DavyKOTWF

I'm talking what's the Cadillac or Mercedes or Challenger Hellcat or top of the line Jeep Wrangler
for the money out there? Keeping it between $500 and $2000 for this Hybrid?

And what's the best way to find it, just buy rebuilt used at a bike shop or Craigslist?

I've heard Trek, CannonBall Quick Speed, Giant Escape, Del Sol for $500-$600. . .

Retro Grouch 

Cadillac, Mercedes, Challenger or Jeep Wrangler - on road, gravel road, maybe even a little bit of off road. I think that you are covering too much space with your comparisons. To pick out what's best for you first you have to define your needs. Bikes are the same. The range of bikes that are available today from manufacturers span a very wide range of potential uses and mix of uses. I hesitate to even use the word "hybrid" anymore.

If you don't have a bike now, get one. Ride ANY bike around for six weeks or so and keep a mental list of what you like about it and what you hate. Your list will be a little different from anybody else but it's the only one that counts. At the same time, think about where and how you actually ride - how much urban, how much crushed limestone. You can't pick out your dream bike until you figure out what your dream is.

Pendergast

+1

Well said.

DavyKOTWF

Question was, "$ for $, what's the best hybrid?"
Does anything beat an 8.3 DS Trek?

BlazingPedals

Dollar for dollar, they're all about the same.

Gresp15C

I recently shopped for a new bike, and formed the impression that within the huge swath of bikes in the $500 to $1000 range (give or take), you really can't go wrong if you get something from a reputable brand and dealer. In my old age I've come to believe that there's no substitute for comfort.

You can take more risks if you're more handy with tools. I think this is one of the reasons why it's hard to judge whether it's a good idea to get a used bike, or mail-order.

And get something that looks nice. Buy something that makes you happy. You'll soon forget the extra 100 bucks.

JGM411

A used bike that wasn't ridden is going to give you more value. However, you haven't given the group much information about the way you want to ride a bike. It's kind of like recommending Corvette or Ferrari as a pizza delivery vehicle if a delivery van would suffice.

what kind of riding do you do? how many miles do you ride? frequency? etc? give us bit more info.

do you ride 5 miles a day three days a week? or do you ride 20 miles a day 7 days a week? 50 miles a month vs 800 miles per month?

you get the picture...

MRT2

Giant Escape 1. same retail price. Better components. Weighs 5 or 6 lbs less then the Trek.

Jamis Coda. Nice, Reynolds steel frame (as opposed to aluminum. Weighs 5 lbs less than the Trek. Can still handle light offroad.

Specialized Sirrus Sport disc. Better components. Weighs less. Hydraulic disc brakes. Better on pavement, but still decent off road.

The only thing the DS has going for it is the suspension fork with lockout. But at this price range, I am not a fan of suspension forks. Others disagree, but I just don't like them.

fietsbob

Huge factories making multiple brands in Asia.. then shipping them to Importers . Go test ride bikes , Pick shop preferred, then buy a Bike there..

in $500~$600 price point, they will be more similar than different.

DavyKOTWF

Thanks all for the great answers! "All about the same" Makes sense. MrT, I'm looking those up.
Good to see JG's got a Schwinn...albeit a '73. Now I heard that the Japanese or Chinese took over
Schwinn and they're no longer the same great solid bike. So I take it, some people have more than
just one bike??!

Pendergast

Most of the people who post regularly on this forum probably have more than one bike. Some people have different bikes for different types of riding. Some people hang on to their old bikes when they get something new. Some people like collecting bikes.

BlazingPedals

I'll add this. You apparently don't know what you want. Don't limit yourself. You think you want a hybrid, but you should test ride other styles too. We still haven't heard what kind of riding you're planning - maybe you should be looking at road bikes?

DavyKOTWF

I thought I wanted a hybrid, since I do 80% trail 20% road. I'd like to build up to 50 miles a week of the same. From a dead start 6 weeks ago, I did 24 miles this week. These are up and down hilly trails.

Now someone suggested a light touring bike, like the Cannondale Synapse Alloy.
The main diff's are the drop down bars? Both have slightly wider tires than a strict street bike?

TenSpeedV2

More than one? Absolutely!!! Is it necessary? No. I have 4 bikes. The miles I have ridden this year on 3 of them combined is still 1/3 of what I have ridden on the 4th. I love them all, but that 4th, that is my go to bike. Everything from the fit to the ride of it is dialed in. When I want to go for a ride, that one gets the duty.

It is hard to get one bike that does everything well. Unless you are riding serious mountain bike trails, I would avoid anything with a suspension fork. Most of the big brands make a good hybrid, that Trek DS 8.3 is hard to beat. Head to some bike shops and start test riding as many as you can.

MRT2

Paved trails or dirt trails?

DavyKOTWF

Dirt and pea gravel. Now I read about Cyclocross! Cyclocross - i yi yiii. Used to just be Mt Bike and Road Bike. This CycloCross looks like it's just a Hybrid except with drop down bars. Is that right?

MRT2

More like a road bike but with higher bottom bracket, and clearance for wider tires.

Retro Grouch 

There are some other subtle differences like bottom bracket height. CycloCross has a much more macho image than Hybrid.

DavyKOTWF

That pretty much settles it then...I want the Charles Bronson macho image.

dachshund

I just shopped for and bought my second bike. I have a road bike that I love, so I thought a hybrid was in order - second bike is for running errands and light riding. The choices available now are staggering. You can get a road bike with flat bars. Endurance vs. racing frames. A variety of materials and components. I'm an experienced cyclist and I found this overwhelming (I don't shop often).

Make a new hobby out of test riding bikes, is what I recommend. If you can't tell the difference between any of them, get what the store recommends. If you feel one's better than the rest, then you're on the right track.

therealjoeblow

$ for $, I find Giant offers better components than Trek, Scott, Norco, Specialized and others.

When comparing at the same component level, I find Giant to be lower cost for the same thing.

Giant manufactures Trek's frames for them, along with some others.

Specific to the Trek DS line that was mentioned, I think the Giant Roam offers better value.

My $0.02.

Cheers TRJB

Kedosto

Pound for pound and $ for $ ???

Nothing beats Craigslist. Be patient and keep stalking Craigslist and sooner or later you're gonna come across a barely ridden, high end hybrid (assuming that's what you really want).

CL is full of folks looking to sell their unused toys for "get it out of here" prices. Sure, you gotta wade through the crazies and scammers, but every time I've ever scoured CL I've managed to find some listing of a Garage Queen item where a great deal could be made. The key here is patience. The more specific your demand, the more patient you might have to be.

All of the hybrids from the major players are more similar than they want you to believe. I'm guessing most of the frames are probably made in the same factories too. It comes down to hair-splitting differences in component specs and color preferences, really.

Be flexible and keep a close eye on CL and you can pick up a deal pretty cheap. Then, follow Retro's advice. After that you can either re-list the hybrid or start building your stable.


-Kedosto

ironwood

[QUOTE=Kedosto;19016458]Pound for pound and $ for $ ???

Nothing beats Craigslist. Be patient and keep stalking Craigslist and sooner or later you're gonna come across a barely ridden, high end hybrid (assuming that's what you really want)./QUOTE]

The metal pile at the local dump can, as might yard sales, or dumpsters near local colleges after spring semester.

If the OP really wants to know about hybrid bikes why not ask on the hybrid forum?