fitness level? Really need lower (mountain bike type) gearing? Really need a more-relaxed frame type and riding position due to fitness? etc.



IMO, getting the basic fit is most important. You can always swap in that "perfect" seat that fits you best, and tweak around the handlebars to something a bit more suitable for the position you want to be in. Presuming you get the correct basic fit, with the "base" bike.


How I went about it, this past year ...

I was hunting last year for a relatively simpler, quicker commuter type bike. Found something about one size larger than I'd planned, but with seat and bar adjustments it has turned out nicely. It happens to be a hybrid flat-bar style, with an internal gear hub. Fairly light, fairly quick, but relaxed enough to be somewhat comfortable on ~20mi rides. Found one used for about half the retail value.

Had looked on CraigsList for local examples of a wide variety of bikes. Tried many of them, to get a good idea of preferences for overall frame type, frame size, features I was most wanting. Depending on where you are, you might have quite a number of decently priced late 1980's to mid-1990's MTB or Hybrid/MTB type bikes that might suit. Some nice quality units can come along for "a song" as compared to new-bike prices. If you get a better idea of what you're looking for, this can be a nice way to save some money. You'll likely need to do some initial maintenance on certain things ... clean-up the derailleurs, chain, hubs, possibly swap in a different seat or bar depending on fit.

Some lat 1980's to mid-1990's bikes I might suggest considering include:

• Trek 930, 950, 750 or 850 series -- found several nearby, often between $100-250.
• Univega Alpina series -- found a couple of these, though not nearby, for sub-$200.
• Specialized RockHopper or StumpJumper series -- found a handful of these for $100-ish, last year, in my area.
• Bridgestone MB-2 or -3 series, or the XO-2 or -3 series -- folks have "found" these, and generally know what they've got, but occasionally you can find a diamond in the rough by someone just looking to unload it. Found a couple of the XO-2's and an XO-3 last year, but they were out of my area.
• Trek 520 'touring' from the early-to-mid 1980's -- occasionally, you can find a well-used example in the $300 range. More of a touring-type road bike format, but a pretty good one (if a bit heavier for the type). Great ride quality, position (in the right size), despite being a drop-bar "road" type bike.

All are CrMo steel, some have shocks, and most of these can be found for not a lot of cash, if you're patient. Heavier than comparable aluminum bikes, generally, but fairly bomb-proof overall. And being MTB/Hybrid styles, generally they'll support wider rims and tires (better ride, varied surfaces).

Might be an approach that'll work for you.



Here is a search tool that can help provide details on certain models folks suggest: QuickBike Search @ BikePedia.

And here is a search tool that will scan CraigsList, eBay ads: SearchTempest.