I need the advice of my good and beloved friends here at BFC. I am restricted to buying only one,:cry: bike.So the help I need from you guys is, do I get a road bike, or a MTB?

Neither.
You need something like
http://www.thorn.uk.com/

Well, if I remember the Sumter area correctly (I am originally from Columbia, SC), there is not much around, which would either mean a lot of open road, or a lot of off road. So, from there you must decide do you want black pavement or do you want black dirt? Wait a minute, I am talking about the South...Is it red clay or sand?

I personally would vote MTB as I would prefer to lick mud off my teeth than bugs. With a MTB you can always put slicks on it if you have the urge for a little open road.

Or maybe a cyclocross...

Fubar,

There are lots of options. Steele-Bike has a point: what kind of riding will you be doing? Ask yourself that.
Then get the bike that is best for that.

Fubar, Like Steele-bike and Pete said, you have to ask yourself what kind of riding do you plan on doing. If you mainly plan on doing off-road than get a MTB. You can add semi-slicks for the occasional road ride.
If you don't plan on hitting dirt than a Road bike would be best.

Or you could just get this...You'll never have to worry about falling over and you can take the whole family along for the ride.

Its hard to say. I do all sorts of riding. But I'm leaning towards the MTB. I do alot of stuff like running errands for my mom, so its really convenient to be able to hop curbs and stuff like that, which I wouldn't be able to do with a road bike.Also, I figure I can, as steele mentioned, put slicks on whenever I feel like biking the road.I guess the only reason I was thinking road bike was because road biking is more available. It's easier for me to take a ride on the streets then go out to the nearest state park or forest.

Fubar5,

If you are going to be on the road, an MTB will slow you down and frustrate you downhill, because on downhill
you will spin out (have to coast).

A road bike is made for speed on the road. Why hop curbs unless you'll be on the sidewalk, a very, very slow place to ride?

But remember, road riding, especially in traffic, will take new skills and training. Sign up for an "Effective Cycling" course (search internet for your area). You will never take the sidewalk again, mate.

You're my cycling hero, man!

Peace

If you can only have one bike, get an MTB as it is the most versitile (sp?). Great for off-road, commuting, and getting around town and can also be used on the road better than a road bike can be used on the trail.

I would recommend saving up another $100 and getting a spare set of wheels and slicks. This way when you want to ride road, just switch them out in under 5 min. It is well worth it. Search the net, you can get a decent set of MTB wheels for under $100 - try Supergo, JensonUSA, or Price Point.

Good luck and let us know what you get.

Get yourself a good new mountain bike with the big money and then spend $25.00 on an old/used but good road bike.

You can get a reasonable old road bike ('70's or '80's vintage) for cheap, but good off-road bikes are too new to get good used stuff at cheap prices.

Fubar, I think you should buy a hybrid bike. You can get a really good bike for not too much money. I have only owned a hybrid for 1 year, and although I still prefer a road bike, the hybrid has changed my way of riding. I am really into riding comfortably as much as possible, and I get that ride all the time on my hybrid.

Are you confused, yet?

I guess everyone wants you to do something different!

Oh, well. And you thought this would make it easier!

Mike had a good idea (yes, it's true)! He really has a few now and then! ;) Guess it's Einstein's brain, or a bagel or something.

If you can borrow some bikes and test ride them, that might help. Anyway, with all of us helping you, you can't go wrong!

Oh, hi, A.F! I'm glad someone mentioned, "Hybrid". (All I hear is, "MTB, MTB..." I guess I'm the oddball!)

;)

Happy trails, man!

A 26" mtb wheeled touring bike like the Thorn can do it all, off road, on road, shopping, touring, time trialling, century rides, cyclo-cross.
You wont be able to do kamikaze downhill, but trails and technical riding are no problem, and the touring forks are better on the road than either suspension forks or masssive MTB fixed forks.

Cyclo cross/touring bikes like the Bianchi Volpe are another good allrounder, pretty much the same concept but in 700c.

Fubar, I'll add to the confusion by voting for the Hybrid. You can put a variety of tire sizes on them to deal with rough streets, potholes etc., or even light trail riding. With the 700C wheels you'll notice a big difference if most of your riding is on the road or street. You can get them in a variety of setups, some with or without front suspension, which could save you on cost and weight if you go without.

OK, Fubar, here comes even more confusion. If I were your age I would go with a mountain bike. Hybrids are fine for old guys like me, but I think you are more adventurous. Get a good mtb, but I wouldn't get full suspension, just front fork. But, if possible, get a pretty good one that you can actually ride off road if you want.

Once you get it you can do several things. As Mike said, keep your eye on garage sales and stuff, you might get lucky and get a good deal on an old road bike. Especially on a military base. Young guys in the military buy all kind of stuff while stationed overseas then years later realize they don't need it. As AF said, you can put slicks on the mtb to make it ride better on the street. Although two sets of wheels would be nice, it really only takes a few minutes to swap out tires if you are planning to go offroad. Some mtb rims are quite narrow so you might be able to put narrower slicks, too.

Something no one has touched on is that, assuming you have a 9-speed Shimano freehub rear with either 24 or 27 speeds total, you can get a road cassette, like 12-23 from Bike Nashbar for $37. Swapping cassettes takes less time than changing tires. This might sound like a strange thing to do, buy a mtb then put slicks and a road cassette on, but to me it is a better compromise for someone your age than a hybrid. You will have a true mtb as well as something that will get you going on the street. You will be going to college soon, and I think a mtb is a better campus bike than a road bike. Just don't spend extra bucks on full suspension. You don't need it.

Now my answer would be completely different if you were getting involved with a club or group dedicated to racing or if you told me that you were riding 20-30 miles a day for training, but it sounds like you are like us commuters, using your bike as a tool to get to school, run errands, etc. , with some recreational riding thrown in. To me, a mtb is a better "one bike" for a younger, more adventurous sort, such as yourself, while a hybrid is a better compromise for us old geezers who are looking for one bike.
Just my 2 cents, and worth every penny. :)
Regards,
Raymond

This is great!!! All this help from my great friends.Pozer, I love that...thing(bike?) you showed me. I have been thinking about a hybrid, that seems like it would cover everything. Pete, I would never ride on the sidewalks!!! But the street system on the base is crazy, so sometimes I hop the curb and cut across what ever is between me and my desination, instead of going way out of my way to stay on the road.
Rainman, I hadn't thought about putting a road cassette on. The main reason I am thinking road bike was because whenever I go road riding I don't have enough gears.I am also thinking road bike because road biking is more available,there's roads all over the place, but the closest off-road place is 18 miles away, which isn't that bad if I can dig-up someone who will go out there with me, my mom won't let me go by myself. She's read to many horror stories in the readers digest about kids getting kidnapped and chopped to bits. But I understand her concern.

I think the point here is that one bike can do a number of jobs if it not too specialised in its design. A full-on sus downhill bike or a time trial bike wont do, but any bike with loads of tyre clearance, good gear ratios, luggage rack and fender threads can fulfill an number of needs.

The difference between 26" and 700c size is academic; in the real world, rolling resistance depends more on tyre pressure and design.

Handlebar shape is an issue, MTB straight, hybrid/city style, or dropped, but you can put any bar on any bike. Just dont mix drops with V brakes.

Similarly gearing ratios can be changed from MTB triples to road triples or doubles on any bike. Off road doesn't always mean small triples. Just look at what flatland off-roaders or city couriers do with their MTBs (fixed/singlespeed/1x8)


Front forks play a big role in comfort and feel. My major bone with MTBs is that their fixed forks are overly masssive, transmitting all the shock to your hands. Road forks are much more absorbent.

So , mix'm match to build your own custom steed.

MichaelW, that is a good point too. My Dad's MTB that got stolen had fat fork on it, and after a few pot holes my wrists would be feeling messed up, but the fork on the univega I am riding now is more refined, and my wrists can tell a difference.
Also, I was talking to my dad last night and it turns out that he wants me to put a big chunk of the money I am going to make this summer into a mutual fund. And , the job I am getting only lasts for about 10 week and it is part-time, but I'm getting 7.35 an hour. I also have to give ten percent as a tithe to my church. Sooo, I've calulated it all up and I'll have about 500$ tops to spend, which isn't bad at all, I just can't spend the 700+ dollars I was planning. I am glad I talked to my dad before I was in the bike store ready to buy the bike of my dreams and then he tells me..."you weren't supposed to spend all that!!". Either way, this is going to be a great shopping/learning experience.

MichaelW (or anyone, jump in),

Perhaps you could comment on frame geometry. I've read this is important when making a selection on a new
bike, and that each bicycling application (road, touring, MTB, hybrid, etc.) has its own different design; but I don't know enough to elaborate...

:beer:

Every one of the replies so far is full of good sense!

As for me, no kid at 61, if I lost my road bike and my MTB today, and were able to get just one bike as a replacement, it would be an MTB, hands-down. I enjoy the speed of the road bike and how gracefully it responds to me, but even more than that, I appreciate the reliability and ruggedness of the MTB on city streets. I can carry things on the rack or in my inexpensive but excellent Avenir panniers. I don't worry about potholes and steel plates that multiply like jack rabbits.

Putting a rack on a road bike seems self-defeating to me, so the only way I can carry anything is in a backpack, which I don't mind, but then I still have to be extra careful about rough places in the road....

However, if you can do it, I would suggest as another poster did, getting that MTB and then supplementing it with a cheap used road bike for fun and special occasions--as well as for when your MTB has to be in the shop now and then.

Pete, these are the main frame design parameters:

steering responsiveness
combination of headtube angle and fork offset.

stiffness
enough but not any more, controlled by tube diameters and length.

strength
Controlled by tube wall thickness
Few bikes are really fragile, only perhaps time trial or ultra-light hill climbing bikes. The average racing bike is far tougher than MTBers realise, and over-building bikes makes them heavy.

clearance
For tyres/fenders/brakes as required. To much is better than too little.

biomechanics
set the top tube length, seat-tube angle, and bottom bracket height according to the size and proportions of the rider.

luggage
chainstays long enough to give heel clearance with panniers. Seatstays robust enough to fit a rack to (ie thicker walled tubing)

JonR
Putting a rack on a road bike makes a lot of sense. It means you can carry a reasonable load for commuting, day rides or weekend tours . My everyday bike is no expedition tourer, but an old road bike with fenders and rack; most century riders in the UK use lightweight versions of this style. Most road bikes are not used for pure competition racing.

You said it, MichaelW. A road bike with no carrier is almost destined for recreation use only.

All but one of my road bikes have carriers. Does it slow me down? I don't know. I never stopped to check.

Cheers for your parents, for caring about your well-being! Mine did, too.

In this city, I see so many kids whose parents apparently wish they'd never been burdened with them. It's awfull--they're allowed to roam at night, drop out of school, do and deal drugs, finally in some cases get shot to death, or imprisoned...

I guess if some parents lose a kid they don't care; maybe they can buy a bigger TV or more beer with the extra money.

Fubar5, when i bought my last bike (98) i opted for a mt. Bike although most of my riding is on road, but i went with a rigid cx frame,cannondale m-500 i even use short tread off road tires because sometimes i take little short cuts.
I use to race but when making the decision for an all round bike it was the suv of bicycles a mt. Bike and i can still average 18 miles per hr. comfortably.
Oh yes by the way mt. Bikes are for old guys to, headed for 61 but still 25 at heart..!!

Gosh Darnit...:irritated
I am so torn, I can imagine what it'd be like to climb a hill on a road bike, and ride endless miles. But the trails call too, this is a pain in the ***. But I think I'm gonna take mike's advice and get a MTB and then get a road bike at a garage sale or something.

Good thinking, Matt. You can ride a mtb on the road, but you can't ride a road bike off-road.

Well, you can, but not for long.