design8r

hey all, i hope i'm posting in the right forum,
i am totally new to commuting and in fact i haven't cycled in more than 10 years. i recently moved to paris france and now that the weather is getting better i want to buy a bike for cycling around town on the weekends. the thing is i also want to ride around in parks and on paths. ideally, i would like something which is agile, light and fast.

so what kind of bike am i looking for?
can i get something which is between a commuter and a mountain bike?
i want to spend up to about 350 Euros (450 dollars max).

i have seen two bikes which are kind of interesting and in my price range made by Btwin, are they any good? links:

https://www.btwincycle.com/EN/b-twin-7-2009-69012114/
and
https://www.btwincycle.com/EN/rockrid...lack-33276628/

any advice would be very helpful,
thx!

dwr1961

First of all, welcome! You have indeed come to the right place. You are about to get a wide range of opinions from a lot of different places, so hang on to your hat. I'll give you mime now, for what it's worth:

You are doing your homework, which is going to save you a lot of grief and make your "first bike experience" a lot more positive. The best advice I can give you is to go to your neighborhood bike shops and ride as many bikes as you can. The two bikes you posted links to are quite different in riding position and function... That tells me you're very early in your search - and need to get out and ride an example of each one.

Neither of those bikes is particularly light or fast when compared to a typical road bike, but both could be a lot of fun to ride around town and on trails. The things you need to look for when you take a test ride are "fit" (how does your body relate to the bike - is it comfortable? Does it feel natural?) and "handling" (You'll need to try several bikes - each one has a "personality" as far as how it steers and handles terrain). The bike that fits and handles the best for YOU is the one you want to get. It might be a hybrid like the first one - or a hardtail mountain bike - like the second. Or something different...

Spend a day visiting the shops in your area and you'll have a much better idea of what you want. Good luck - and let us know how your search is going. We'll be here to answer questions...

nashvillwill

Also, think a bit about what type of riding you will be doing. Will it all be on pavement? You mentioned parks, do you want to ride on grass? Offroad? Do you plan on riding with traffic? Will you need to be able to hop a curb? Do you care more about speed or comfort? Are there many potholes or cobblestone streets where you ride?

Your answers to all of these questions will help to determine your needs in a bike. As the last poster mentioned, start at your local bike shop. But don't buy the first thing you like, try many options. Find two bikes in your price range, one that you think is heavy and one you think is light. Have them weigh each bike. That way you have an idea of your weight range if you do any online shopping.

design8r

thank you for your replies guys! to answer your last Qs. yes i do see MANY potholes and curb jumping, that is why i was leaning more towards the mountain bike. but the dudes at the store said the other one (first link in my original post) was more suitable for city riding and parks etc. i tried both bikes out and they felt quite comfortable.

rumrunn6

try before you buy. can you rent bikes in your area?

swwhite

When I bought my current bike, I was all ready to purchase one when my consultant suggested I look at another. I tried the other, and it did "feel" better in some way I can't describe. So that idea of trying several does make sense. I was surprised. I never would have thought there would be a difference I could notice.

Your own preferences rule, but if you think you might ride a lot, and you accept the challenge of doing it in all weather, then eventually you will ride in rain. Fenders are really nice for that, and not all bikes have the attachment points for fenders. I discovered this AFTER I bought my bike.