Originally Posted by DannyOKC
Now I'd like to know what are some good bikes around the $350 price you mentioned. Keep in mind that this is purely street (and sidewalk) riding in the city. There are hills. I'll be doing 10-20 mile roundtrips.
Are you interested in the more upright riding position of a mountain bike? Are you interested in doing some light offroad? How fast do you expect to be going? You essentially have four choices.
- Mountain Bike - made primarily for offroad riding, big fat tyres, hefty durable frame, low wide-range gearing, most have suspension of some kind
- Road Bike - made primarily for road riding and going fast over long distances, thin tyres, thinner frame, light, lower riding position, tight gearing that's higher than the other types of bikes, generally no suspension
- Hybrid - basically a roadbike but with a bit more upright position, uses MTB like controls, thin roadbike-like tyres, wide-range gearing but not as low as MTB gearing, some have suspension
- Comfort Bike - sort of a mix between a beach cruiser and a MTB but not really suited for offroad riding, slower and not really made for long-distance rides, lower gearing, may come with suspension of some kind, fat tyres
Of the above bikes, you'll have a hard time finding a new road bike for around the $350 range but you can easily find entry-level mountain, hybrid and comfort bikes at that pricepoint. Note that unless you're really riding rough offroad trails, suspension is a waste and at the entry-level pricerange, they're pretty crappy. For paved and light gravel trails, a rigid frame and fork will be just fine.