Originally Posted by
kevrider
Angie, what exactly do you mean by this:
if you are picturing yourself riding some unpaved goodness, you should think about this:
you seem to be leaning towards Specialized... if so, have a look at the Dolce Evo.
if you are in it for the long haul, your "beginner" bike doesn't have to be a throw-away. good advice, i think, is to get a bike for the rider you aim to become, not the rider you are now; start out with a keeper that you can enjoy for many years to come.
if it's versatile, like this Dolce Evo (or Diamondback HannJenn, etc), you may defer your second bike for a long time, as you explore its many uses. i have a similar machine: an alloy "road" bike with tiagra and mechanical disc brakes, purchased in 2010. it was not my first bike, it is not my only bike, it is not my most expensive bike. but it is so versatile, i ride more often than any other. i use it to commute, run errands, the occasional joy ride. it does better than it should on mtn bike trails, so i've changed from 28mm to 40mm tires to get onto the dirt more often. i will soon have to try bikepacking with this thing.
Dolce Evo looks like a similar machine. think about it.
This is good advice, particularly about the versatility, but there's middle ground between spending more on your first bike and having it be a throw away. My first bike was/is a $600 (2009 dollars) steel framed touring bike. It's not a great bike at all, but i rode it 1500 miles before I upgraded. The best bike I ride now (which was not the second bike either) cost nearly 10 times more when you add in the wheels. But I've ridden the "first" bike thousands of miles since my first upgrade and I still like it very much. After it was no longer my "best" bike, it's been (at different times) my spare, my commuter, my trail bike, my rain bike, and my winter bike. I commuted with it last summer, it has sat in my basement for a few months, but starting in December it's again going to be my winter bike. It's true that its somewhat versatile in that it takes quite different tire sizes, but my chief point is that your first bike doesn't have to be super in order for it to remain useful and appreciated