Looking for a good basic hybrid
 

Hi, everyone. Trying to decide between Cannondale Quick 6, Terra Linda 1, and Fuji Absolute 1.9 or 2.1. All advice appreciated! Thank you.

Kona Dew

all 4 of us, in our family, have some model of the Trek FX. I bought them all pre-owned. very happy with them. they are durable & reliable, w/ good shifting

you might try to find out which of those, on your list, are in stock & can be delivered, before deciding?

when I shop for cars, I often am also shopping for a dealership. so you might focus on a bike shop you like & work with them, with whatever they can actually deliver?

Great comment, our trek dealer is a bit inconsistent with customer service. Our Kona dealer is excellent.

Thanks. I had been waiting since Covid started to get a Trek FX, but I've finally given up on finding one!

come to Boston! ;-)

https://boston.craigslist.org/d/bicy...uery=trek%20fx

I'm waiting for them to arrive in the spring. My LBS expects a bunch in May. Last time I checked (August) lead times were still over a year, so shops should know what they have on order and when to expect them.

Mark

Thanks for your input, everyone, and for the link. The stores in my area have the three bikes that I mentioned. I may still try to find a used Trek, but would still like feedback about the Cannondale Quick 6, Marin Terra Linda 1, and Fuji Absolute 1.9 or 2.1, if anyone has experience with or knowledge about these. Thanks!

The Cannondale Quick 6 is a basic 3x7 hybrid with rim brakes for $650 (but the rear wheel has a cassette instead of a freewheel, which is good). The Marin Terra Linda 1 seems to be a much better value, also being a 3x7 bike with a cassette for only $470. It appears to have a step-through frame, which will have a different fit and feel from a traditional diamond frame. This bike also comes with cable-operated disc brakes (which are not necessarily an upgrade over rim brakes). The Fuji Absolute 1.9 is priced the same as the Cannondale, and comes with a 2x8 drivetrain and cable-operated disc brakes. The 2.1 version is priced lower at $590, and comes with a 3x7 drivetrain with a freewheel and rim brakes.

The Cannondale and Fuji bikes will probably feel very similar to each other, whereas the Marin will likely feel more upright oriented. In terms of components, all of these bikes have lower-end parts that will be durable for general recreational riding. I wouldn't focus as much on the equipment, and would focus more on which bike you like riding the most. Since you noted that all of these bikes are in stock near you, I'd absolutely not buy any of them until you've had a chance to ride them all to see what feels best to you. Don't discount subjective aspects like frame color; that's not something you can easily change.

Like hokiefyd said, "not buy any of them until you've had a chance to ride them".
If your Dealers have a Jamis Coda....it would be worth test riding one too.

Thanks, everyone. I will be sure to try the bikes out, as several of you have suggested.

So, did you decide on a bike?

I just picked up a Fuji Absoute 3.0 on FB Marketplace and love it!

Congratulations! Now, let's see it!

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a70e69a30.jpeg
This bike was in good shape. I replaced the chain, cassette, and seat, and added a front rack.

It's a beauty! Love the color!!

Thanks, Chickenwings! Here’s a photo showing
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4b6fe7978.jpeg
the wonky angle of my handlebar bag before I added the front rack.

That is a nice color to that Fuji!

Thanks, travbikeman, I like it too.
Today's project was fitting 'porteur' bars from Linus Bikes to my Fuji Absolute 3.0 It took a while to get the angle and height of the bars just right, and then further tinkering to adjust brake and shifter angles. Here's what we got now:
Hmm .....I'm having problems uploading a photo i took on my iPhone (altho I've use3d those pics before)....sez here
"Your file "601EA24A-C2E6-46C7-AED6-4366B0DB4E95.heic" could not be uploaded. It is not an accepted file type." Then how do we upload iPhone photos? Any advice here?

Ah okay, I think I figured out how to do this - 'export' the photo as a jpeg file to desktop, and move it from there.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ffd86ea36.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ddde71a2c.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...67c5f94ea.jpeg

The bike saddle is the new Spoon Charge saddle. Very good looking, but taking awhile to break in.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8084031be.jpeg

Lovely looking bike. :love:

Why did you change your saddle?

Thanks, Colonel. My thinking on the new saddle as follows:

1. Design - Classic looking design
2. Price - $35 as opposed to $100+ for Brooks B17
3. Weight - weighs about 1/2 of my previous leather (Belt) saddle
4. Comfort - too early to tell. My Belt leather saddle is well broken in at this point and more comfy, this saddle is still brand new. We'll see. ..the vintage Belt may go back on and I'll save this for another project.

Ahhhh okay, I thought you already had a Brooks leather saddle. :p

Nice work. You'll have to let us know how the bars work!

That saddle is indeed gorgeous. I want one too given the 1/3 price of a brooks but yeah, I want a brooks!

I don't have any experience with the bikes you mentioned but a few weeks ago i took a chance on a steel Marin Muirwoods 2021 that was on special for $750 and pulled the plug. I have converted it to 1x9 along with a few other upgrades and i think it's a great all around heavy duty bike. I have only been able to go around the block a few times due to injuries but it felt very comfortable, even more so than my Sirrus.

Pics?

Tons of tire clearance. The stock tires are 40mm wide and surprisingly ride well, although as i said, i haven't been able to ride much recently.
Changed:
- zero setback seatpost
- Ergon ST saddle
- Shimano Zee cranckset + bottom bracket
- SQ lab handlebar
- SQ lab inner bar ends
- ODI grips
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5f6397a76d.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0b19765d7c.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a7a1ed9137.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6496e22d7b.jpg

VERY cool! Love the black too!

How do you like those inner bar ends? I like the idea of changing hand position, even during the short rides I make.

Thanks. These bar ends give another hand position and the good thing is that brake levers are easily operated when using them. However i find them to be too small and i wear size small gloves. They also kind of lock in your hands in place that becomes hard to slightly move your hands around. Prior to these i had Giant bar ends mounted in the same position wrapped with bar tape and like them better, will probably go back to them at some point.