The DC metro area suffers from surplus income - so the vast majority of shops sell higher end gear - be wary.

I can recommend one shop where the owner, main mechanic, and two sales people are all lifetime bicyclists who have seen and done it all over many years. They have a modest but wide selection, and will listen to you and work with you. Try to go mid day, earlier in the week (Tues-Thurs), don't show up on a Saturday when they're bombed with folks with flat tires, kids in tow, and cash in hand.

They're called Papillon Cycles in Arlington, off of Columbia Pike. Excellent customer service and knowledge. I ride >30 miles from home just to visit them at times.

There are other chains that price at the high end of retail, like Spokes, but they'll have a very full line of Treks and the like, plus a good selection of hybrid bikes, too. Revolution Cycles is largely overpriced. Performance bike has lower and house brands, but you can find some good values. Good luck.

And to the OP, to re-iterate from an earlier post of mine, DO NOT begin the habit to ride a bike on the sidewalk. It's dangerous to you and to others. Drivers are not accustomed to having things moving so rapidly coming off sidewalks at intersections. You're more exposed to driveways, alleys, and general foot activity. Most importantly, you'll find yourself coming from the wrong direction into intersections (from a driver's perspective), so will be invisible. DANGER.

Just don't do it unless it's an emergency bail-out due to road construction or some other immediate hazard. PG

Slight Expansion of Denver's Scale...
 

Road Bike (modern racing) - Porsche
Road Bike (vintage racing) - Shelby Cobra
Road Bike (touring) - Large bed pickup truck (pick your brand)
Road Bike (utility/commuter) - Honda Accord
Hybrid = Buick (any)
Mtn Bike = Jeep
Recumbent = Alien Spaceship:lol:

Phil

The answer to the OP's question is based on where he will be riding and by his description it seems the hybrid would fit that need.I first started out only riding the single track on a mountain bike and rode this way for years until my aging body decided for me that I needed to tone my riding style down, so I went with a hybrid based on my riding habits. I don't feel that I made the wrong choice as I ride mostly paved bike trails, neighborhood streets, and run into a lot of situations where if I were on a road bike I would have to dismount and walk my way through some loose gravel or dirt/rock sections of the trails I ride.I still have the mountain bike, but it would be overkill for the places I now ride, and a road bike I would be walking some areas instead of riding as I do now. My choice of the hybrid was a no brainer.I have no interest or desire to hit the road just to go fast, and fight the traffic.

Thanks Jimbo. I plan on riding mostly for exercise purposes, and on a paved trail (although the pavement may be cracked etc.). To get there, I would need to ride a short distance from my house. The trail is paved but if I opt to, I can go to a parallel part that is more gravel, but I think I would stick to the trail.

TexLex,
As to your question on the brake interrupter levers I mentioned, they are levers that mount on the top "flats" of a drop bar, seen a lot on cyclocross bikes, that "Interrupt the brake cable running to the regular brake/shifter, or brifter, allowing you to rest your hands on the tops and still have quick access to the brake levers.


http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...1&d=1349440588





Scroll down a bit from the top to see a picture of one. There are also models like these that are the only lever mounted, not as an interrupter of the brake cable. Just depends on where you like to have your hands when you ride. Their are several different bends of bars that touring types and city bikes use, also. Several members here have some and maybe they will post pics of them. You have a lot of choices in making a bicycle work well for you and having it comfortable while riding. Best of luck in your search and I hope you will stick around 50+.

Bill

Many thanks Bill. Very useful. I will keep this information handy for when I buy my bike. Will keep you guys posted on the progress. Cheers.

Check back to my post, I edited the picture to avoid any appearance of shilling a product.

Bill

8 or 9 years ago, I would ride about 3 miles to a little park on the river, and return. My epic ride was 7 miles each way up to one of the big city parks, with a 250 foot hill climb.

Then I got a road bike, and started doing the local cycle club rides. Now I'm able to do routes with 60 miles and 6000 feet of climbing. 30 mile rides are easy.

So, if you buy a hybrid bike, you might find yourself really liking bike riding, and after some miles, want to go farther and faster. You might end up selling the hybrid and getting a road bike. That might actually be a good plan--getting used to riding, getting fit, and seeing if you like bike riding, with an inexpensive hybrid.

And

unicycle = Segway
tandem = limousine
trike = trike

NOOOO! Not selling! The proper method is N+1! ;) Keep hybrid for grocery runs, and buy road bike in addition! ;)

I'm happy with just my hybrid, now that I've replaced the riser bars with trekking bars. While a new, more road oriented bike might be nice (I don't count the 1972 AMF Pursuit in the shed), I won't be able to afford one unless I sell the car (which isn't really an idle threat, nowadays).

A hybrid might not do everything well, but mine does everything "well enough" for me, since the bar-replacement. I can regularly do 16 miles with the panniers installed, with an annoying headwind (with sideways gusts) that puts me on the far grip of the bar, and still get home pretty much fresh as a daisy. A somewhat sweaty daisy, but fresh, nonetheless. And the one 29 mile trip I made didn't give me any problems in any part of my body. So I, at least, give a hybrid a passing grade... if it's modified. Still, if you're in the process of buying, it is probably a better option to go with a road bike that is distance/endurance oriented, with room for a fatter tire (like a 700x25C or more) to soak up the potholes and curbs, slightly more upright position so you don't get a crick in your neck, springier tougher frame to soak up the harshness of the road and carry a boatload of... er... load. Something along the lines of Cyclocross or a touring bike. Just work the daylights out of your LBS' inventory, and go with what excites you, even if it's an electric-assisted tricycle or a 10-speed unicycle (... I'd love to see how THAT would work!) In the end, you'll get too many opinions from others, so your choices will widen instead of narrow, so just go with what you think you'd like! :)

On a side note, I don't know why they don't sell hybrids pre-installed with trekking bars, h-bars, or mustache bars. I think there'd be a market for bikes you could test-drive at the LBS with these style bars.

Folding bike = mini cooper. Literally, actually!

too funny David. I particularly like your suggestion of an electric assisted tricycle :-) who knows, maybe I will end up with one after all and solve all of my problems :-)

mustache bars!? trekking bars? oh how much I have to learn :-)

You mentioned the mustache bars and I agree. I put some on my hybrid and it made a world of difference in the comfort level. For me the flat bar put my hands in a position that wasn't natural and caused pain in my wrist hands and forearm after a ride of eight to ten miles. I switched to the mustache bars and the more natural hand position and the pain has gone away and I rode close to 20 miles yesterday without any discomfort. There seems to be several hand positions also over what I had with the flat bar, and with the swept back design and not having to adjust hand positions as often.
I can ride as far and as fast as I want to on my hybrid and in comfort so I don't see the need for a change, and have been riding it for about three years now.

Hum, that's what I'm doing... except that I'm up to 30 mile rides on the hybrid... I can see that getting a nice road bike would make my longer rides faster, but I like the workout I'm getting lugging that 30 lb. beast up the hills...

Yes its fred-ish and slow on the hills, but also if I see a dirt side path I can just go exploring on a whim. A lot of my rides have horse paths along side, and its kinda fun to be
able to go off-road a bit without worrying about it.

I am 'shopping' for a nice road bike - the year end bonus will hopefully cover it, but I don't think I'll abandon my hybrid - its really fun to ride.

Since I don't have a Porsche, I don't feel qualified to answer this. If someone would kindly drop one off for me, I will do my best to aid in the research of this very important issue.

Mustache bars are kind of what you'd get if your drop bars were ran over by a truck. :)
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=276765http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=276766

Trekking bars aka butterfly bars are kind of what would happen if you took the mustache bars and bent the ends to point inward. Here's a pic of mine.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=276768

"H" bars are wierd beasts. I guess, if you took a capital H and bent the vertical bars toward each other at one end, and away at the other... Bah! A pic is worth a thousand words.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=276769

It looks like the Trekking Bars is what would happen if the truck that ran over the mustache bars backed off and ran over it again :)

TexLex100, if you look into the "more" expensive "hybrids", you will notice that they have the Same type of GEARING, (usually a compact double crankset and a much tighter spaced rear cassette, ie: the gear cluster). These are what's considered a "FLAT bar Road Bike". Where a std. hybrid usually has a "triple crankset" (3-Chainwheels up front), with say a 48/38/28 teeth set up, it usually has "what's considered "Mountain Bike style front and rear derailleurs", the flat bar road bike style hybrid would use a "50/34" tooth double (two), compact chainwheel set and a lot of them use more "Road Bike style" front and rear derailleurs". The Cassette (gear cluster on the rear) on a standard hybrid might be a 11 or 12 to 32 or 34 cog set set up, the flat bar road bike, might have a 11-25 or 27 cog set up. The LARGER cog, the easier the gear (think uphill), the smaller the harder the gear (think flat land or downhill).

You can add "Ergo GP-1 egronomic grips and bar ends" to a hybrid to give you MORE hand positions, I think you'd find that you'd VERY SELDOM use the "lower part" of the drop bars on a road bike, MOST riders, (not racers, tri-alt's, ect.) end up riding on the top of the brake levers on road bikes. Don't get me wrong if you, WANT a road bike, then get one and ENJOY but don't let the "hybrid haters", tell you that hybrids are useless or can't do "multi-functions" well, their WRONG! We don't own a car so I even pull a home made utility trailer with my utility hybrid to get food and lager items! Whatever you get, have FUN! Below is a Jamis Allegro Sport, a std, hybrid and a Jamis Allegro Elite, a flat bar road bike, CLICK the SPECS icon and look at the difference's in componets, FYI :)


Flat Bar Road Bike, (hybrid) Jamis Allegro Elite: $1000 (est.) specs: http://www.myjamis.com/SSP%20Applica...cat_grp=strt_3

Std. Hybrid, Jamis Allegro Sport: Under $600 (est.) specs: http://www.myjamis.com/SSP%20Applica...cat_grp=strt_3

Can't say that I agree with you. If I'm climbing a grade that's more or two or three percent, then I'm on the brake hoods, all the rest of the time, I'm in the drops. From what I see of other riders, their riding habits are similar. It's very seldom I see anyone on a group ride with their hands anywhere but on the drops. For myself, I'd estimate I spend 80% of the time in the drops.

I'm not a hybrid hater, either, as I do own one. It's used mostly as a utility bike, and I also ride it when going to the park to run. For a fun ride or to cover any distance, it's the road bike all the way.

Originally Posted by GeorgeBMachttp://www.bikeforums.net/images/but...post-right.pngIt's sort of like having a Porsche and an SUV...
... Which one is more fun and which one gets used more?

Congratulations! You have WON!
... We will be dropping one of these off in your driveway shortly:

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/go-in...cHDSxLDxQ.html

And, best of all? IT'S A HYBRID!
:)

Folks.. I finally did it. Today, I went to the bike store suggested by phil gretz on a previous post, Papillon Cycles in Arlington, VA. I talked to the owner, Baily, and after 3 hours of discussions and test riding bikes, I ended up buying a cyclocross, the Giant TCX 2.. yaaay :-)

I liked the Defy which was very fast and smooth, but I felt all the bumps and cracks in the road. The cyclocross with its fatter knobby tires did a nicer job absorbing them to a good extent. The only thing I was/am unsure about is the bike size. I ended up getting a size M/L, which felt good except for when I dismounted, when the horizontal top of the frame had very little clearance with my, ahem, privates! the store didn't have the small which was on back order, and the owner didn't think the small would be the right size, especially since it would have a shorter frame length. However, he agreed that if I totally thought after trying it for some time that it still felt too big that he would order the small and I would exchange it (for some fee which I would gladly pay).

I am very excited about my purchase. I installed a bottle cage, front and back light, and computer. I should get back to the store after 10 hours or a 100 miles (in my case, the 10 hours would probably equal 2 miles.. hehe). I forgot to buy a lock but I will only do short rides from and back to home. Any suggestions for a good lock?

Can't thank you guys enough for all your help. I did feel that this was a good store to buy from, although it is far from my home, and although they only carry Giant bikes and no other brand. I also did not know about the cyclocross until you guys presented it as an option.

Anyway, enough babbling. I will keep you posted of my first ride :-) cheers.

Giant are a good bike manufacturer and earlier this year the TCX 2 was on my short list of bikes for my N+1. It was not available in my size and many other bikes were also not available from Giant either.

You have made a good choice but on the sizing. I ride the "S" size in Giants and I am 5'6" short with a 29" inseam. I also fit onto the "M" with a slight change to bar size and stem length. If you are any taller than me then the "M" will be your size.

Locks are a good thing to have but the best security is your butt and your hand. Keep either of those two on it and it is difficult for it to "Walk". BUT Get a wedge. a small saddlebag that goes under the saddle and is just large enough for a Tube- A puncture repair kit- a couple of Tyre levers and possibly a Multi tool. You will also need a pump and there can be problems fitting a pump to the giant frame and I have a Topeak "Mini" Morph pump that fits in place of the rear water carrier. The Topeak Morph series of pumps are recommended on this Forum as it will get up to 120 psi comfortably and I use the Mini as the normal size is not the easiest to fit on a Compact framed Giant.

So pics required now- a Pie ride and ride report.

And check out the manner in which the bike pic has to be taken. Drive side to the camera- cranks parallel to the ground- Chain in the correct gear to show the chain is also level with the ground and in front of a "White" garage door. If you can't manage this- Then any pic will do;)



Edit--Been looking for this post to give you a comparison and reason to go road

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...is-out-on-loan

Hi, Congratulations! I am not familiar with the bike -- but that is of little importance. You and the LBS obviously worked hard to find a good fit for YOU -- and that's all that matters...

As you start to ride, don't loose sight of the fact that your body will (probably) be overcoming many years of abuse through stagnancy. So, it will be a process that many (and probably MOST) of the members of this forum have gone through. Some went after the problem with an arduous and strenuous training program that pushed their bodies to the limit. Others (like me) have taken a less ambitious approach where each day I ride as far as I am able to ride without overly stressing my body...

Regardless of the approach, with consistency, you will see yourself going a little further and a little faster each week.

Be patient with yourself: It probably took many years for your body to get into the shape it is in. It will take weeks, months and even years to get to your peek potential.

But the important thing is: ride often and ride far... And ENOY!
... And, continue your relationship with the LBS. He sounded like a good guy and he can support you and answer your questions & concerns as they come up. When you have a question about the bike (Are the tires inflated properly? Is the chain too dry, is the seat too low?....)

And, finally: +1 for Stapfam's recommendation of a seat bag, spare tube, tire irons and a pump (and learn how to change a tire). ... For some reason, bicycle tires go flat far too often. And, I would add: get a good floor pump as well. Many people on this forum inflate their tires most every ride. The portable pump you carry on the bike is good for emergency use but not for day-to-day use.

Thanks Sapfam and George. I am 5'9", so hopefully the M is the right size. I think what causes the concern is that cyclocross apparently have a higher clearance from the ground, so that kind of accentuated the feeling of the large frame. The store guy told me that they measure from the horizontal bar to the bone? and not to the privates! Oh well, one lives and learns. I will see if it works out.

It is raining today but I so feel like trying the new bike that I may just take it for a quick short ride around home. Cheers.

My first ride :thumb:

OK, so I just couldn't resist to go for my first ride, in spite of the wet day. After a 3 blocks of street riding I got onto the trail. While riding in the streets, I almost fell three times, especially navigating smaller spaces, ramps, etc, but I survived. On the trail, I decided to do a 15 minute out, then 15 minutes back home. The bike felt very good. Not as fast as the other road bikes I tried but it did an excellent job absorbing the many cracks in the trail pavement., There was one ramp (bridge over a main street), so I put the gears to easiest (recall that I never used gears before!) and it was OK. I rested for 5 minutes on a bench then resumed my way back home. Now THAT was easier said than done! I was on the easiest gear the whole way and wished there were an easier gear. The bike has 18 speeds, but I was looking for the call-a-tow-truck-since-I-am-too-tired-to-pedal gear, but I guess they don't come with one :)

Took the bike to my small apartment, and wished I had a folder :p I checked out the reading on the computer: 4.96 miles, 32 minutes, average speed 9 mph. Not sure how will I wake up tomorrow, or what shape would my back/neck/arms/hands/butt/toes/eyebrows etc. feel, but psychologically, I am thrilled to have taken the first step. Cheers.

Hi Tex,

Great choice!I think you are really going to enjoy that bike. At 5'9", I think you would be well suited on a "M". The M/L might be a tad to big for you, but you will have to be the ultimate judge as comfort is king.

Next comes all the accessories. Diffidently get a wedge bag so yo can carry a spare tube, and tools to change a tire. Flats do happen and it's nice to be able to repair them and get on your way without having to call someone to come get you. Also, look into getting some cycling specific clothing. I know I said "you'll never catch me alive wearing lycra", it is more comfortable. I still prefer the Mountain bike shorts which have a padded lycra liner under a baggie type nylon pair of shorts. Then as you get more comfortable riding, you will inevitably start looking at clipless pedals and shoes.

You can also add fenders if you want to ride on those wet roads with out getting a mud stripe up your back. Good luck!

Here is a picture..
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=277110

Thanks NCbiker. Turns out I got the "M" size, not M/L. Goes to show you how much I know! I will definitely heed your advice guys on the required equipment. I will ask the bike store when I go back after 10 hours to buy those, unless y'all think it is of immediate need in which case I would purchase them right away.

I was thinking about the cycling clothes today, not so much for the lycra but for a good rain gear. The flimsy rain jacket I had did nothing to fend the wind. I too would prefer a lyrca inside on a regular shorts, as they appear to be less revealing :) Also, my hands were cold and wet, so wondered whether I should have gotten a pair of wool gloves. The store guy has installed for me, free of charge, a pair of pedals that have this strap thingy (sorry, don't know the name). They were very nice while on the trail, but were dangerous for me while on the road since they didn't allow me to release my feet fast enough to dismount. I hope I would get the hang of them.

There is a thread on this forum that you may find helpful on "Clipless pedals"... They are not the straps you are talking about, but same idea...

And the lycra bike shorts add padding that can make the hard, narrow saddles a lot more bearable.

Hey! Nice looking ride! :thumb: