Not sure of what style bike
 

Hello, my first post her on C&A. I have been looking at bikes, also rode two this weekend. One a Giant Tran Send DX, and the other a Fuji Absolute DX. I was leaning towards the Giant , but after riding the fuji it just seemed far faster, the Giant far more comfortable. Does any one have experience with either of these and your feelings on it.

bfm,

If the bike is comfortable for you, you'll ride it ;) If you buy a bike you wind up hating, you'll have a very expensive coat rack or dust catcher in your garage. ;) You don't want that.

Best advice I can give is try to take a long test ride and go with the bike that speaks to your soul, for lack of a better way to say it :D

Without disagreeing with Tom, there is also the question of who you are, and what you expect to do with a bike. Cruise to Starbucks for a latte? Sounds good. Explore the countryside? Sounds good. Do circuits around the park and aim to continually better your times to get fit? Sounds good. Ride up the canyon to the lookout spot? Sounds good. You can find a bike that is good for all of these things, or different bikes which are suited to one or the other. How old, athletic, and adventurous are you? Do you already have an old bike you think is no good? (It turn out to be might be better than what you are thinking of buying).

Let's have the scoop.

My plan is to use the bike as a commuter and for weekend recreational riding. I will be doing this to get some weight off, live a little healthier lifestyle and reduce my carbon footprint a little. I dont plan on doing any competitive riding.
I am 48, overweight(6'1", 235lbs.). Fitness level is average or a little below.
I am overwelmed by all of the different styles of bikes there are, my last bike was in 1968. I was looking for opinions on styles of bikes that others use for the type of riding described. The Fuji Is listed as a hybrid although it looks like a straight bar road bike in person, the Giant is shown as a commuter. I just am not sure what style will work. I do realize what works for one will not necessarily work for another.
Also thank you Tom and Cooker for ansewering.

bfm....great plan. Biking is useful and fun.

I have a little rule of thumb I use to determine the basic utility of an advertised bike. I look at a picture on the manufacturer's website and compare the height of the handlebars to the height of the seat. If the handlebars are higher than the seat, it means you sit in a more upright position. That is great for new or cautious riders, or those who expect to ride leisurely for fairly short distances. They can see all around them, and get their foot on the ground quickly if they have to stop abruptly, and can feel quite confident and comfortable. However it's not a very aerodynamic postion, and it is hard to put full power into the pedal strokes while sitting fully upright. So it will be a somewhat sluggish bike.

If the handlebars are below the seat, the bike is intended for speed. The rider is in a more aerodynamic position, and because the weight of their head and torso is forward, above the feet, they can exert more power on the downstroke for accelerating or sprinting, just like a runner coming out of the starting blocks. However, they have to crane their neck, to see ahead, and may feel uncomfortably stretched out or may get tired arms or sore hands from leaning on them, if they aren't in shape.

So if you plan to commute more than a couple of miles, you may want a bike that is in between these extremes, and the shorthand for that, is if the handlebars are set at seat height.

As I say, this is just a quirky idea of mine, so use it or not as you see fit.
Best wishes

RGC

I've just been bike shopping too, looking for something pretty much like you are looking for. I have a downtube folding bike that I ride during my lunch break at work, but wanted something for pulling the child trailer, riding long rides on weekends, or group rides. I tried out giant and fuji, different models, and they felt really too upright to me. I wanted more upright than a road bike, but sitting straight up. I tried Giant and Fuji and Jamis and Trek- some mountain bikes and the hybrids. The only thing I knew about bikes was that I didn't want a road bike, other than that, I was open to suggestions, but pretty ignorant. I also didn't have a great budget. I like mountain bikes too, you might try some of those. But the bike I kept going back to, the one that made me smile the whole time I test rode it, was a trek 7200.
Good luck, and ride a lot of them. If you find a good bike shop where they are really helpful, you can learn a lot talking to the people there. and this forum, of course!
vickie

I was looking to buy this week, but havnt as of yet. i think i am going to try out a trek in the fx series and 700 series. also will look at maybe a cannondale and marin. the lbs who has the giant"also sells raleighs)was very knowledgable and told me more in 20 minutes than all the others did combined. one of the reasons i am leaning towards the giant. my wife is saying she wants one to, which is real good,because we can do this together.