The hybred, road bike, Mountain bike or Cyclocross bike discussion is one of the hot topics for the 50+ crowd. It comes up so often because there are so many of us and, surprise.....................we all ride slightly differently. There is NO correct answer to the question..............or rather, all answers that work for you are correct. The hybred bike label is a rather broad swath of bicycle designs that range from upright bikes not too different from beach cruisers to "relaxed geometry" road bikes that have most of the fit/function of "racing" road bikes but are more comfortable to ride.

You have already made the first leap..............unless you know a lot about bicycles, your going to need a good LBS for fit and maintenance. The oft stated motto here is "shop for the shop, not the bicycle". Visit as many bicycle shops as possible, ask questions and try to get a feel for how interested each one is in your continued enjoyment of cycling. When you start feeling comfortable about a shop, then you are ready to begin the search for your first bike.

Decide in advance what the surface is that you are going to ride on. All pavement leads to a different bike than some pavement/some unpaved trails.

Know this however.................your first bike is often not your last/next or best bike. You will learn a lot over the first full season of riding. Your shape and conditioning will change. You may find that some of the assumptions that you made that led to the first bike are changing. Many here have begun with relatively simple hybreds and gone on to full carbon road bikes. If you like our hobby/lifestyle your will eventually want to ride..........and ride............and ride.