Time for a new bike. Any recommendations?

[D'z Nutz]

Okay so I've come to the conclusion that I need a new bike.

Back in 2009 I bought a mountain bike with the hopes it would urge me to get in shape and it's done that and then some. The last few years I've been biking to work with the occasional weekend trek during the spring/summer/early fall months (and during the winter, I'm on the stationary bike or treadmill). Just in the last few weeks did I realize my mountain bike was slow and sluggish when I'm seeing people blow by me almost effortlessly while I'm in top gear and grinding away. I thought I could save some weight and get a bit of extra speed by doing some upgrades and stuff like that, but after a bit of reading it just makes sense that I ditch the mountain bike completely and get something new.

I'm pretty sure for my style of riding, a hybrid is more suited for me (but I'm not against getting a road bike if convinced otherwise). I tend to stick to the paths 70% of the time and 30% of the time on the road mostly because Calgarian drivers are so hostile to bikers. With that said, any recommendations on make/models I should look at? I'm planning on heading to Bow Cycle in the next week or two so it'd be nice to go there with a short list of bikes to check out.

Let's say my budget is ~$800 for a new bike. I am definitely not against the idea of going used since I know some good deals can be had. Anyone know of any sales coming up?

Also what might be a fair asking price on a 2009 Kona Blast?

Thanks guys!

[lilmira]

Used aluminum road bike or a new one for a few hundred more than your budget. You already have a mountain bike, adding a hybrid to your inventory doesn't give you a whole lot more range.

[bigboom]

I would look at either a hybrid or a cyclocross/gravel bike. If you are mainly doing commuting you don't want a road bike. Road bikes only have clearance for usually up to 25c tires and for commuting that's going to be painful especially with the condition of Calgary's road's/pathways.

Hybrid/Cyclocross/Gravel bikes will have clearance for way biggers tires (up to 42c) which make commuting more comfortable while not affecting your speed very much. These bikes will also allow you to run studded tires in case you want to commute in the winter and usually have mounting points for racks and fenders.

With your budget, it restricts you to bybrids or lower level cross bikes like a kona jake. I would almost look for a used bike at $800.

[D'z Nutz]

bigboom, thanks for suggestion a cyclocross. I hadn't heard of those before and they certainly seem like a nice compromise between a road bike versus a hybrid. That gives me another option to look at.

[FishPoo]

I bought a kona jake for that purpose! They are also super light.

Still decent for riding on roads but versatile enough to go through dirt, snow and grass.

[HHURICANE1]

No real need for a new bike if you find it comfortable other than being slow. You can change the tires to a slick and pick up a bunch of speed for a lot less $. I did this years ago on my mountain bike and what a huge difference.

[msommers]

I picked up a specialized sirrus elite when Bow had their blue light sale. So far so good!

I think a cyclocross might be overkill for the pathway but something with a wider tire as bigboom mentioned would be ideal if you venture onto dirt trails.

Keep an eye on pink bike. If it wasn't for the sale I would have bought used as well.

[D'z Nutz]

In the last 5 years I've had my bike I've ventured onto dirt trails exactly 0 times. It's not something I'm particularly interested in. Strictly path and roads.

But yeah I'm watching pink bike and kijiji right now just seeing what's out there.

[jaylo]

Originally posted by msommers
I picked up a specialized sirrus elite when Bow had their blue light sale. So far so good!

I think a cyclocross might be overkill for the pathway but something with a wider tire as bigboom mentioned would be ideal if you venture onto dirt trails.

Keep an eye on pink bike. If it wasn't for the sale I would have bought used as well.

Almost bought this one but felt inferior compared to the Cannondale quick sl3, difference was night and day but you do have to spend $400 more

Ended up with Giant Roam XR (I looked at specialized cross trail elite disc, Trek 7.3, Rocky Mountain Whistler)

Giant is the best bang for the buck when it comes to what components installed compared to other big brands such as Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc... Where you pay for the brand

Specialized being the worst offender

[msommers]

I think I spent ~$700 if I remember correctly. Spending anything more would be insanity for a commuter bike in my books. I mean initially I wanted to spend no more than $200... But we all know how initial budgets get blown lol.

[megavolt]

I would vote for a cyclocross.

I've rode my daily commute (18KM) on a hybrid, mountain bike and cyclocross.

I now use my cyclocross for the summer and switch to my hybrid with studded tires in the winter (just cause I don't want my nice cyclocross to get all gunked up).

But every year I can't wait to get back on the cyclocross in the summer. So much lighter and faster.

I ride with 23c tires no problem on the pathways. My wife rides a road bike with no complaints either.

I'd gladly take a few bumps without suspension to go much faster with less effort.