i want to buy a bicycle, mainly for light trails & road use?

Question

could anyone recommend a make or model, or even give me a good website for the right advice

Answer 1

I would go for bikes like Giant, Trek, or Specialized.

According to what you say, you want a Hybrid bike. Check out this models: Specialized; the Sirrus and Globe.
Or the Trek "Hybrid" FX 230.

Specialized and Trek both have web sites with their names on: www. Specialized.com and www. Trek.com
This models are not very expensive but will give good results.

Web sites for advice?
www.ctc.org.uk
www.timeoutdoors.com

Answer 2

All right, you have a hulk Hogan avatar and my last name is Hogan so My answer has got to be the best;-)

Seriously, A cyclocross bike is the best for light trails and roads. It is basically a road bike but can handle a little wider knobby tires and they are meant to take abuse. Put some good road wheels and tires and you have a road bike. Hybrids, as others have suggested, do nothing well, not the road and not trails. A cyclo cross will do the road well and easy trails fairly well.

A MTB would be my second choice as they do great on trails and off road but on the road not so great, even with slicks.

So for Cyclocross bikes, best bang for the buck is the Jamis Nova

Specialized it way to expensive for what you get, they pay some Asian 12 year old $1 a day to build bikes for 12hrs, sell it to you for $2k and some fat cat in Southern California makes a six figure income. Not worth it, if they are going to have slaves at least they could pass the savings on to you like Jamis and most the others.

Trek XO1 is a good ccx bike.

Giant makes ok mtb bikes, crappy road bikes, but surprisingly good handling cyclocross bikes Giant TCX, though it's a step down in components from the others.

There are many others like Felt, Bianchi, Cannondale, Surly, Kona, Fuji, Lemond, Redline, Salsa, Empella, and on and on

Answer 3

There are two tpyes of bikes that would suit your needs. The first is a mountain bike. Mountain bikes have knobby, wide tires, and are designed for maximum ability to handle offroad conditions. They can be used on the road but the knobby tires do cause some additional resistance. This is not too big a deal unless you are doing some longer distances.

The second kind is the hybrid bicycle. Hybrids are designed to function as "crossovers." They have medium width tires that are designed to handle some light trail riding, but their main function is riding on the road and around town.

My suggestion for most riders is to go with a mountain bike to start. Hybrid bikes are great on paper, but you often wind up with a bike that can do alot, but nothing particularly well. With a mountain bike, you will have a more agile and flexible machine. If you want to go offroad, no problem. If you want to ride more on the road, simply switch the tires to "slick" treads and you are good to go.

I'd be happy to suggest some models if you have a price range in mind. The other answers are dead on though. Find a local shop and look at larger nationwide brands. Trek, Giant, Specialized, etc...all make excellent values.

Answer 4

JayP is correct that an mtb is more versatile, I've even known guys that raced mtb hardtails in road races, using high end 650c wheels.

I don't think its right for you though. A high quality hybrid sounds more appropriate, something from schwinn or trek.

As an alternative, you may want to consider a cyclocross bike. For about the same price as a good schwinn or trek hybrid, you can get a Redline Conquest CC bike. It will be slightly lighter, climb better, and more predictable over rough stuff. There is also a coolness factor you _won't_ get with a hybrid.

Answer 5

I just want to say that I think you have the sweetest avitar ever. Check out GT, they have many models that may meet your light trail riding. Usually they are not to expensive unless you start getting into some of the higher model bikes.

I have a 1994 Raleigh M-50 that I have abused for 13 years now. Though I have replace and upgraded about all the parts on the bike, it has been pretty reliable.

Answer 6

Specialized Sirrus, excelent for light trails and roads. They are pretty expensive but well worth the money. Depending on how light and high spec you want they range from £500 - £2000.
voted best hybrid in the independant.

Answer 7

If by light trail you mean limestone a MTB would be overkill & too heavy for pavement. A hybrid or cross bike like a Trek 7200 or 7300 will roll really well on pavement & handle limestone type paths very well. This would be a light bike in the $400-500 range.

Answer 8

I recommend getting a cheap used one from someplace like the Salvation Army. People spend thousands of dollars for bicycles that accomplish the exact same function.

I've had so many bikes stolen I would never get an expensive one. Sometimes I go out on the night before they collect the trash and look for bikes. The U.S. Supreme Court said trash put out for collection ceased to be private property in a case called Greenwood v. California. I've got a whole garage full of bikes. I've got a car but I don't drive it. I use it like a scarecrow for burglars to make the place look inhabited. The owner ran off to Africa a couple of years ago, but he surprised me by dropping by the other day.

Answer 9

go to rei.co and find a store their stuff is 100% guaranteed they have high quality stuff at great prices