razor12

I am looking for a bike, price range of around $500

practical

What have you done so far to find a good bike? Have you gone to bike shops? Have you looked online? You posted this in the hybrid forum. Hybrids mean different things to different people. What does it mean to you? Have you owned a bike in the past? If so, what did it teach about bikes that you like or dislike? Those are rather basic questions you might start with.

With all that in mind, identify the brands that you can buy locally. For example, do you have a Trek dealer? Specialized? Giant? Cannondale? Diamondback? If so, start with those brands and use the internet to find out what bikes are in your price range. Or just go to the stores if you can.

I feel a little silly giving you all this "advice" because I assume you've already done these things; but your question needs a lot more detail and focus.

KLiNCK

Specialized Bicycle Components

You're welcome.

sail

I have a bike for $500.

Doctor Morbius

Don't you want the best bike for $500?

joncleve

Also Jamis.

jskash

You can get a Giant Escape in for that price. I have the Escape 1, which is more than your set price, but you could get an Escape 2 or 3.
Escape | Giant Bicycles | United States

NYMXer

I have this bike and am very happy with it. It is my "do everything" bike. From road rides, to casual rides around town, easy off road stuff too!

Cypress DX (2016) | Giant Bicycles | United States

AU Tiger

If you have a Performance Bike nearby, you'd be hard pressed to find a better bike than the Fuji Absolute 1.5 for $449.

ganchan

My 2015 Jamis Coda Sport was in that price range. I'm finding it to be a solid, comfortable city bike. I also like its relatively understated look and style (not a fan of garish colors and big logos plastered everywhere, but that's just me).

Wanderer

Wow, that's a lot of bike for the money - and if you are a Performance Club member, you even get 10% back!

Carbon fork, 9 spd Shimano Deore, partial internal cable routing, rapid fire shifters, rack and fender mounts, 28-32 spoke wheels. Not bad!

avidone1

Hybrid is such a generic term that without a little more information as to the type of riding he is looking to do, we are probably just advocating for out favorite bikes.

razor12

I will be using it for city riding, and also trails, most of them will be paved.

I was looking at the Giant escape city. How does that compare to the escape 1?

I do have a dealer in town, so when i get a chance I will check them both out in person. I will be getting it with my tax return, so depending on how much I get will determine what i get. And have plenty of time to choose.
Thank you

prj71

Specialized Bicycle Components

AU Tiger

Assuming the fit suits you when you test ride it, the Escape is definitely a great bike for the money. To answer your questions about those two bikes…

The 26-34 combo on the Escape 1 will be a little better for climbing hills than the 28-32 combo on the Escape City. Essentially it will give you one more gear at the low end. That may or may not be an issue for you, depending on the terrain you plan to ride. For me, that would make a noticeable difference on a few of the hills in my area.

The other big difference is the composite fork on the Escape 1, compared to the aluminum fork on the Escape City. I can’t speak from personal experience since the only bike I’ve owned has a carbon fork, but generally speaking carbon forks dampen the vibrations better than aluminum. How much better is a subject of debate.

An obvious difference is that the Escape City has a rack and fenders, as it is intended for more utilitarian use, while the Escape 1 is more fitness-oriented. Those are things which can easily be added to the other bike, though, so I would focus more on the gearing and fork than on those accessories.

razor12

I am liking the look of the Specialized Sirius Sport disc. Though $700 is getting kind of high. If the LBS has last years model do you think it would be any cheaper.

Wanderer

It should be cheaper

MRT2

All those are fine bikes, as are the Trek 7.2, 7.3 or 7.4 FX, Cannondale Quick Series, the Jamis Coda Sport or Coda Comp, and the Kona Dew or Dew Plus. This is not an exhaustive list, and I am sure there are other comparable models from other brands.

The formula is pretty simple. $400 to $500 is entry level. This gets you an aluminum frame (or in the case of the Jamis, Cro Moly steel) and hi tensile steel or aluminum fork, 3 x 7 or 3 x 8 gearing, and entry level or close to entry level components. Stretch your budget up to the $600 to $700 price point and you get 3 x 9 gearing, carbon or cro moly steel fork, and/or disc brakes, and possibly slightly upgraded frame, crankset, wheels/tires. The problem is, for a few hundred more, you could get into a true road bike. But for some, an upgraded hybrid is all the bike they will ever need.

$400 to $500 entry level hybrids are just fine for many people. If you are unsure of whether cycling is your thing, or if you know you plan to use your new bike only for occasional long rides, frequent short rides, then it maybe makes no sense to spend the extra money couple of hundred for a lighter hybrid with more features. But if you are thinking that cycling is your thing, and you are buying with the thought of upgrade paths down the road, it usually makes more sense to buy the better bike new as upgrading piecemeal will usually cost a lot more than just buying the better bike up front.

dim

Buy a second hand Trek FX .... you may be lucky and find a Trek 7.9 fx for your price on craigslist or ebay if you are patient

Wanderer

And, that Sirrus Sport Disc is a really nice bike for the money - I;m not sure, but a 15 model might even have a carbon fork.

MRT2

No, aluminum. (but a nice bike nonetheless)
Specialized Bicycle Components