re: Trail Types
Thank you for the feedback re: my question on bikes. I imagine the trail types that I will tackle when I first get my bike will be much different from what I ride a year from now. We are in Santa Rosa and very close to Howarth park which has mostly paved trails but the two other parks nearby have various types/levels of dirt trails that I'd like to brave when I'm more comfortable/confident.
Currently I have a budget of $500-$700 for a bike. Funds for my helmet/gloves/whatever are not counted into that price. The bikes that I have looked at so far (just 'looked' at the store mind you.....) are the Marin Pioneer Trail (more mountain bike) and the Cannondale Adventure 400 (not sure if this will be good for 'off road' type stuff). Of course I looked at these bikes a few weeks ago when I was compairing them to the $150 specials at X-mart and I have since upped my budget a bit. I'd just like to get a better feel for what I'm looking for so I can ask some questions about performance when I go in instead of being suckered in by a name/style.