Originally Posted by jasterm
Thanks for the responses all, and most of all your patience towards a newb. I am in my 30's, and am in decent shape. I box 3 times a week, and can maintain a pretty high level of high impact cardio, so my bike purchase is primarily more for recreational speed riding, than cardio training. I'd be riding on mostly paved roads in central park (NY), and some light trails (also in the parks around NY), so I'm leaning towards more of a road biased hybrid. I know the hybrids have a rep for "jack of all trades, ace of none," but I get my workout in the ring, and want something more for fun to supplement my fitness. That being said, I love toys. I've done a search on the forum with a lot of great info, and it seems that the same companies come up when discussing hybrids: Trek, Jamis, Specialized, Kona, Devinci, etc... I'm a believer in carbon fiber frames, and noticed in discussions that disc breaks tend to be favored. I liked the look of the Jamis, but am not sure if there are other options that I should be looking at. Any other tidbits of advice?
From what you say you are accurate in your choice of bike style.
The makes you list are the commonly recommended ones. Best off test riding to see what works for you. Have at it.
The "jack of all trades, master of none" line, as refers to hybrids, is a long worn out cliche. Don't let anyone diss you.