I went bike shopping!

[emsumm]

It was a way better experience than before. I listened to you guys and hit the LBS
and settled on a fitness bike. I think I'm going to pull the trigger!!
Figured I'd ask...anyone know anything about the Trek 7.2?

[kams]

I don't know anything about that bike, but I do know that all bikes are awesome!!!!! Wahoo!

[sadlebred]

Riding is so much fun!

Why not a road bike?

[emsumm]

Sept 30, 2013 21:56:30 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

Riding is so much fun!

Why not a road bike?

Huh, I thought I found a really great compromise.  I want to ride on the packed dirt trails around my house, tow my kids in the trailer, and I also want to be able to try out sprint/olympic triathlons, so the guy at the bike shop recommended this.  No?

[sadlebred]

Cyclocross bike. Then buy an extra set of road tires. Better idea! You get the best of both worlds that way. I take my cross bike off road all the time; it's what it's designed for. Since the geometry is so close to a road bike, it makes a great back up road bike as well. I just switch the cassette to harder gearing.

[sadlebred]

Hybrids do nothing well.

[katandkevin]

It sounds like you want bikes for 2 different things. Any bike you would use for a sprint or Olympic distance tri is not a bike you will be riding trails and pulling kids around with.

[Susie]

Yeah, sorry but I have to agree with the pp's. I actually have a Trek 7.2. After I got my road bike I long-term-loaned the hybrid to my mom because I wasn't riding it. It would be just fine for packed dirt and pulling a kiddie trailer, but definitely not a preferred bike for a sprint tri, and I would not do an Oly on it. I just wouldn't.

[emsumm]

It just doesn't feel like that advice jives with my needs. The majority of use will be for pulling the trailer and riding around trails, etc. I've never even done a tri, I just want the option to...try. Lol. It just doesn't really make sense to me to buy a road bike for an activity I've never done, versus something that I can put to use right away.
I don't know. I'm so bummed now. I left so excited.

[emsumm]

I honestly feel like crying.
I left so excited. The bike fit my budget, and really seemed to fit my needs. I respect the advice I'm getting from you guys, but it doesn't seem to jive with my actual needs. I want to pull my kids around and ride dirt trails and have fun on this bike. I want to TRY a tri...I've never even done one. So this bike seemed to make so much sense, and I loved riding it. I just don't understand getting something more expensive, that does less, when I can only buy one bike.
God, I'm so frustrated. I'm going to hate the idea of biking by the time I buy something.

[kams]

Ok, it's not the bike you'd want ride for an Olympic triathlon. You COULD, though. And, an Olympic is probably a ways away. If you decide to try out a sprint, it likely won't be until next summer. You'd probably do a few sprints and decide to try an Olympic the following year. Which means two years that this bike suits you.

And maybe you end up hating triathlon. Or maybe you never want to do anything but sprints & this bike is satisfactory for your goals.

YOU know what you want out of a bike. If this fits your needs, than get it and love it. After next summer, if your needs change, then you can reevaluate.

In the end, maybe it costs a bit more if you decide to get a new bike eventually, but you need to get what you want to ride.

[emsumm]

Thanks, kams. I'm just so confused again.

[texassmith]

I am borrowing a hybrid from a friend and I kinda hate it (the bike, not the friend, lol). It is slow and difficult to ride. SO frustrating. It would be fine for pulling the kids but not much else. I originally though I might try a sprint duathlon on it, but after my experience, I definitely wouldn't race on it.

[katandkevin]

Oct 1, 2013 8:17:21 GMT -5 emsumm said:

I honestly feel like crying.
I left so excited. The bike fit my budget, and really seemed to fit my needs. I respect the advice I'm getting from you guys, but it doesn't seem to jive with my actual needs. I want to pull my kids around and ride dirt trails and have fun on this bike. I want to TRY a tri...I've never even done one. So this bike seemed to make so much sense, and I loved riding it. I just don't understand getting something more expensive, that does less, when I can only buy one bike.
God, I'm so frustrated. I'm going to hate the idea of biking by the time I buy something.

Don't feel discouraged. If you want a bike to ride on trails and pull your kids around then what you are looking for is fine. I know plenty of people who have done sprints on a hybrid, but they are heavier and not as fast as a road bike. I would not suggest doing an Olympic distance race on a hybrid.

Did you ride the bike you liked at the store?

[patches31709]

Is the bike you're looking at ideal for tris? No, probably not, but that doesn't mean plenty of people don't use hybrids and mountain bikes for tris (I've only done sprints). If this bike meets your needs 90% of the time, I would get it.

[emsumm]

I did ride it at the store. It felt fast and light and I has so much fun on it. That's why I'm so bummed out now.

[Susie]

This:

Sept 30, 2013 22:04:37 GMT -5 emsumm said:

I thought I found a really great compromise.  I want to ride on the packed dirt trails around my house, tow my kids in the trailer, and I also want to be able to try out sprint/olympic triathlons, so the guy at the bike shop recommended this.  No?

...makes it sound like you want it to do all those things roughly equally well (which no bike can do), whereas this:

Oct 1, 2013 8:14:22 GMT -5 emsumm said:

It just doesn't feel like that advice jives with my needs. The majority of use will be for pulling the trailer and riding around trails, etc. I've never even done a tri, I just want the option to...try.

paints a pretty different expectation of a bike.

You sound like you are getting upset that you're not getting the advice you want to hear (which I assume is "yes that bike is perfect!") but you're also not explaining very clearly what you want to do.  We are not mind readers.  If you know what you want, and you know you want the hybrid, just go buy it and enjoy it. 

It's true that cycling people hate on hybrids, because like sadlebred said, they aren't great at anything.  But they manage to do a more or less acceptable job at a wide range of things, are user-friendly, entry-level, and easy to start on.  Cycling people would buy (at least) 2 bikes for what you say you are trying to accomplish, so they'd have exactly the right kind of bike for each circumstance.  If you're really into cycling, it'd drive you nuts to ride something that is only so-so for the conditions.  If you're not looking for that level of performance and $$$ commitment, take the advice with a grain of salt, understand it for what it is, and move on. 

[emsumm]

I don't know. I shouldn't have asked here. Guess I know where not to AW my new ride, lol.

[emsumm]

And you're misinterpreting letdown and disappointment for rejection of your advice. I was excited. Now I'm not. That's a bummer.

[clseale]

Oct 1, 2013 12:36:29 GMT -5 emsumm said:

And you're misinterpreting letdown and disappointment for rejection of your advice. I was excited. Now I'm not. That's a bummer.

You should still be excited! You know how you felt on the bike, and if you felt great, then you will love it! Yeah, maybe it's not ideal for road racing or tris, but you can still use it for that. I know more than one person who has done a sprint on a mountain bike. lol Actually DH trained for the majority of the MS 150 (a 2 day 150 mile ride) on his mountain bike. For the really long rides at the end and for race day, he rented a nice road bike. 

I don't know, you need a bike that will do several things. Like you said, you mostly want to use it for fun, family, fitness, and then maybe to test the water for tris. What if you hate them? What if it's years before you really get into it and want to go further? If you think you need a more advanced or specific bike at that point, then you can get a new one. For now, if this bike, it's capabilities, it's budget, etc, make you happy and fit your needs, get it. 

[katandkevin]

Oct 1, 2013 12:36:29 GMT -5 emsumm said:

And you're misinterpreting letdown and disappointment for rejection of your advice. I was excited. Now I'm not. That's a bummer.

I don't know why you aren't excited anymore. What you got here was honest advice about the bike you wanted to buy. There are a wide range of ladies with a ton of experience, so we can tell you that honestly the bike didn't fit what you originally said you wanted. If you loved the bike, go buy it.

[emsumm]

Oct 1, 2013 13:19:11 GMT -5 katandkevin said:

Oct 1, 2013 12:36:29 GMT -5 emsumm said:

And you're misinterpreting letdown and disappointment for rejection of your advice. I was excited. Now I'm not. That's a bummer.

I don't know why you aren't excited anymore. What you got here was honest advice about the bike you wanted to buy. There are a wide range of ladies with a ton of experience, so we can tell you that honestly the bike didn't fit what you originally said you wanted. If you loved the bike, go buy it.

Well, because there's no option that does.  I mean, basically, what many of you are saying is that I need two bikes to do what I want.  I can't afford two bikes.  Thus, disappointment.  The guy at the LBS told me this would be perfect for me, I hear differently here...I think it's clear why I'm bummed?

[kams]

Hybrid bikes and supplements. Ain't no love on this board for those things.

I think there is a place for both I'M A REBEL!


ETA: In all seriousness, don't let it get you down. Bikes are intimidating. There's a lot to know. No one is trying to dash your excitement, I think it's just a matter of people not wanting you to spend money on something that you won't be satisfied with in a few months. What you'll just have to decide is if it will satisfy your needs for long enough to justify the cost. 

And also, every cyclists believes that the correct number of bikes to have is n+1. There's always another bike that would be nice to have. That's not always a reality for all of us . I have a road bike and a tri bike and I would love to also get a hybrid to tow DD around on some of the paved paths. So, if that was my primary use, then that's what I'd get.

[sadlebred]

The best bike is one that will get ridden (and one that fits properly). If you love it that much, buy it!!

[hellonurse]

I, too went bike shopping yesterday. And bought a hybrid. I went to a bike store, got properly fitted, and chose the one that works for my needs and budget. When/if I get really into cycling, I will consider upgrading. But this is what works for me right now. AW away!

[hellonurse]

Oct 1, 2013 16:43:22 GMT -5 sadlebred said:

The best bike is one that will get ridden (and one that fits properly). If you love it that much, buy it!!

Despite ending up with a hybrid yesterday, I did read all of your advice before shopping. I kept saying to the saleswomen "my friend said..." Haha.

[katinthehat]

Prioritize what you want to do on a bike. Buy the bike that best matches the most number of priorities.

Easy peasy. You could even make a spreadsheet

[gncorman]

I competed in a sprint triathlon on a hybrid bike. I trained and finished on the bike. Did I win..no.., but I knew going in all I wanted to do was finish in one piece. Two years later, I am upgrading to a road bike.
My DH works for a LBS. If you left the shop excited for a bike, go back and get it. You will use it, your kids will enjoy it, and you will find reasons to ride which is what this is all about. And get fitted, it will be worth it!