Okay, so I've been scouring around for information on some bikes, and I've more or less got an answer, but I still need advice. First, I'm out of shape, so I'm getting a bike to get back into decent shape. 30 years old, 230 pounds, 6'3". I figure I need something a little more rugged to start with, at the very least. After looking around, I've come down to the following options.

First, my LBS carries Trek 4300 and 4500 bikes, which seem okay, but nothing special. Pretty much the definition of the $500 bike. They also have a Giant Yukon. All are in the $460+tax price bracket. The Yukon has disc brakes, but I'm not sure if they're even worth getting. Thoughts on that would be appreciated.

Now, the next option is eBay. Right now, I'm seriously looking at the Motobecane 700HT offered by sprtymama@aol.com. It almost sounds too good to be true, so I'm trying to figure out what the "catch" is. I don't get support from the seller, which I think I can live with. I have to assemble the bike. That's a little more of a difficulty, but I think I can handle that. The big question is, is the bike really worth it? The Deore components are great for that price range, and the cranks aren't bad, right? It's all the other stuff. Are the disc brakes that come with it really that bad? How about the Judy TT Rock Shox? $447 + $40 shipping is the going price, which I find it hard to match.

The third option is to look into picking up a used bike off eBay - not one from the super sellers that run their business through eBay. Then I would get an assembled bike, and I could possibly get a better bike, although it would be used. Right now, I'm looking at a Cannondale F500 for ~$500 with shipping. 2002 model. I had a Cannondale M500 for about five years before it got stolen, and I generally liked the bike. Should I go with the 'dale again?

I suppose I'll just end by saying that I'm not a hard core biker or intending to become one. Mostly, this will be used for street and trail biking. So why not get a street bike? Two things: one, I *might* start mountain biking once I've dropped some weight, and two, I have a 20 month old daughter that I'm planning to get a trailer for, and figured it would hook up better on a mountain bike (and the lower gears will help me tow the extra weight).

That's about it. Is there some major problem with these Motobecane bikes that I should be aware of? Obviously, they're not the same as the old French Motobecane. The seller has some rather deceptive marketing tactics as well. But people seem to be pleased with the product, regardless. So should I get the Motobecane 700HT or should I go with the Cannondale F500?

And hey - if someone decides the 'dale is a great buy and snags it now, it just wasn't meant to be. Heheh.