For some reason, I feel I made your day. :rolleyes:

I would agree -- with a minor amendment:

' A bike that is fun to ride will encourage you to get out and ride more often."

I have a road bike that is tons of fun to ride. It's the "little red sports car" that I take out on nice, clear, dry days.

But, the hybrid is also fun to ride and is always ready for whatever comes up. Plus, when riding on less well maintained trails, or new trails, I know it can handle it...
... So, I find the hybrid getting more use than the road bike.

Road bikes are specialists: They do what they were designed to do very, very well - go really fast and be highly responsive.

Hybrids, in my opinion are the work horses: mine is equipped with fenders, rear rack & trunk, headlight, and nice wide, treaded tires that can go through a little mud or loose gravel without too much trouble.

No, it doesn't do the things the road bike does. But neither can the road bike do what the hybrid does...

It's sort of like having a Porsche and an SUV...
... Which one is more fun and which one gets used more?

I am overwhelmed by all this information folks.. biking isn't as simple as I thought it would be :-)

I don't understand what is a brake interrupter is, but I will google it.

I actually don't know which store would be a good one. There are three stores within about 10 minute walk from where I live. One of them appears more geared to sports and performance (called fresh bikes), and the other two are less intimidating! but not sure how knowledgeable their staff is.

The last two hybrids I tried were the Fuji Absolute 1.0 and the Specialized Comp, and I was told both of them are road bikes at heart! I will try to rent from one store (only one of them have rentals).

I haven't had fusion but have had multiple laminectomies/discectomies. You guys seem way ahead when you talk about rides that are longer than an hour! honestly, I woke up sore today from trying two bikes yesterday for 5 minutes or so each! Does that give away how pathetic my condition is?

Yes, we know how "pathetic [your] condition is...." because many, maybe most, of us started from pretty much the same spot. My first ride got me all of about 3 miles before I was pretty sure I saw the grim reaper coming up behind me a lot faster than I could peddle... After a summer of riding most everyday, I can't say that I am up to the level of most of the good folks on this forum -- but I can do about 10 times more than what I could do just a few months ago -- and each week I get a little stronger.

... Now I realize how much I need to ride ... It's literally a matter of life and death.

So, do what you can do, and keep at it without trying to do things that you are not ready for (yet)...

As for finding a good bike store, it is pretty much like finding a good plumber... You know it when you find one...

I would suggest that you simply go in, tell them what you want to do and your concerns: The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. You won't be the first one like you/us they have talked to. They've heard your story a thousand times...

The good one will start asking questions and be looking to match you up with the best bike for you...

The bad one will be trying to find out what it takes to sell you a bike.

The good one will be trying to find the best bike for YOU. The bad one will be trying to make a sale...
... As for whether they know what they are talking about, you can usually tell pretty quickly. But be careful of the ones who simply rattle off specs and statistics...

The guy I deal with is an avid cyclist, and is not dogmatic about it. He works with me and works to find what will make biking more enjoyable for me and has quite often turned down a sale if he didn't think it would help me. His theory is: "If you make a happy cyclist, you have a customer for life".

... My plumber seems to have the same philosophy. And both of them have a lifelong customer.

As for it being complicated: Yes, it is...
... But that's where a knowledgeable bike shop can make it simple. Yes, you will have your own decisions to make. But you will be making them from a position of "What's the BEST option?" vs "I wonder if this will work?"

Road bike = sports car
Hybrid = Buick
Mtn bike = Jeep
Recumbent = ??

It's not uncommon to be sore on very short rides when you haven't been riding. It seems to go away quickly, at least for me.
I'm 62 and just returned to riding after 20 years and wasn't a big time rider before that anyway. I've worked in the construction industry for most of my adult life and had a number of back issues as well as arm and hip problems as well although nothing that required surgery. Even had torn meniscus in my right knee which have repaired themselves over the years.
I got a hybrid in June, a trek DS, thinking it would be a great all around bike as I used to like mountain biking and it is a good all around. What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that I found myself loving the open road. What was a simple few mile trip turned into 10, then 15 miles and I began wishing for something lighter and sportier,a road bike. This story is very common around here. I decided on a "comfort" bike and ended up with a specialized Secteur which gives the option of a reasonably upright ride on the hoods and bar tops and a racier more aero ride in the lower positions, on the "drops". I'm no more stretched out than on my hybrid and the typical on the hoods position is more natural feeling than on my hybrid with your arms so wide. In a couple months I've reached the 50 mile mark something I couldn't imagine when I started. I'm glad I've got both bikes as the hybrid is becoming my work horse but I've even had my road bike on some very narrow dirt trails and was surprised how confident I felt.
I also test rode another "comfort" road bike, a Cannondale synapse which was great as well and a Surly pacer, a middle of the road steel bike. I've heard the Giant Defy series is also in the comfort/endurance league as well.
Take your time and good luck in your search.

Blazing pedals has made a valid point. Although you do not know what type of riding you are going to do-Unless it is Mountain Biking- then most of us do graduate to road. Luckily there is a thing called N+1 but that and other terminology can wait for a while.

Hybrids do nothing well--that is a very simplistic generalization but not that far off.

If you want to do road riding get a road bike and if you want a more sedate/stable or dirt riding get a good mountain bike, you always can put on slick fat tires that will ride almost as a road bike such as "fat boys."

But then, you will realize that a road bike would have been nice!

Looks like we are all trying to push the OP into a road bike. Final thing does come down to a test ride and this only has to be a couple of miles on the initial test to see what type of bike will suit him. This is another advantage of an LBS as most will make this possible.

I now have several road bikes but I also have a "City Bike" At least that is what I would call it but similar to a hybrid in ride and ride position. I use it a lot- round town and for local trips. After about 10 miles though it starts to hurt. Fit is good but hills are tougher- Speed is lower and the body does start to ache.

Last year I had a mate that used his hybrid to commute to work- but it was stolen. Whilst looking for the replacement bike- I loaned him my TCR road bike. Set it up for fit and he used it for a week. He loved it---but-----not for him. It was faster- lighter- took the hills with ease and it was comfortable. But he did not feel comfortable in traffic in the city and preferred to have the upright position as he felt he had better control of the bike and could see the things that were trying to take him down. He bought another hybrid.

So a different take on what bike will be suitable.

I would still suggest the road bike though.

Very useful pointers guys. Thanks Latif for the list of some of those easier posture road bikes.

I checked the web site of the closest bike store (called Fresh Bikes, used to be called Conte's until two years ago), and here is the list of what they have:
Road, Triathlon and Time Trial Bikes


Specialized: S-Works & EVO, Allez, Tarmac SL3 & SL4, Roubaix, Shiv, Amira, Venge, Ruby, Dolce
Cannondale: Caad8, Caad10, Supersix, Super6 Evo, Synapse, Slice
Cervelo: S2, S3, S5 Pro, S5 Team, S5 VWD, RS, R3, R5, R5 VWD, R5CA, P1, P2, P3, P4
Pinarello: Dogma, FP Quattro, FP Due, Rokh, Paris, Dogma 2
Willier: Imperiale, Izoard XP, Cento Uno, Superleggera, Zero 7, Gran Turismo, Twinfoil


Cyclocross Bikes


Cannondale: SuperX and CaadX
Specialized: Crux Disc, Crux EVO

I will have to go check out for myself, but I think first I will go to the only close by store that offers rentals. The challenge is that the one I would rent may not be of the same brand as the one carried by that or the other store, but at least it would have given me the chance to try the road bike for more than 5 minutes.

The saga continues :-)

By the way, one assumptions I made is that I should choose a bike store that is very close to where I live, to make my life easier during service and maintenance etc. But is this a criteria you use, or you would go to a good store regardless of the distance?

Choose the LBS that suits you. In the town where I live were two bike shops. Neither carried the grade of bike I wanted nor had the knowledge of the type of riding I did. They were OK for spares but that was about all.

The LBS I eventually used was 10 miles away and were into road bikes and I was mountain biking. But they had the experience to know what suited me and over the years I got plenty of help and some pretty good deals. Got them stumped when I got the Offroad Tandem though.

But find the right LBS and you will be able to get a few test rides. May not be on a Fuji Roubaix as they may not carry that make but will carry bikes of the same quality and grade.

It is finding that right LBS that may take most of your time. You will know when you find it.

I have two LBS's equally distant from my home: I walk into the Trek shop and get great help (which includes service, questions and advise). When I walk into the other, its like walking into a supermarket. They'll tell you what aisle something is in but that's about it.

A quality bike is a serious investment. You want to protect it. Sure, it's nice to have an LBS close at hand, but if they are not helpful, why bother?

[QUOTE=ping jockey;14807232]

$1000 will certainly buy you a good bike. In fact it's probably a good price point for your first bike.
/QUOTE]

Actually, you could get a cheaper, name-brand hybrid for about half of that. I wouldn't recommend getting the bottom of the line, but you could get a decent starter bike for much less. Basically you could get a decent hybrid for $650 - $750. And, the difference between it and the high-end, $1,000 version of the same model would usually be in replaceable components. So, as you ride, and decide you want better, you could upgrade to the $1,000 version or even better...

Road bikes tend to be more expensive than hybrids.

And the best of both worlds is, well, both....

Good stuff. So, I gotta do my homework and research those bike stores. If any of you have a suggestion for a bike store you dealt with in the DC Metropolitan area, (including MD and VA) I would welcome the advice. It would help since I don't trust my judgement in knowing which bike store is good or better than the other. Cheers.

was checking the bulletin board at work and came across a Scott Speedster S40 (52cm) that is selling for $485, three years old. But I think buying used would require much more biking knowledge. Besides, I was told that I should look for size 54.

A significant item of fit is the length of one's legs in proportion to one's upper body

"I may be too afraid to ride in the streets so may prefer the side walk instead". So, should that lead me to buy the hybrid? would the road bike hurt my back on the long run?"

Rant on: So did any of you "hybrid haters", actually READ the OP's statement before you suggested, $1,000 plus ROAD Bikes?? Why does the OP need a expensive ROAD bike to ride for recreation on a "paved path" or the SIDEWALK!!! Any decent $5-600 hundred alum. hybrid will do the OP "excellently" for the type of riding he describes any $1,000 flat bar road bike, type hybrid will be WELL above what the OP intendes to ride, JMHO!!

Hybrids may not be "perfect" road/paceline/racing machines BUT, they are the "jack of all trades" and can do ANY kind of riding from "commuting/utility/recreational to touring", I know cause we DO ALL those types of riding on our sub-thousand dollar hybrids and we DO NOT FEEL, like we "should have bought a Road Bike", in the least! Come on folks, let's get REAL with the advise to a NEWBIE!, Rant off.

Years ago, I got my hybrid for commuting. And yes, for that application it did better than a road bike, or a mountain bike, or for that matter my recumbent. If I were buying now, I might be tempted to get one of the new 'flat bar road bikes' though.

didn't know there were flat bar road bikes. but I thought the road bikes also offer the advantage of multiple hand positions.

We'll, I suggested a $1000 road bike as my "$5-600 hundred alum. hybrid" sets in the garage unused while I ride my $1000 road bike every day. I wish I had been told that as my mileage increased, my comfort on a hybrid would decrease.

He doesn't, he could cruise the sidewalk with a $99 dollar Walmart bike, but I think most of us realize that our original perspective on what type of riding and where we plan on riding changes as our riding careers progress. A little insight into this would have saved me some money up front. I think a more constructive rant would have been addressing the dangers of riding on the sidewalk.

I checked the web sites of the bike stores in the area. Some of them offer various levels of fitting services, ranging from $75 to $250. It is not clear to me whether I am supposed to try and buy a bike first, then get fitted for that particular bike, or whether by fitting they mean to determine the size of bike I should be choosing from. Technology has come a long way from the days I used to ride :-)

I second the motion: Road or cyclocross bike. I would lean toward the cyclocross for the larger tires.

As to your dismount issues:
Make sure you are NOT trying to put your foot on the ground while still in the saddle. While still barely moving, step off the saddle and put one foot down. After stopping, put the second foot down. Then tilt the bike slightly and swing your leg over the bike.

Some bikes stores will let you take extended test rides. (Others don't want you to leave their parking lot.) I test rode at two different stores. I was gone for 90 minutes, and could have gone longer. The store will do a quick fitting before your test rides, getting the seat at the right height and perhaps adjusting the handlebars.

If you buy a bike, most stores will do more with the fitting, which is usually included with the bike purchase. Then they'll at least let you swap out the handlebar stem for another of a different length if the reach to the bars is wrong for you.

The pay fitting sesstions can be very useful, and usually take an hour or more, watching you ride in the shop, and trying different adjustments for the bike. You don't want to do this (if at all) until you've been riding for a while.

You can set up any road bike with higher bars and lower seat.The Europeans set up there tour bikes like that.A road bike does not have to be set up like a race bike.Be comfortable and get lots of miles in and you will decide on a set up for you,it may be more traditional later.You may not think you can ever do this,but the sensation of standing like the pro's and riding in the drops is wonderful! and yes you can do that

The fitting service.

When you buy the bike-The Lbs will fit it up for you on saddle height- bar reach etc. But be prepared for things to change. As you develop into a cyclist-your ride position will adapt and adapt and adapt. Those fitting services are not really required initially until the body is Bike fit and you cannot sort any further.

One thing you can do- hopefully- is to use spanner and allen keys to be able to adjust things as you go. Want to raise the bars- do it yourself. Want to fit a shorter stem- do it yourself. Bikes are not complicated and a bit of "Mechanical" knowledge is something you hopefully have as it does not need much. Any respecting LBS will sort out your mistakes for you easily enough. They may have a laugh about it but this is what keeps them in business.

I don't know if you have a neighbour that is a serious cyclist but if you have- make friends with him and ask for his input in putting you on the right track for the LBS and the right type of bike.

Again, you really need to connect up with one (or more) bike shops... You can't do this by reading...

But, an experienced LBS will fit you pretty well with a casual glance. He'll know if you need a 17" or 19" or, whatever... When you test a bike he fit the saddle and bars to fit you (approximately), when you buy the bike, he can do a closer fitting. And, that fitting may change as you ride more, lose weight, and become more aggressive. The paid, professional fittings can benefit anybody, but are mostly for the aggressive, long distance and performance riders...

[QUOTE=NCbiker;14807840]We'll, I suggested a $1000 road bike as my "$5-600 hundred alum. hybrid" sets in the garage unused while I ride my $1000 road bike every day. I wish I had been told that as my mileage increased, my comfort on a hybrid would decrease.

QUOTE]

For me, a mirror image: my road bike sits in my basement as I ride my versatile and comfortable hybrid most everyday...

I guess the analogy would be the sports car that sits in the garage while I take the Buick out for shopping, errands, etc...

As you point out: our riding preferences and styles mature as we ride more and more... It would be great to know exactly where we are going to end up when we buy our first bike. But, that is not possible for most of us...

Thanks stapfam and GeorgeB for the feedback on fitting. That actually helps a lot since only one of the bike stores in the area offer these professional fitting services with video cameras, computer programs, and the whole nine yards. Since this would be not required in my case, that gives me the freedom not to choose this particular store only on the basis of them offering this service.

Today also marks my return to the swimming pool after many many years (went there at 5:30 am!!). Mind you I can only tolerate ten minutes of laps, but it felt so great to be doing something and it is good to have hopes increase my activity levels. Can't wait to settle on the bike purchase and get the endorphin pumping :-)

Cheers