Originally Posted by paolo
2manybikes:
I will try to be more precise and answer your questions.
The trailer is to carry a child.
Do you need to carry a lot? I don't need to carry heavy loads, just extra clothes, food, etc.
Are you an experienced cyclist? I been cycling for a couple of years and I have a road bike. Commuting to work in new for me but not cycling.
In the city or not ? Most of the time, bike will not be use in the city. Mostly use in the suburbs.
What kind of roads? Paved roads most on the time.
Lots of hills ? Some hills but mainly flat terrain
What is your budget ? No budget for now. Just would like to know according to my needs, what would fit best
Do you need to leave the bike outside at work? No, bike will be brought in everyday
I don't understand your distances? Add one TO the other? Or one OR the other? For distances, during the week when I work, I will use to bike to go to work and the return trip is 75km. During weekends, I will use the bike and carrier to go on daily trip with my daughter and distances with the carrier will vary between 40 and 70km.
What are possible bikes in:
Giant
Specilaized
Trek
Cannondale
Kona
Thanks
Good Information!
Do you wish to keep the road bike out of the commuting picture for some reason? Many people do. What do you have now? A typical road bike may have gearing a little to high for comfortably pulling a trailer and carrying a load. The tires may not be the best for a heavy load or bad weather. A road bike may not have clearance for fenders either. Any decent hybrid bike would be a good start. They will have lower gearing more fender room and wider tires. All the bike manufacturers have similar bikes in similar price ranges. It's very competitive, so they have to do this.. You may find different features from different brands at the same price or you may like the feel of one bike over another. They are all good. I would start with finding a bike shop that you trust, that listens to you and is helpful. See if you can find other cyclists that recommend a good bike shop from experience. Maybe find a local cycling club and ask for advice about who to buy from.
Tell the bike shop everything you just posted. If you see a bike you may like test ride it as far as possible.. If you go comparison shopping be sure to compare similar price points between shops.
The road feel of the bike and a trustworthy shop matters a lot more than the brand.