Thnking about getting a bike...

oh neeners is going to jump on me! LOL

I want a bike but not one to do bike races!  I need one to fit my lifestyle!  I want a good but cheaper mountain bike.  The kids are at the age they want to ride bikes more so I want one too!

any recommendations?????

First thing I'd recommend not to do is go to Walmart and buy a bike.   Those things are unsafe and generally not put toghter well.  Go to a real bike shop.

Are you thinking about doing mostly paved bike paths with some dirt or gravel trails?  If so a hybrid might be good.  They tend to be more efficent on paved stuff and can handle light offroad stuff.  You tend to sit upright more which means they are more comfotable.  If you think you'll be doing more offroad with roots, rocks and hills a true mountain bike will be better.

Brands to look at:

Trek, Giant, Specialized, Jamis

Hope that helps.

Buy a good lock with it.
Buy one anywhere, if it is in a box, and then take it to a sports store to put together. 
You will love it, but start slowly.

I do agree with the first comment. Go to an actual bike store. It makes all the difference :)

I've got a 10-speed 5 years ago that needs to go in to a repair shop soon, so I can ride it too :)

definitely by a hybrid bike (that is a bike with medium tread tires also known as a cross bike (in between a mountain bike(heavy tires) and road bike (skinny tires))

I have kids (boys) who have mountain bikes and I can keep up with them (including dirt, limestone and paved paths because the tires are not heavy.  I love the hybrid tires.

Go to a bike store to get a bike fitted to your body. they will measure your inseam, torso etc. riding  a bike that is not your size could cause back problems and wrist problems. It is about wieght distribution. Too much weight on your wrists will cause you to ride less.  Have fun.  I love my bike and have ridden on every type of surface.   

Slappy, all good suggestions, Bike store for sure!

If you know anyone who rides, ask them for tips on which store in your area is best, some will give you more attention then others.

good luck, hope you find a nice one!

thanks everyone!  We live on a lake with one side paved and the other side is rocky.  Plus lots of hills around here.  Hubby used to have a mountain bike and not sure if he wants one again or not.  BAD spill 2 weeks before our wedding.  he met a few tree roots :(

Hey Slappy,

Biking is my "thing" Go to a LOCAL bike shop and explain what you want the bike for (trails, street use. etc) The will understand your region and the terrain, they will measure you and find the right bike for you sister. just remember you get what you pay for! The only way I would have a "cheap" bike is if you are not sure how much you will ride it. If you find out that you will be riding a lot then you could upgrade later.

I had a trek for 10 years. (mountain bike) I gave it to the neighbor girl that is goingto YALE next fall. All it needed in ten years is a tune up. It had thousands of miles on it. I still ride Trek and I recommend it.  My kids have Treks also. I have spent a lot of money on my hobby and I have NO regrets!

Oh yeah I have a street hybrid now (w/ skinney tires for road use only)

Good Luck and keep me posted!

I have a feeling Love will be cycling the pounds right away!

I will check into some places!  Thanks!!!!

I just did this... bought a new bike.

For years I've had an old bike that I bought for $20 at the Salvation Army.  It was a men's Italian racing bike from the 1970s... I found out later.  I barely rode that thing.  It made my butt hurt.  It made my back hurt.  It made my wrists hurt.  It was a nice solid bike, but it was way too big for me.  (It's for sale, BTW.  Bianchi... if anyone's interested.)  Anyhow, I used to love riding in college... and it took all of those years after college with an ill-fitting bike before I realized the reason I no longer ride is because I bought a bike that was totally wrong for me.

Hybrids are fantastic.  The tires have a moderate trend and a moderate width... clearly able to handle dirt trails as well as pavement.  The one I got happened to have a front fork suspension and a seat post suspension.  They make the ride even nicer.  By choosing a bike that has you sitting more upright, you can take the pressure off of your wrists... veeery nice.  Of course, this puts more pressure on your rear, so make sure you get a nice seat as well.

I went to... maybe 8 different cycleries before I chose my bike.  By coincidence, the first several cycleries kept putting me on the same bike, with minor differences (wheel size, men's vs. women's, frame size).  But I also wanted to try entirely different brands, so I kept looking.  I ended up buying a Trek for a few hundred (the maximum I was willing to spend).  It was the perfect fit.

You are likely to come across two different wheel sizes, 26-inch and 700C.  700C wheels are a bit larger in diameter than 26-inch wheels and you will go a bit farther on them for the same amount of effort than on 26-inch wheels.  You can find hybrids with both wheel sizes.  Personally, I opted for the larger wheels because I've been used to "going farther faster" on road bikes for most of my life.

Good luck!  Biking is fun.  :)

I thoroughly detest hybrids. The geometry is all wrong--I feel like the seat is directly over the bottom bracket, and as a result, I can't recruit the glutes and the hams as part of the pedal stroke. On top of that, those comfy-looking seats let you sink down into them, and then they press against all the wrong places and grow FANGS in less than half an hour.

Gimme a properly-set-up road bike any day. If the saddle is set back far enough that a portion of your weight is carried by your pedal stroke, then there isn't going to be a tremendous amount of weight on your wrists.

As for multi-surface stuff, a 'cross bike would be a nice compromise. You get road bike geometry, but the fork crown and the rear triangle have enough room for 40mm tires.