Which to choose?
 

I am looking for a very well made high quality hybrid bike. I was looking for one in the $2,000 - $2700 range. It has been years since I have had a bike, and there are so many brands, styles, etc out there, I just don't know where to even begin looking. I want a bike that has high quality components, lightweight frame, easy to use brakes (hydraulic?) smooth ride and easy to manuever. I will be using it on some gravel (my long driveway) and mostly road but looking at a hybrid because I want the most versatile bike that can handle these terrains. I hate to sound so ignorant, but am really confused about all the options out there. Is there any one that can suggest some bike brands as well as models I could start to look for to try out? IReally appreciate any advice/suggestions thank you!

A couple of question's -

will you be handling the maintenance?

what brands do bike shops near you carry?

If the toughest terrain it will see is gravel in your driveway and it's roads otherwise, and you don't want a drop bar to go fast, I'd pick based on lifestyle considerations.

There's a Priority Current bike from Costco that has a zero maintenance belt instead of a chain, for example, and a Pinion gearbox in the bottom bracket instead of a derailleur.

Costco has always been great to me about returns too. I returned an inflatable kayak that cost several thousand once and they didn't bat an eye.

That seems like a lot to spend on a bike when you're really not sure what you want.

I would suggest something like this Trek:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b.../57139/5336673

But every bike maker has an $800 hybrid that's going to be essentially the same. So find a dealer you're comfortable with and see what they have.

My company loaned me a Trek FX for a couple years as a bicycling commuter incentive. Enjoyable ride 👍 I later upgraded to a carbon frame that was easier to lift on to bus bike racks and my wife went to a Townie Electra 9D from the same shop for the pedal forward/flat foot stops aspect. It was a good starter bike, though.

Hi thanks for responding! I will have to take bike to local shop for any maintenance other than something very very simple. Bike shops in my area carry the following brands: Trek, Specialized, Cervelo, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, BMC, Gazelle, Tern, Kona, Marin, Norco, Yuba, Fairdale, Pivot and Surly. Appreciate your advice!!

I have a Trek Verve 3 and I really like it. My advice is to go to your local bike shop and ride a few and see which one fits you best. On another note…you can buy an almost new Verve 3 at their website for a fraction of the original price. They are the ones that didn’t sell before the new model year came out. I like Trek’s warranty, I don’t know about the other brands.

In the hybrid world I see two approaches - rider comfort on one side and sporty/flatbar endurance on the other. I’d hit the LBS and try out the spectrum. I like the sporty end of the spectrum and my wife is on the other end.

The previously mentioned Verve is an upright, comfort focused bike with wide tires. It’s a stable and forgiving choice. My wife has a Verve 3 and it works great for her. Specialized Roll and Cannondale Treadwell are also in this group.

On the other end you will find the Trek FX, Cannondale Quick, and Specialzed Sirrus. I’ve spent time on the FX series and own a Quick 1 which are quite similar. They are fast and responsive but still stable. (The Quick 1 reminds me of a more chill version of my Cannondale Synapse Alloy.) A ride will tell you more than I can offer.

Welcome to Bike Forums Gwenivere!

As others have said, all brands have a similar hybrid in a similar price range, and they're all good. A big consideration as you're trying bikes is the shop. You're going to be dealing with them for all your warranty and service needs, so find one you like, where they don't talk down to you, push their opinions on you, or try to upsell you on things you don't need. From the sound of it, the only accessory you'll need at first is a helmet. Probably more stuff later on, but a good, comfortable helmet should keep you for awhile.

This is my personal opinion, so feel free to ignore it. Hydraulic disc brakes are overkill for 99% of bike riders; unless you're a mountain biker leaping off jumps and down steep hills at speed, mechanical disc (same as hydraulic but with cables instead of toxic brake fluid) or even rim brakes work really well. They're less expensive and easier to service yourself.

Speaking of servicing it yourself, you'd be amazed at how much you can do with just a few tools and some knowledge. Park Tools, a very famous bicycle tool manufacturer, has an excellent YouTube channel with many very helpful how-to videos. My favorite part is stop and rewind. ;)

Have fun test riding bikes and let us know which one you choose. Happy riding!

Bike hunting
 

thank ya'll for all your advice - will use it in helping me determine which bike to choose. Right now, just trying to dig out from under all this snow and ice we received and weather calling for more snow today. Hopefully soon I will be able to go out and test ride; excited to try out some bikes! Hope ya'll stay safe and warm and many thanks to you!

If you're going to ride some snow, mud, etc, I'd have to agree with what the og replier said about buying a bike with a belt. Belt drives are a lot less maintenence, sure, they don't make as much speed as chains... but top speed is irrelevant here. The new belt mechanisms use carbon belts now. Marin has a Fairfax model that comes with a belt and is a really good city bike. It is like $500-700 as well. Definitely consider.

Though if you want to up the ante a bit, you could get one of the BMC's with flat bar. Alpenchallenge are the name of the series, they look kinda nice in red. Closer to $1.1-5k than $500 though.

Agree on the belts they are nice, disagree on Marin's use of them. They used plastic belt rings on a commuter bike and we had 3 of them fail within a short period and they refused to admit it was a problem with anyone else and I could smell the dookie through the phone. It was a fine bike for the low price but not worth it for commuting.

Or go straight to Priority; all they make is belt drive bikes. Here are their commuter bikes.

Hey Gwenivere , did you ever find a bike? What did you get and can you show us?