What to buy?
Hi everyone,

I would love to buy a new bicycle but i'm not sure what i want. I'm currently riding a Schwinn Mesa that is probably 20 years old. I believe I'd like a bike with taller thinner tires. I've been looking at a Giant Via 1. I like the rack in front, the solid front forks, the fenders. I'm not sure if the three speeds will be enough for me as I am used to my mountain bike. The other bike I've looked at was the Diamondback Edgewood. I really like the Geometry, believe it will have enough gears. Not real big on the front suspension. Diamondback also has a Kalamar which would have less gears and I would want to change the seat and perhaps the Handle bar stem to that of the Edgewood. Any feed back would be greatly appreciated. This was posted in general discussions and the suggestion was to visit a bike store. I'm more interested with any experience you would have had with these bikes, these types of bikes or these manufactures. Thanks.

Hello, I am a complete noob here, but I am also going through the process of finding bikes for both myself and my wife. I did a lot of Internet research on the brands that I found available in the local shops, found the shop I was most comfortable with, and then did more research on the models that were available. Of the bikes you mentioned, the Diamondback Edgewood is the only one that I also looked at. It seemed like a decent beginners bike and your right, the upright comfort geometry seemed pretty comfortable. I opted another way, but the biggest question I asked my self was what kind of riding will I be doing 90% of the time. Bottom line, for me as a need buying an entry level bike, as long as it isn't coming from a big box store, it should be put together right and most of these are pretty similar, my conclusion was to pick on and then ride the heck out of it. I do not think there is that big a difference at this price point. I do like the fact that the store I am buying from has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, meaning they will swap my bike even after a few months if I decide it just isn't working for me. Sorry this doesn't give much info, but good luck on your search.

Jimbo