advice please
 

so is there a website or somewhere i can go to get some info on bikes. I would like to know the benifiets of a road bike over a mountian bike and hybrid bike and what on the road bike is better than hybrids and mnt bikes and the other way around too. I got this friend that wants a bike but doesn't know what kind he wants. He doesn't know a thing about bikes and said he guess a mnt bike will be fine but he'll just be going on light trails and roads/sidewalks and riding to work on it sometimes too. He loves to go fast in cars so he'll prolly like to on a bike too. So I suggested a road bike but he thinks he wouldn't like the handlebars but he's never tried them, he's only familiar with the mnt bike handlebars so I was thinking maybe get him a road bike and change the handlebars and maybe put 700x28 or thicker tires on? maybe he'd like that.

Get him to test ride some stuff at your local bike shop, and talk to the guys there. they might be better able to convince him to get a bike that will work for him. I wouldn't commute on a mt bike, and I don't see to many on the road. I guess if he really wants one, there's no stopping him, but it would suck if he decided he doesn't like biking just because his ride is wrong for his needs.

A cyclocross bike might be the ticket.

It's the original "hybrid" (a term I find kinda lame) bike.

A lot of people think the drop bars my be uncomfortable. I answer the drop bars have all the hand placement of flat bars plus bullhorn bars out on the hoods and a place to duck down into when going into the wind.

I bought a hybrid bike with flat bars and found my wrists and hands got numb really quickly. I added bar grips and that helped somewhat. Eventually I realized I am more comfortable with my wrists turned in and put some mustache bars (like beach cruiser bars sort of) on it and that works. But for real comfort it's drop bars.

Here are some links for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle_types

http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/howtobuyabike1.html

http://bike-manual.com/brands/trek/o...hoose_bike.htm

My suggestion of a cross bike is because they can be very fast and yet handle off road.

As stated above, you may want to take him to the local bike shop and ask around.

There is always that misconception about roadbikes and the seeming distaste for the drop bars. The top of the bars are most often used during regular riding and depending on the way it is angled and its postion in relation to the saddle can be made very comfortable.

Check out the cross bikes if he really must go off road.

Cyclocross bikes still have drop bars. You can get flat-bar road bikes. I'd call them road/hybrid crosses, but maybe that's cutting up the genres a bit too finely. They have flat or slightly rising bars, along with road gears and skinny tires.

Different categories of bikes are not "better", just better suited for a type of use.

If I had a friend who drove a sports car and did Pilates I'd push them towards a road bike. For a friend who likes hiking and bull riding I'd push a mountain bike.
If you don't have a very clear idea of what they are likely to enjoy and focus on then they will probably be best served by an all-arounder. Something versatile, and, unless they're rich, affordable.

I would consider touring bikes and cross bikes the most versatile, but they also tend to be expensive (by my standard).
Older mountain bikes are also extremely versatile, and with a little luck can be had very cheap.

A friend of mine just started cycling Based largely on my recommendation he bought an older Trek 720 (hybrid), but if we hadn't found a great price on that bike I was going to set up an old Diamond Back Topenga for him.

Older mountain bikes will have 26" (559mm) wheels instead of 700c(622mm), but road slicks are still readily available so I don't see that as a serious down side, and it can be a major advantage. Lots of good older mountain bikes will be non-suspension, triple butted chrome-moly steal frame, 48t large chainring, and have rack, fender, and multiple bottle mount braze-ons, and can be found on Craigslist for around $100 or less. This really is about as versatile as it gets. I like drop bars, but because of the price difference and the perception of many non-cyclists I rarely push the matter with new cyclists.

It's also possible to covert a rigid mountain bike to 700c on the cheap. Check Gav Tatu's Flickr and you'll see some simple but brilliant V-brake adaptors. And many people have done drop bar mountain bike conversions (mostly with brifters, so not so cheap, but still cheaper than a new cross bike if you can do the work).

I don't think most conversions use brifters. Mine sure didn't. Much easier and cheaper to go with stem shifters or find a place to put a trigger shifter or get a mount for downtube shifters.

Or you can use bar-end shifters. Lots of options.

Brifters are the solution I've seen most often, but that is just my observation.

I wouldn't recommend a newbie aim for a drop bar conversion, but it's good to know you have the option.