Zoe0206

I am new to biking and need help choosing one. I mainly want to use it to get some exercise and to get me and my one year old out of the house. I will be putting a baby bike seat on the back and will be riding on sand and poorly paved roads....maybe some ok pavement.

I was originally looking at mountain bikes since we live in the country, but recently learned about comfort bikes. I am looking for something with good sock absorption because I want to be comfortable and I don't want to shake the crap out of my baby.

A dealer told me I should look for something with wide tires to help keep me stable with the added weight of the baby on the back, and to look for something that has me sitting more upright because it's more comfortable.

I found two used bikes that I like.

1). I like the Gary Fisher because it has shocks on the seat and the front. Would I sit more upright with it? Or would it be the same as the Trek? I've never heard of Gary Fisher.

2002 Gary Fisher Solstice - BikePedia

2). I've been told by a good biking friend that treks are great bikes and that I can't go wrong choosing this one.

2006 Trek 3700 - BikePedia

Please help...what are your opinions? I'd like to pick one up later today before they sell.

Thank you :-)

GerryinHouston

Gary Fischer was an upscale brand in the late nineties. My wife is (still) riding a Gary Fisher Nirvana she bought in 99. I was amazed as I tried it the other day on how crisp andsure the gear changing is, even after all these years. At the same time, I bought a Diamondback Parkway hybrid, my son is riding it in college now. Although it is still around, it feels a lot more tired... I wouldn't hesitate on the Gary Fisher.

Trek is Trek. It's been around for dog's years and still will be.

If you can ride the bikes, decide based on which ride you like better.

jbell_64

Pretty sure Trek owns Gary Fisher

Zoe0206

I guess I could ride them to see. They are each in a different town. But I could just be honest and say "Now I'm going to drive over there to test drive another before I make a decision".

I did read somewhere that Trek made Gary Fisher. But you know how the Lexus is a luxury Toyota, which is better here? Also one is a hybrid (Gary Fisher Solstice) and one is a Mountain bike (trek 3700). So which would be better for how I'm wanting to ride? In the country....not real fast...on sand/bad pavement/ ok pavement with a baby on the back?

Maelochs

Sand with a baby i wouldn't recommend, unless it is Very well-packed. Sand slides way too easily. "Hybrid" and "mountain bike" are just words---different people ascribe different meanings to them. Test-ride if you can ... base your choice on the bikes, and use the input from BF only as a general guide.

Zoe0206

Ok thank you. I guess it really isn't sand. We live on a dirt road..in Florida...there is sand everywhere, even where the grass grows :-)

This stuff looks like whitish packed down sand/dirt. It's hard enough to get "pot-holes".

SkyDog75

Both of those bikes are Treks in a way, since Trek bought out Gary Fisher sometime in the mid-90s.

Gary Fisher is one of the early pioneers of mountain biking. He started his own company which sold bikes under the Gary Fisher name until Trek bought him out. Trek continued selling bikes under the Gary Fisher name until 2010, when Trek killed off the brand by folding it into the Trek lineup as the "Gary Fisher Collection".

Getting back to the original question... Those two bikes are more similar than they are different. They're both aluminum-framed "hardtail" mountain bikes, meaning they have a suspension fork but no rear suspension on the frame. If the frames are different sizes, go with whichever fits better. If they both fit well, go with whichever you like more.

When you ask about how upright you'd sit, that's a matter of fit. The bike's frame size, saddle adjustment, and length of the handlebar stem all play into that.

RonH

Why not get a chariot for the baby. The folks in the Recreation & Family forum can tell you all about them.

Zoe0206

I ended up going with the Gary Fisher. I tried them both out and it just fit me better. I liked the Trek and even though my toes just touched the ground I felt my knees were VERY high when I was pedaling. Maybe that means the frame was too small for me, I'm not sure.

If the Gary Fisher was an inch or two shorter it would be perfect, I feel it's a tad too high. It's easy getting on and off now by singing my leg behind it. But once I hook the baby seat on I'll have to step over the high bar (unisex bar). But I think I will get use to it. It's a very comfortable bike to ride.

That you for everyone's input and advise.

Zoe0206

Ron- I tried one of those once. I had a bike a few years ago that I only rode a handful of times and I got one for my dogs to ride in. I found it to be very challenging going up a hill with them, which at the time I was surrounded by.

I already have the behind baby seat. I'll use it for now while I built up my biking mussels, then if we need to I can try the little cart out again.