Getting in to Family Biking
 

Hello all Pro's. After moving to an area which is full of lakes, Walkways with combination of Gravel/Cemente path for cycling, my daughter started prompting me and my wife to start biking. I am 54 yr old man, still in good health comparatively. Use to bike a lot when in school/college. Me and my wife plan on biking in weekends, really not planning to put more than 30 - 50 miles a week. We still have to practice as it has been almost 25 years since we biked so looking for entry level decent bike. Getting in cycle store like Elevation was scary, as in my young age I use to have one british built steel frame bike with 3 - 4 gears, with all those built inside the rear axle. Now when I looked at the hybrid bikes in Elevation, there are bikes with at the least 8 gear and god knows what all technology is built in. Long story short, I am 5 ft 11 inche, and my wife is 5 ft 7 inch. We both are newbies. Do not want to spend fortune but still want a good/modest hybrid. We short-listed Felt Verza Speed 30 and Trek Dual Sport 3.
Can you please advice if there is one better than other? I am specially looking for smooth gear shifting, front suspension (must to absorb vibrations) and longevity of the bike.

Thanks a ton for your input.

Unless you really need the front suspension, which I'm not sure you do, I would not be looking at the Trek DS2. You're currently looking at bikes in the $750 - $900 range and that will allow you to purchase a relatively decent entry level bike. Don't limit yourself to just those 2 bikes. Anything you pick within that price range from any other manufacturer is going to offer about the same quality and performance. Don't overthink this. If you have the opportunity, look at hybrids from Cannondale, Specialized, Trek, Giant, Fuji etc. Find one that is sized correctly, take a few text rides and once you find one you've fallen in love with... go for it.

So Any recommendation...
 

Thanks for the response as I really appreciate your advise on widening my horizons. If you were me with the above budget, what will you select. Issue with me is that unless I know what I should be looking at, I do not know what to look at, other than the brands which you specified. Now with that being said, will you be kind enough to share your thoughts that if you were me, what would you go for? I know i am asking a very simplified question. Under different circumstances I will try different bikes but due to the COVID situation, that choice is not really available. Example: Yesterday when we visited Elevation Bikes, we had to wait 2 hours outside before we could enter the store to look as no more than 5 customers were allowed in. Elevation only carries Pivot, Trek and one more brand i can't remember. Other cycle stores are closed and taking online orders only with curbside delivery....so unless I know what I like i can't even place an online order. Sorry to throw it upon you for your advice with the above-said budget and the current circumstance where trying different bikes is not really an option these days.

There are several things that are going to push the cost in one direction or the other for an entry level hybrid. Probably one of the biggest is whether the brakes are hydraulic or mechanical. If possible go with hydraulic. There will also be a difference in wheel quality, but at these prices you're splitting hairs. Again, an $800 bike is pretty much going to be the same across the various manufacturers. Also, keep in mind that you're going to spend about $150 more per bike after you get done buying a few essentials like a helmet, pump, patch kit, saddle bag etc. If you have a Trek dealer nearby I would just get in line, tell them you and your wife are looking at Trek Hybrids and have them let you try a couple of different sizes and find one that fits. If you want a particular model that they don't have in stock just ask them to order it in that size for you. Or, since you now know your size you can call another Trek shop and ask them for that model and size, and curbside delivery.

When it comes to bikes in your desired category, I really like the Jamis Sequel, Jamis Coda, Marin Muirwoods, Giant Toughroad, etc... These are no suspension hybrid style bikes that fit fatter tires, the Coda is more limited by tire size.. Nice suspension is excellent, but cheap suspension feels like a drag. I thought I needed a suspension hybrid when I first started as well, my first 2 bikes had it, but those are no more.

Nice mountain bikes with nice suspension are great, but they are in the $1500 range. It also doesn't sound like you'll be riding rough terrain.

Found one, hope it will be good enough for starters
 

Thanks guys for your time and advice. Called all the dealers dealing in Jamis Sequel, Coda, Cannondale, Marin, Giant and no luck. So checked out Bicycle Village which happened to have SPECIALIZED CROSSTRAIL ELITE 2019 model (a bit on the higher end price for this class) and that too because they had been closed for business and are only taking online orders for curbside delivery, so they still have inventory. All other brand of bikes are sold out and will not be back in stock until Sept and/or Oct 2020.

I have not had a chance to try it but can't expect it to be too different compared to TREK Dual Sport 3 2020 model with the only difference that SPECIALIZED CROSSTRAIL ELITE model has hydraulic brakes (thanks for your suggestion Katsup).

I should be picking it up by this weekend. Fingers crossed that it stands up to its reputation.

The crosstrail was not one of my suggestions as it has front suspension. However, there is a following on this model as others do like it. https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bi...rs-thread.html (Same with the Trek DS).

Bikes are in high demand right now so it is hard to find a desired model.