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Old 07-08-20, 07:23 PM
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hokiefyd 
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Location: Northern Shenandoah Valley
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Bikes: More bikes than riders

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Welcome!

The good news is pretty much every bike brand has a bike in that market niche ("fitness hybrid"). Look also at the Specialized Sirrus, Raleigh Cadent/Alysa, and Giant Escape (and whatever the Liv brand version is). The "bad news" is there is no best. All are comparable and competitive options. Components are all basically the same (they're commodity items) and prices are all essentially equal when looking at the same "level" of bike. In other words, if one bike is significantly more or less expensive than another option, then it probably has significantly different component levels, and there's probably another "trim" of that bike model that would be more comparable to whatever your other option is. The best way to find the best bike for you is to ride them. That's tough to do right now, but it's really the only way you'll get up close and personal with a bike and how it fits you, how you like the color choices, etc. If you have to buy one sight unseen, then it's really a roll of the dice to be quite honest. Also add to your list various direct-to-consumer bike brands and retailers, such as Canyon and Raleigh (brands) and BikesDirect.com (retailer). There seriously are no good or bad bikes here...just bikes that may or may not fit you and your use well.

Based on your use case, don't overlook used bikes. Depending on if you will have to store it or lock it outside, let someone else take the hit on depreciation...and older bikes are less likely to be stolen. None of that may apply, but it's something to consider. Of course, with the "current situation", the bike market is really upset right now (in a good way for sellers), so used bikes aren't exactly screaming deals at the moment. At least one of the bikes on your list has a steel frame. Modern quality steel frames like the ones you're considering make for excellent riding bikes, and really aren't any heavier than aluminum bikes, but steel does rust (the tubes will rust from the inside, as water gets in). This isn't to scare you off of steel, but if you'll be storing it outside and/or using it in all weather, it is something to keep in mind. You can have a new steel frame treated on the inside to help prevent this corrosion (essentially, spraying some fancy WD-40 into the tubes to coat them on the inside).

Some of your options use carbon forks. These tend to have a better ride quality than aluminum forks. Steel forks also usually have a better ride quality than aluminum. I would avoid an aluminum fork. Unfortunately, aluminum is often seen as superior to steel by consumers, and it's sometimes the case that only the entry level models have steel forks. The mid-line trim often has "upgraded" aluminum. And then the top-line trim has a "true upgrade" in a carbon fork.

Let us know what you end up with!
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