New 20" Shimano 7-speed Folding Suspension Bicycle Bike
Any advice on buying new bikes?
My family and I have decided get new bikes for each person!
We live in the city, so I would like a bike that I could ride to work each day. I don't want it to be too heavy bt I also don't want it to be one of those foldable bikes or a bike that is only meant for asphalt.
I like riding 'off-road' occaisionly. I don't mean extreme mountain biking, but there are enough rocks and trees in the way that I would think the normal asphalt street bike wheels would probably break.
When we went to some bikes stores, the people always say that we have two choices for what we are looking for : A hybrid bike (we've looked into hybrid bikes, but we havn't found any particullary good ones) or a a light mountain bike with smaller wheels.
I would like the bike to have front suspension and possibly and alluminum frame. Disc brakes would be better than the normal ones but then again we're don't want the bikes to be too expensive.
Sorry its all a bit specific, but does any one have any suggestions?
We were thinking about getting the Kona Fire Mountain bikes.
I think a lightweight hard tail mountain bike would be your best bet. I would then change the tires from knobbies to tires with minimal tread or even slicks if you are going to commute. A smoother tire will make your commute safer and faster, knobbies can be quite squirrely on pavement. If you are planning on riding off road one day you can swap tires back or buy a "trekking" style tire that can handle pavement and dirt well, see the link I put below for a good example of this type of tire. Disks are nice but are going to add to the cost, complexity, and weight of the bike. I like them but if cost was a factor they are the first thing I would do without. Their real advantage is in being able to stop in the rain but rim brakes will too if you just remember to drag your brakes occasionally to dry you rims. They also prevent heat induced tire blowout but this is only a factor on high speed or long mountain descents, it doesn’t sound like your going to do that.
Don’t buy a hybrid. A friend of mine has one and they aren’t that great. They say you can use them for both on- and off- road which isn’t exactly desirable because it gives a mediocre performance in both spheres.
A ten-speed bike is nice cause it offers you the ability to go faster with less effort. However, it has it’s cons because you can’t use it off-road and the ease is canceled out going up steep hills.
What you probably want is a mountain bike. Don’t worry so much about the size of the wheels, rather get a frame that suits you. Aluminum frames are ideal if you want a light bike. Most mountain bikes come with front shocks now. Disc brakes aren’t necessary unless you’re planning on being a serious rider. They are far too expensive.
I suppose it all comes down to how much you’re willing to spend. I suggest getting a Norco, I’ve had one for a while and I use it on-road and off and I really put it through a lot. I have no complaints with it yet!
I hope this helps.
One option to consider is a hard-tail Mt. Bike with a set of street/cross tires such as the SpeedMax manufactured by Ritchey or the Marathon by Schwalbe.
Hard-tails are the most popular model of Mt. bikes and thus there will be models in every price range. The cross tires will give you a nice street ride when commuting and provide a sturdy, grippy tire for your off-road adventures.