So I'm thinking of buying a bike for the first time in my adult life. I was thinking about getting a hybrid, and I was wondering if any of you bike owners have some advice. Is this a good decision? How much should I spend? Anything else you can tell me would be helpful.

The main reason I want a bike is that I now work about two miles from my house. That's a little too far to walk all the time, but it's kind of an annoying public transportation trip, because once I've walked to the subway I'm already a third of the way to my workplace. So mainly I would be using the bike to go to and from work, and also to ride around the city.

If you're not using it for rocky terrain you should just get a street bike, it goes a lot faster.

I'm seriously not a bike expert though; I'm riding a hybrid in chicago and people make fun of me all the time. It was free though...don't make fun...

I heard a story last night on NPR about commuter bikes. I guess it's a newer type of bike. Maybe not new, but new to me. The big difference is chain cover and fenders from what I gathered.

Check out similarly priced mountain bikes and see how the component specs compare. You can then fit narrow slicks - I have 1" slicks on mine which are fast when pumped up hard.

If you have smooth roads though, I might consider a racer for more speed. Not so comfortable though.

Try to stick with well-known brands like Specialized and Canondale, etc. (not sure what's available in the US though).

For work, buy a reliable but sturdy, unoticeable bike. Something that people won't want to steal. Buy a big lock unless you have decent storage at work.

Hybrids are damned fine for commuting, but you may catch the bug and want a tourer, racer, mtb for use later on.

Check out good deals on the internet, but local shops will usually give good advice.

I bought a hybrid bike a couple years ago. I love it. I don't go long distances otherwise I'd stick to a road bike. But for booting around the city it's great. The two Canadian companies I checked out were Giant and Devinci. The Giant was strange and uncomfortable, ended up with the Devinci, the Sydney model. I find hybrid bikes are generally a lot less flashy than road bikes.

the key things i'm reading in the first post are :

gmilner wrote: a bike for the first time in my adult life. I now work about two miles from my house.

you should get something comfortable. something you can get a rear rack and some panniers for, if you want.

something like this or this.

i looked at CL for NYC and there's just too much on there for me to wade through.

i imagine you'd be able to find something for $200, used.

yeah, i'd go with something upright and comfy for now. 2 miles isn't a long commute at all, and $200 can get you a pretty nice used trek/specialized hybrid or mountain bike. if you were in Chicago, i'd give you my old one i've been meaning to donate.

I own and love this bike.

I would suggest an internal-gear hub because of the low maintenance. Three speeds would be fine for Chicagoland. Probably don't want a single speed if you are new to the bike thing.

I got an old six speed "Free Spirit" off of craigslist for my summer commuting in Tempe, Arizona. Worked out great. An older bike can also be a deterrent to bike theft.

After months and months and months of shopping, I bought one of these at a garage sale recently for $100. You should be ale to find one for under $200 all day long, if it's your thing.



I've started taking it a few days a week on my nine mile (each way) commute to work. Rides like a dream. The suspension can be tightened up well for road riding and the aluminum frame is really light and fast. It's a great bike for a 20 mile ride around town, or tearing up curbs in the neighborhood late at night. I love this thing.

LINK