Which bike should I get and from what company?

Question

What type of bike should i get, and which manufacturers are good and which ones are bad?

Answer 1

The responses here won't help much unless you provide more info.  What type of riding will you be doing?  What are you riding currently or have you ridden in the past? What's your budget?

Answer 2

don't shop for a brand. 50 people could reply with 50 different bikes, and they'd all be good bikes. what you should shop for is fit, as different manufacturers have different frame geometry. even within a brand, some bikes have different geometry, to suit different riders. for example, specialized makes 3 different pro-tour ready frames, but they suit different riders. your best bet is to decide why you are riding (sport, fitness, commuting), where you are riding (road, bike paths, trails, MTB), and what riding position appeals to you (upright, stretched over the bike). my MTB rides totally different from my road bike, and my commuter is all together different again! and they're all different manufacturers. discuss your preferences with the folks at your LBS. let them know what your budget is. before you know it  we'll get 51 answers to this same question, because you'll have the bike that's right for you!

Answer 3

There are several bikes in this category that might suit you.  A lot of bike manufactures are going with "urban" bikes or "commuter bikes"  they used to be known as hybrid bikes (1/2 road bike, 1/2 mountain bike)   A good one in your budget is the Trek SU 1.0  http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/200...  Or Cannondale Road Warrior http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/08/cusa/...

There are many other, but my #1 suggestion is to go to a bike shop (actually go to a couple)  and go for some test rides.   Go to a shop that sells mostly bikes.  They will take the time to fit you in a proper bike.