herzzreh

My KHS Urban X grew legs and walked... looking for a new bike.

A hybrid seems to be optimal for me. I'll mainly use it to go to the store, haul a baby in the trailer and a weekend ride for 10-15 miles. Most of this will be done in the city. There are hills here and there. Budget is under $650.

Looking for:

- disk brakes
- ability to hook up racks, paniers, attach trailers, etc.
- no front suspension
- preferably alluminum frame

I have a Diamondback discount through employer, but not sure if those are worth spending the cash on and not even sure how big the discount is (just checked... for example - Interval Elite can be had for $450 through work). Not sure if a cheaper pricepoint makes it worth it.

Anyway... pls recommend away. I've read a bunch of threads, still quite overwhelmed.

Leisesturm

How can I put this kindly... IMO you are still too lacking in baseline information on current bicycle technology for "recommendations" to make any sense. IMO you need to spend some time in a decent LBS and get up close and personal with bikes you can see, touch and maybe ride. Maybe you will have a choice about disc brakes or not, maybe you won't. What's it to you? I only have one bike with discs and its the nice tandem that only gets taken out in the summer and only a few to several times a year at that. The rest of the time I am using V-brakes and even vintage calipers. Obviously they get me stopped as well as the discs do otherwise I wouldn't be writing this, would I. I've heard of hard-tails but have never heard of or seen a hard-head. In other words, if you want no front suspension, then you don't want any suspension at all because there aren't any rear only suspended bikes of which I am aware. Racks come with screws and p-clips so they can attach to just about anything sold as a bicycle. FWIW.

H

fietsbob

Come by the shop my friends there will set you up with a test ride..

spivonious

Lots of options fit your requirements. Trek 7.2 FX Disc comes to mind.

dynaryder

Diamondbacks aren't high end,but they're not junk either. An Insight Disc would meet all of your requirements. Would you be able to test ride the bike before purchase? How a bike fits,and how well you like the ride,are the most important points in picking a bicycle. If you can't ride it first,you'd be better off seeing what's available from your local shops.

By saying you're not particularly a fan of disc brakes and that the OP might not need them. OTOH,if he wants them,who are you to tell him he's wrong? Lots of people survive riding around my area with rim brakes,and some without brakes at all,but I personally prefer them on my commuters.

Um...I'm pretty sure the OP meant he wanted a rigid bike;lots of lower to mid level hybrids have front suspension,which he apparently doesn't want.

CrankyOne

For your kind of riding I think I'd look for something with a internally geared rear hub, full chain guard, etc. A no-worries bike. Ride in whatever clothes you want, just about no maintenance, comfortable, ...

martianone

Many consider a cyclocross bike as "general or multi" purpose.
iMHO - get more saddle time before you decide. Then in the spring, many bike shops will have a customer sale day - where people bring their unused bikes for sale, often a reasonable deal on a slightly used ride; go shopping at one of these sales.