Buying a bike. Lots of newbie questions.

Trulok

Heya all, I'm new here

Warning, this thread is full of newbie questions and rambling.

I grew up riding BMX and at one point owned a cheap mountain bike. However I haven't ridden much in 7-8 years. I'm a 22yo college student (5'10 200 pounds) and I'm looking to buy a new bike!
I can't seem to make up my mind on what I want though. I've been riding my moms Cannondale adventure 400 a lot lately and its been pretty fun. Her Cannondale has 700c tires a bunch of gears, and seat/front suspension. I ride about 90% of the time on roads/sidewalks, but that other 10% is spent flying through the air off curbs, or driving crazly off the road and down a grassy hill. I'm not the lightest person in the world, and I have a fear of breaking/bending up a hybrid. I tend to ride 10-20 miles at a time, and may start doing this a few times a week. However, a mountain bike seems a bit to slow considering I spend so much time on pavement. I've ruled out a road bike, since would be too limited, and I would surely break it =P I have my eye on either a Specialized, Trek, or Cannondale. Also, My price range is around 400.

The first bike I had my eye on was the Specialized Globe Vienna 1. My question is, will I break it jumping off a curb now and then? I like the idea of the fixed fork, suspension somewhat annoys me at times. However, is a fixed fork on a hybrid like the Vienna durable? Also, how fast would you guess the Vienna Globe to be? 700c tires to me seem pretty quick, the Vienna is pretty light, and with no suspension I don't see much holding it back speed wise.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=38415

The second bike I'm looking at is the Trek 4300 Mountain Bike. I LOVE the look of the 2009 in orange. I can't help it, I fell in love with that bike at first sight I also love the idea of being able to jump off anything, or ride anywhere without worrying about breaking the bike. The one thing that stops me is the fact that I do spend more time on roads and paved trails. New tires are cheap, and the idea of putting slicks on the 4300 dosn't bother me at all. Could I take the 4300 on a 20 miles bike ride? (my friends are slow riders) Or would I get uncomfortable half way through wishing I had a hybrid. I love the idea of off road trails sometimes, I just have no one to go with... So thats on hold. 26 vs 29 inch wheels isn't that big of a deal either, I need to loose some weight and having to push a little harder would prolly be good for me.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...4_series/4300/

So what do you think? Hybrid or Mountain?

always_tyred

400 what? US$?

First up, I'm not familiar with the bikes on your list and the prices are all different over here. But reading your post, I get the impression that at heart you want to jump of things, ride along things and generally avoid riding long distances without tackling an obstacle every minute or two.

For that reason, my question to you would be - if you get into cycling a bit more, do you think you'll get the imminent urge to go off road? A mtb with slicks and lockable or non-suspension forks can be pretty quick around town and this might be the best option if you might want to hit some trails at the weekend.

In answer to your question about strength - assuming you aren't riding lightweight pro-riders parts, the bike and wheels will be okay with kerb hopping (although bear in mind that the chain might pop off if you go nuts). You can damage rims hitting sharp corners (same with potholes) because the tyres aren't as thick, but that's about it. This will be an issue if you hit any single track or anywhere rocky, that's for sure, but I am guessing that you are talking about urban parks when you talk about the flying across grass stuff.

Trulok

Yes 400$ US

You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
I mainly ride around urban areas, and through parks.
And yes, I tend to make a ride harder on myself (and my bike) by choosing a path of obstacles over a straight line anyday.
I would LOVE to try some real off-road trails, I just have to get some friends to have the same idea. So I might as well future-proof myself.

So yes, now that I think about it, the idea of a regular 26' tire mountain bike with slicks seems like a good choice. Its raining today, but I'm going to see if I can find a Trek 4300 somewhere to try out tomorrow. Right at 400$ it seems like my best bet.

symo

While you are in the shop see if they will throw the slicks in for free.

always_tyred

Trulok wrote:

Yes 400$ US

You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
I mainly ride around urban areas, and through parks.
And yes, I tend to make a ride harder on myself (and my bike) by choosing a path of obstacles over a straight line anyday.
I would LOVE to try some real off-road trails, I just have to get some friends to have the same idea. So I might as well future-proof myself.

So yes, now that I think about it, the idea of a regular 26' tire mountain bike with slicks seems like a good choice. Its raining today, but I'm going to see if I can find a Trek 4300 somewhere to try out tomorrow. Right at 400$ it seems like my best bet.

Oh - my gf got one of these about 4 years ago. I'm sure the parts have been upgraded since then, but for the price it was really good. Basically the same frame throughout the range and a reasonable drive train and serviceable parts. Good choice.

Trulok

I got a bike!!!!!!

I went into a bike shop today looking for a Specialized Hardrock, or Trek 4300. I saw a 2008 Yellow Rockhopper for 350$! The bike was basicly band new. Love at first sight, I wanted a Rockhopper more then anything, but it was out of my price range (600$+). 350 was a steal! I took the bike for a quick test ride and knew I had to buy it. The Specialized Rep for Florida just happened to be in the shop, and he checked out the bike for me. I got the offical thumbs up for a perfect condition bike. I never expected to find such a great deal
Thanks again for all the advice, my search is over. (will post a pic soon)

-Joe