Somewhat N00bish Potential Bike Suggestion Thread :D
 

I currently own a Giant Sedona ST. It's a nice bike and all, and kids apparently love it xD, but I find it's too slow and sluggish and, despite being a "comfort bike", actually not superly comfortable if I ride more than like 5 miles. I also didn't realize how "serious" I was going to want to get about bike riding when I got this bike--holy crap getting around by bike is FUN--even if in the FL 'burbs not necessarily faster. I'd like something zippier and more practical for transportation purposes.

I went to a couple of LBS's that were within easy biking distance today and test rode some bikes. It was fun! Thanks to Sandy there was wind, which was great for testing purposes. My enemy is not hills (I live in FLat), but %^%## headwind.

My favorite bike that I rode was the Bianchi Cortina. It was comfy, I could handle the headwind OK, and it seemed zippy enough, though I'm hardly bike race material. I discovered that I prefer being upright, although I never tested out a true road bike with the drop bars. Not-so-upright bikes made me feel kind of stretched out and awkward (I tried a Raleigh performance hybrid of some kind and the Specialized Vita). Is that normal? Anyway, I'd generally rather be upright or kinda-sorta-upright. I think. :D

I'm still a cycling n00b, not totally out of shape but could be fitter, I'm very thin (do NOT want to lose weight doing this! xD), and in FL, where there are hills, but nothing that seems to warrant 24 speeds. I barely use a third of the gears on my 21-speed Sedona ST. I want to ride for transportation, including to work which is about 10 miles from home. I can ride this distance OK, but not much further (as in, 20 mi round trip). Yet. My budget is flexible, but I'd like to be below $1000.

The point of this thread is... does anyone have any additional bike suggestions? Is the Bianchi Cortina a good bike? Are there bikes like that that might be better?

If you like the Bianchi, then by all means go ahead and get it. If you're still open to ideas, then maybe check out the Giant Via 2 and the Jamis Commuter line- I like the Commuter 2 myself. They both offer a 1x8 drivetrain- a single chain ring and 8 cogs in the back, both have fenders, the Jamis has a rack. If you ride along the beach and through any spray, the Jamis frame will hold up a bit better without taking the precautions that you'd have to take with the Giant.

Try a recumbent. Best against wind and comfy
http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=13378811

You should ride a cross or touring bike before you buy a flat bar.

I just got a Redline Metro Sport for my 10 miles of wind.
It has drop bars with brakes on the top so you can ride it like a mountain bike.
It's sporty but not a race bike.

Thanks y'all for the suggestions! Few bike shops sell 'bents but they seem fun (see em on the bike trail so someone is selling them) (also most appear to be more than a grand :( ).
I've heard cross and touring bikes are good commuters; would I feel less stretched out and awkward on those? I wish I'd asked at the bike shops, but I can't decide if that awkwardness was bad fit or that geometry isn't for me.

I know the nearest bike shop I didn't visit yet (closed today) has the Giant but no Jamis bikes. Will give it a ride.

If you live on flat areas recumbents are nice. But once you get into hilly areas you will have to work extra hard on the climbs. Climbs that seem insignificant on an upright bike take on a different feel on a recumbent. Of course the downhills are awesome though.

I have owned 2 Bacchettas and 1 Vision. I loved my Bacchetta Corsa, but I just didn't ride it enough to hold onto it any longer. I sold it and bought my fixie bike. I commute on that and my CX bike now.

I'm partial to Bacchetta. I think they make a really nice line of recumbents, and even some real nice performance bents as well. But I would try many of them before making the decision to buy. Commuting in the flatlands and cruising on a century ride on a recumbent is good fun, but unless you are an extremely talented bent rider, you are bound to the road an flat packed trails.

Upright bikes give you a higher center of gravity, therefore they are easier to take off the pavement. I know from experience that recumbents and sand do not work well together. You aren't hopping a recumbent over root clusters on a trail. The inability to get up out of the saddle limits your maneuverability too.

Not trying to sway you either way, but I think you really need to think about how you are going to be riding to get the best idea of what kind of bike will best suit your needs.

Definitely don't overlook this option. I was a bit leery about 'bents, and wound up buying mine over the internet without trying it out first (dealer was going out of business, and I got a screaming deal). I love it. Makes me wish I would have gotten one years ago, especially for commuting. I still have an upright mtn bike for trail riding, but I really like the comfort of the bent, and it cuts the headwind much better than an upright.

It does take some getting used to though.

Well I kind of went leftfield a little. Test rode a Giant Dash 3. I really liked it! The position it put me in isn't awkward even if it's more leaned over; it goes so fast (for me) with not a huge amount of effort. It can do rear rack and stuff, so I can carry things around. I test rode it twice and liked it even more the second time around. :D

I ended up buying it (I did read up on it a little before buying, helped ensure I wasn't making a grave mistake xD). But lack of speed was my primary gripe with my previous bike and boy does this take care of that!
I think it'll hold up as well as any of the other bikes I looked at, as long as I take care of it, right? At any rate, I'm super excited! Here's to many fun miles!

I appreciate you all.