[gambi]

I am looking to buy a bike that can be used as a commuter and a road bike. I have a 5 mile commute to work and would like to start riding. I also want to be able to take the bike on the road for exercse. I'm willing to spend up to $500. Anyone have any suggestions? Brands etc.

[morrisma]

I like my Giant OCR2. The models: OCR1, 2, or 3 are all good bikes. Not sure if there's a model in that $500 range but they are great machines.
Mike

[kstreeter513]

Have you taken a look at cyclocross bikes? They are great all purpose bikes. They're basically road bikes that are more equipped to take on light trails. When I graduate college in 1 1/2 more months (woo hoo ) I'm going to buy the Kona Jake the Snake. Can't wait. The only thing is, it may be a little over your budget. I think lower end cyclocross bikes can be picked up for around $800.

[vegasvic]

I’m not bike expert but in my opinion the two bikes are miles apart. Do you expect to have to carry anything? Can’t really stick a basket on a road bike and still expect it to be a road bike and I’m not sure how bad you want to have a back pack going to work. I have a FCR 2 similar to morrisma’s OCR, pretty nice bike but not a pack bike by any means.

The commuter bikes can’t be confused with road bikes but you can still get exercise from them baskets and all. They are sort of a specialty bike and can come with the packs/baskets, lights, fenders, etc.

And there are always the crossover bikes. I have a Specialized Crosstrail that I put the baby seat on and/or pull a trailer. More a commuter than road bike I guess but it will certainly do both. It handles road/sidewalk miles well and I have taken it down a mountain on trails.

I hope I didn’t misinterpret your question too much.

vic

[gambi]

Thank you for the suggestions! Sounds like I might need to spend a little more but that's ok.

I do plan to carry stuff but I could always use a backpack.

Cyclocross may be the way to go but I'll definetley try out a few before I decide.

[Ronin]

Hi Gambi!

A cyclocross bike is probably your best bet. It can accomodate wider tires which are better for commuting.

The price question always comes up on bicycles and people underestimate the cost of a new bicycle. The real question is: how good are you with tools? Most bike shops have training sessions in bicycle maintenance. You will need some bicycle specific tools but not a lot to find and fix up a used bike. If you want to use the bike for training as well, you will probably want to invest in a separate set of wheels with narrow tires. Then use the money you saved in bicycle commuting to purchase yourself a fancy road machine, or better yet, since you are planning to get married -- a tandem!

[owlyn]

We both have Trek hybrid (crossover) bikes. Trek is a great brand at a good price. One of the best values going. The hybrid is a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike. As such, it has some of the disadvantages of both , but we ride mostly on trails, so it was the best option for us.