Dragwyr is right, go to LBS, & then buy from them. If you don’t pay them for their services (in the form of a little profit on a sale), then they might not be there to service your bike &/or get a new one in the future.
Most basic maintenance can be done with a relatively few special tools.
I strongly recommend a seat bag with a spare tube, tire irons, & a pump/CO[sub]2[/sub] cartridges. Most LBS’s will do a free tire change clinic every so often; however, even if you don’t know what to do, I can only help you if you have the right equipment for your bike. I can change your tube but I can’t give you one of mine if I have different sized wheels on my bike.
Almost right. Cadence is pedal/crank RPM. You should pedal to keep a relatively constant (& high - > 1/second) cadence. Shift gears as you go up/downhill to maintain a constant cadence/RPM; however, you speed will be less going uphill vs. downhill.
Gravel bikes are now officially a ‘thing’ in the bike industry - part of the never-ending effort to re-market the wheel. Basically relaxed geometry cyclocross bikes. That said, there are some smart offerings out there:
All of the major manufacturers will have one - Base models are coming in a bit over what the OP is looking to spend. Worth swinging a leg over, though, you may fall in love with one.
This isn’t true in my experience. There are excellent mass produced hybrid bikes out there without the disadvantage (in this application) of unnecessarily fat tires, heavier bike, and poorer riding position. This may have been true years ago, but it’s not true now in any meaningful sense.
As JerrySTL mentioned, a traditional “women’s” frame is best avoided unless you really need that frame cut-out so you can wear a dress. A triangular (“men’s”) frame is both stronger and lighter.
That looks quite promising. I’d say it’s worth going to see.
yeah, this. go to a real bike shop. about 10 years ago I bought a Specialized Hardrock Sport (mountain bike) for about $300 and change, and even though I’ve beaten the ever-loving piss out of it it still serves me well. Needs tires again, though.
But they’re not the same things. Granted, it’s been twenty years since I bought my current hybrid, but it really is the perfect choice for what the OP wants. Rugged enough to handle mild off-road conditions like gravel or dirt roads, but without the aggressive high-rolling resistance tires.
You can put slicks on a mountain bike. And a recreational rider is going to enjoy the comfort of the larger tires. Rolling resistance isn’t such an issue when you’re not racing.
Hybrids were meant to be the best of both worlds, but in reality they are the worst of both worlds.
I’ll put in a word and say hit your LBS as well. Do a little research and check out reviews on bike forums if you can.
That hybrid you looked at in the ad looks OK, but you definitely should get fitted. With a bike from a shop you can swap parts to tailor it to you perfectly, which is something you can’t do used.
There are women’s specific frames that aren’t the traditional swoop frame but have shortened top tubes and different geometry. Here is an example, a Specialized Jett. I agree with John Mace and lean toward a cross country style mountain bike vice a hybrid, but the only way to now what will work for you is to try a few out and see what you like.
From personal experience, I can vouch that helmets are worth the hassle. I’ve smacked my head three times wiping out due to riding hard on some gnarly singletrack and the helmet is what saved me from a concussion or worse. I started wearing one in 1990 because a woman I worked with got smoked by a car at 60 mph (driver dropped a cassette and swerved into her from behind). She spent over a year in rehab and physio with a broken back, fractured pelvis and other injuries. The doctor said specifically that the helmet saved her from a skull fracture as well; FWIW.
Plan to spend about $150-200 on accessories like helmet, camelback (or water bottles), air pump and bike multitool and patch kit. Walking back 12 miles to your vehicle on trail because you broke a chain sucks… more personal experience.
Again, my experience differs from yours. You can make changes to a mountain bike to make equivalent to a hybrid, but why bother? They make hybrids that are of the same quality and price, and don’t require swapping pieces or dealing with the extra weight.
And rolling resistance certainly is important to a recreational rider. I’m not sure why you would think otherwise? I have slicks on one of my mountain bikes, a hybrid would be a better fit but I have no room for another bike.
At Wallymart, your bike will be assembled for you, true. It will be assembled by an old lady named Gert. Gert has a hammer. Nobody has ever told Gert about screws. Or screwdrivers.
Ever.
Or…you can go to a bike store, with bike mechanics.
BTW–you can get a bike, cheap, at a pawnshop. Take it to a bike store, & get a tune-up (seriously).
Huge thank you to all who responded. Lots of great info here for a newbie.
I made an appointment to look at the Trek tomorrow, and I’m going to stop at a LBS or two on the way, so I have something to compare to. I do like the price of the Trek, and I think it would likely be good enough for me to see if this is a hobby I want to pursue before I drop more money on anything.
I will get a repair kit and learn how to change a tube. I have a “multi sport” helmet that I find comfortable, which I wear horseback riding, so I’ll be a good girl and wear it biking, too.
Rolling resistance is important at high speeds. It’s a trade-off, and I think for the recreational rider, the increased comfort of the bigger tires outweighs (hah!) the slight increase in rolling resistance you’ll feel at the lower speeds typical of rec riding. Keep your tires fully inflated and you’ll be fine.
My Trek Domane has some buzzword that makes riding on non-perfect roads really quite tolerable. It’s a pure road bike, though, and so for trails I might consider a Trek Boone, which is a cyclocross bike with the same ISOSpeed decoupler (that’s the buzzword), if the OP wanted to consider a road-bike-like bike. Like others, though, I’d really recommend a hybrid for the desired riding style.
I have a Specialized… comfort bike. Wider tires, but not a mountain bike. Lots of gears. Good seat. Comfortable to ride. I’ve had it for 10 years, ish, and it still rides like new. Great bike. It was around $300.
Most good bike dealers, local shop, not chain, will have some used, quality bikes for sale. Good luck!
Fair enough, I find I can notice the difference but perhaps that’s not universal. And I agree that in the long run it’s probably not a big deal. But the seating position of most mountain bikes is much less comfortable for most rec riders compared to a hybrid. I think that’s the main reason to get a hybrid.
I prefer triathlon shorts because I find them more comfy :). I’m going to put this link here too, even though I am a total Trek lover: Bikes Direct. I do know some people that have bought through this website and had really good results.
I did a couple of hundred on the Katy last summer-- for the grinds into some of the towns (Jeff City, Hermann, trail into Columbia, etc) gears are very nice on the hills-- in lots of areas you’ll be either gradual up or downhill. I just rode a road bike with slightly wider tires than I’d commute on but did lose grip in some sandy spots and a couple of flats from honeylocust thorns. I think slightly wide/nubbly road tires (cyclocrossy) are fine, while real mountain bike tires would be overkill-- unnecessary on that terrain and too much rolling resistance, as others noted. Apparently they’re working on a second big rails-to-trail project in MO (Rock Island Trail) that will hook up with the Katy.
