Bikers -- help me buy a bike?

I had a Trek hybrid a while back. It was a great bike for starting out on training rides. I used it even for a trip down the Oregon Coast. Then I "graduated" to a carbon road bike, complete with pedals that I clip into.

My advice is to test several for comfort. Make sure it is professionally fitted to you.

Disc brakes make for a heavier bike. If it's too heavy, you won't want to lift it or take it somewhere to ride.

Price is difficult. I think you can get a fine bike for $500--a bike you can stay with for a long time. The price is all about the quality of the components--shifters, brakes, etc.

I think the magazine Bicycling has good advice on their website.

Anne

Hi NatureGrrl: I thought a biker was someone who used a motorcycle and a cyclist was somone who used a bike.

I'm no expert on bikes but do like the Trek city bike that I bought about seven years ago. It was a huge improvement on the $20 thrift store hybrid bike that I had previously. My "hybrid bike" had thin tires like a road bike but ordinary straight handlebars rather than the curly type. My Trek bike is a Trek 7100 City & Bike Path bike (the tag that came with it does say "hybrid recreational"). 

I like your idea of buying locally even if you pay a bit more. In my case, the bike shop provides free maintenance. I think it's for the life of the bike. I usually go in once a year but I don't really use the bike a lot. This year was the first time they charged me anything as I needed new brakes. I'm not sure how common it is for the shop to do it for free, but it's worth asking about. 

If price is an issue, you could ask if they have any old models. I'm not sure when the new models come in, but when they do they usually discount the previous year models. The difference may just be something as simple as the color of the frame.

Gosh, there are even so many Trek models available, it makes it hard to decide. In looking at the Trek site and prices, I came across the following:

Join us, October 9, 2010 at 10 a.m. for the 5th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Ride.

Hosted by Trek Women and local Trek dealers, the BCAR aims to raise awareness for breast cancer prevention, screening, and treatment by joining forces with women and men of all ages and abilities to ride on the same day, at the same time , all over the country.

So if you have your bike by then, you might want to participate. There is one bike shop listed in Indiana: Trek Bicycle Store - Schererville. Not sure how close that is to you.  

Bikes have come a long long way in the past 30 years with the huge leaps and bounds we have made in technology. For $500 you can get a quality brand hybrid, Kona is a great choice, they make bikes that last. I did a bike tour with my hubby and we both had Kona's with panniers and they were perfect. Trek are also good, it is often worth getting a bike which is a season or so old as you can get a really good discount!