Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler More Non-aidio advice question -- bikes.

OK, something I can actually help w/.

I'm an avid rider, mostly road, a bit of cyclocross and the other MTB. Cyclocross might be a bit odd to hear but you can google it. Pretty much it's a road bike w/ knobby tires, similar to what you'd find on a hybrid. They're great commute bikes and handle wet weather well (including snow) because of tire clearance. The only negative in your case is there's no suspension.

I wouldn't nitpick on features in this price range. Pretty much US$800 and below many of the bikes in similar prices are very close so then it's a vanity decision.

What you should do is really understand what you will use the bike for so you can determine features. A couple of cogs won't matter if you ride mostly flat. If you will never take it off-road, then you may be able to use a cyclocross type of bike. If you want to ride for long distances, spring seats aren't comfortable or practical. You can also look at what is called 29er bikes. These are real MTB's that use 700c wheels. The theory is that the bigger wheels roll over terrain easier. It's true but in tight singletrack the bigger wheels are harder to turn. I like 'em but I don't own one...yet.

Trek is also having WOW sale in honor of the Tour de France. Worth checking out.

If you're comfortable working on your own bikes, you can do well used. I use ebay and Craigslist. Also, if you want to support the local economy, Spot and Brodie are Canadian builders, IIRC.

Other forums to check (which I recommend and use):
mtbr.com
roadbikereview.com

I wrote this a bit fast so I apologize if I rambled. Feel free to PM me if you have specifics, or post here if others might be interested.

BTW, no matter what you decide, THE most important thing is that the bike fits. If it doesn't, you won't ride it, no matter how much it costs or how nice it looks.