Buying a hybrid bike & need some help

[star_fruit]

I'm interested in buying a hybrid bike soon but I really don't know a thing about buying a good bike. Any suggestions? What brand do you recommend? Anything that I should looking for? Any help is greatly appreciated!:)

[michigan roman]

well over the past 6 years ive put alot of miles , on bike paths and streets - not off road , on a couple of low priced schwinn models . one a frontier that cost me like 220 . another i think a ranger that cost me like 130 and sells at department stores like target and walmart . and both these bikes are great . the cheaper one is as good as the more expensive one . one thing i suggest is adding metal petals with teeth on both sides for best traction and balance and pushing surface . also if you dont buy a department store bike and go to a bike shop demand they swap the stock seat for a bigger one free of charge because most bikes come with small uncomfortable seats . and i was looking for a few years at my next bike brand when i step up from schwinn and i came to like gary fisher brand . im a guy and into tools / machines and really looked the bikes over and the gary fisher bike is solidly made to me . and to me all the hybrids are is unmatterable design changes from the mountain bikes with the only difference being the tires . so in case a hybrids more i would just get a mountain and ask to change tires free of charge before you buy to hybrid type . but for me even though the hybrid tires are smoother and thusly gonna make the bike a bit easier to peddle i like the mountain tires because they give better holding in turns and on gravely areas . also , if your just getting into biking and might not stick with it and or dont want to make a mistake spending alot on your first one and end up not liking it ide for sure get the cheap department store schwinn because its a solid made bike , itll do the job on street and bike paths quite well . now if your talking about going off road stuff you get into the bikes with shocks under the seat area and more complicated frames and that i never payed attention to so have no opinion on . and also the dude that post here path301 is into biking and knows the more expensive and custom models and if you want to spend more post so and i'll bring this thread to his attention so he can post his opinion . also if you want post how much your gonna spend , if not getting the cheap schwinn , and i'll stop at my corner bike store and see which model i suggest for that amount . in closing i say if your not experienced biker ride facing the traffic so you can see whats coming at you in order to avoid anything . oh and also lights are good because its lame if you end up out some where and it gets dark , you could take a bad fall hitting something you dont see .

and welcome to the site :)

[Veganforlife]

Whatever bike you choose (my personal favorite are Trek road bikes, but that's me [and Lance]), but one thing - MAKE SURE THE BIKE FITS YOU! If you remember nothing else, MAKE SURE THE BIKE FITS YOU. You will enjoy it much more and your body will not get hurt.
I took my Trek 5200 road bike in to have it serviced before a huge ride (100 mile ride) one year and the bike doc tweaked my seat just a hair. But it was enough by mile 40 my left knee blew out! I had to bale out of the ride. I was bummed. The next day I was determined as my son and I were riding and he suggested lowering the seat a hair. Which we did and I did about 62 miles that day!
Go to a reputable bike dealer and have then put the bike on a trainer and fit it to you. That is so very important. So many folks do go to Walmart and places like that, get a cheapo bike and never have it fit to them and give up riding. Even if you do get a cheapo bike, take it to a local bike place - they love tinkering with any and all kinds of bikes - it's in their blood and ask them to fit it to you. Your knees and back/shoulders will be very glad you did.
Happy trails to you!

[star_fruit]

Thank you both for posting! Good points from both of you! As far as right now, I'm looking to spend less than $500. I'm still debating on the price. I would like to get a good bike but at the same time, I don't want to spend a lot and not like the sport or not ride alot. I was looking at bikes online last night and I came acrossed the Gary Fisher site and his bikes look pretty good but i don't know if i want to spend that much yet.

[michigan roman]

hi starfruit ,

seeing you say your just getting your feet wet ide for sure get the cheap schwinn because there isnt much difference between it and a $350 bike if your using it on the streets / bike paths . its only when going off road do you have to spend the higher money for the more heavy duty frame .
and if you end up liking biking you can sell the schwinn and get alot of your money back to use towards a more expensive one .
i guarantee i road my schwinns hard on the streets doing at least 50 miles a week , that isnt hard to bikers mileage but here on the detroit streets that are bumpy / potholed from cold winters its hard on bikes , for over 2 years before they needed any maintenance . i'll find a link somewhere on internet and post the bike im talking about .

[michigan roman]

heres a link , this cheap bike is solid

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-3/qid=1173254780/ref=sr_1_3/601-7863918-3064968?ie=UTF8&asin=B0000BXHPC

[michigan roman]

it has a good shimano derailuer , good brakes , front shock , nice hand grip gear controls . im still in shock that bikes this good can be sold for $140 . and they go on sale for like 120 sometimes .

on mine i just buy new all metal + teeth on both sides pedals for traction purposes because i never want my foot to slip of the plastic pedals that come on most bikes .

[star_fruit]

Michigan Roman,
wow, i'm amazed by the fast response! thank you so much! i'm definitely looking into that bike that you suggested. like you said, if i enjoy the sport, i can always sell it and buy a more expensive one later. very wise advice. as I was growing up, all my family owned was schwinn bikes. i heard that after they started selling in walmart and target the quality wasn't quite the same as before. i'm glad you still think that they are well made bikes. did you put the all metal + teeth on both sides of the pedals yourself or did you take it to a bike shop? if i bought a bike somewhere else and then i took it to a bike shop to get them put on and to get fitted for the bike, do you think they would mind?

[michigan roman]

on the pedals you just need an open end wrench , its easy . but one side the pedal loosens clockwise as opposed to the usuall counterclockwise .
but the store should slap them on for you at no cost .

and on fitting whats meant as far as i know is that theres different size frames . which means that the bar from front fork to just under seat is at differing heights from the ground . what you dont want is that bar to be so high compared to your legs that you cant stand straight up without the bar touching . because if that happens it makes the bike dangerous cuz your feet cant reach the ground if have to get them there for tricky manuvering . plus its uncomfortable when havingb to wait at intersections . so check the mens bike , because that type frame is more sturdy than womens type , by standing with it under you and there should be like a 2 inch or more space between the bar and your body . if the bars touching ide get the girls bike . for some reason im asuming your a women , sorry if not . then the rest of adjusting the bike is adjusting the seat so that your legs are just about but not all the way straight at the bottom of the petal stroke aka = when the petal is closest to the ground . this allows for maximum pushing power from your legs . then its just the handle bar height . if you cant do these adjustments its easy for any male friend .

[michigan roman]

i forgot to say on above post that at target the frames are all one size/height . its a medium height to short height so its not too tall for teens , but tall enough for adults . but is on the short side for tall people . like 6 foot and above . where as at bike shops they have different heights , but to me the average height ones sold at target and other dept stores are fine . the only ones who need the custom height frames are tall people .
and yes the schwinns arent as rock solid as they were 30 years ago when they were the best bikes going . but that said its very different today because these new bikes are about %70 lighter than those old schwinns , so people pick them up and think peice of junk . but i'll tell ya that if they ride an old schwinn for a day then get on a new one theyll throw that old schwin out because these new ones are so much lighter thusly easier to pedal . and still sturdy . that ranger there at targets ive driven thee exact bike easily over 3000 miles through ice snow salt bumps and it still flys . just chipped up , and some rust spots .

well happy biking star fruit . its so awesome to get on a bike path and in a groove breathing deep + legs pumping , you get in the zone and dont wanta stop . i love it . oh , and always make sure you dont have the front brealk too tight or it might catch to hard on a quick stop and launch you over the handle bars .
and if you do ever step up to a more costy bike ide suggest the disc breaks over the old cable type . the cable are good designs now but can still flucuate in stopping distance when they get wet .

take care :)

[star_fruit]

oh good, it doesn't sound too hard to adjust. and yes, i am a woman. i'm 5'9" so i think that a male's frame should work ok with me. sometimes i like using tools and sometimes i don't. ah, the benefits of having male friends..... :) thanks again!

[michigan roman]

yes that bike shall fit you perfect because im 5 10 and its a little on the small side for me . but that has no bearing because i just raise the seat higher and im gone :D

[star_fruit]

"oh , and always make sure you dont have the front brealk too tight or it might catch to hard on a quick stop and launch you over the handle bars ."

haha...yeah, this happened to me a long time ago. i was late for softball practice and i'm pedallin really fast through town and i couldn't see that a car was coming around the corner because of a tree and then when i saw the car coming, i pulled on the breaks and there i flew over the handle bars... ah, memories..... :)

[michigan roman]

a baseball player . i grew up back in the 60's and 70's living to play baseball (and all other sports) , left feilder featuring strong arm and range . give me my old wilson A2000 glove and a 33" al kaline model louisville slugger and im at home . :cool:

[star_fruit]

very nice. i love softball. it's my favorite sport. i played left fielder and first base. i was fast but i threw like a girl...literly.