Some things to know up front:
- Everything I know about bikes I have learned in the last 36 hours or so.
- The last time I really rode a bike was a Murray 10-speed from Wal-Mart, 1985 vintage.
- I ain’t made of money, but understand that a Wal-Mart bike will not cut it either.
So I was cutting short a run this weekend because of nagging injuries, and as cyclists gleefully wheeled past me it occurred to me that maybe it’s time to find a low-impact cross-training.
In internetting and speaking with people at bike shops I visited, it seems that I am in the market for either what’s apparently known as a ‘gravel bike’, or a ‘fitness bike’. I know that I don’t want a dedicated road bike and don’t have time to devote to adding an additional skillset to ride mountain bike trails.
I was shown several bikes, but didn’t ride any because I wanted to look around more. I actually didn’t have the chance to seriously ride any, because nobody had a frame that was actually big enough. Come to find out after I came home and started doing research, a few of the bikes that were shown to me don’t even come in a XXL frame.
So The Bike will almost never spend any time on a road. It will spend a little time on paved paths, more on the finer crushed rock trails, and also some time on gravel and dirt roads. As I said, no gnarly MTB trails, rocks, roots, drop-offs etc. The Bike’s primary purpose will be exercise, as opposed to casually tooling down the lane.
Price range…well, I know I’m limiting myself here. I’d like to stay in the area of $1k. I know that adding another $500-1000 opens limitless possibilities, but I just can’t drop that.
Here are some bikes I was shown that I have considered:
First two are the ‘gravel bikes’:
Jamis Renegade Explore - https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/renegadeexplore.html
Specialized Diverge - Diverge | Specialized.com
Then there are the hybrid/fitness bikes.
Fuji Absolute - http://www.fujibikes.com/usa/bikes/city/fitness/absolute
Specialized Sirrus - Sirrus | Specialized.com
Canondale Quick, and Quick CX - Quick | Fitness Bikes | Cannondale
And I know that there are other comparable bikes from other companies that I don’t know about.
So hey, what do ya know? The good/bad? Anyone own one of these? Have a better recommendation?