Bicycles

[georgy.livejournal.com]

I'm looking to buy a bicycle. I don't want to do the time-consuming CL rigamarole. I know there are a few places in town (the place in Powderhouse Sq., Ace Wheelworks, Park Ave. Bicycle on Somerville Ave -- any others?) but I don't know a lot about the difference between them, which place is best, etc. What I'm looking for is a dependable hybrid bike that will get me around the city and the bike path for less than $200 (and the less, the better!). So, does anyone recommend one place over another?

Or, failing that, does anyone have a bike to sell? :-)

Thanks.

Comments

[signsoflife.livejournal.com]

A road bike is generally optimized for racing on pavement -- so the position is aerodynamic, the tires are thin, the suspension is non-existent, and you're paying for a lot of fancy gearing and weight reduction, which a commuter doesn't want or need, respectively. A mountain bike is generally optimized for dirt trails -- so they're designed to be very sturdy and have a lot of suspension, which adds weight and expense that a commuter doesn't want or need.

A hybrid is designed to be sturdy and comfortable, while still being light *relative to a mountain bike* and relatively cheap.

I think the simplest answer to this question, though, is to literally pick up one of each.