qAnAthemA

Hey everyone,

Looking for a new bike for no more than 800$ which meets these criteria: straight handlebar, multi speed, relatively light (around 10 kilos), good for road/bicycle trail as well as some unpaved trails (nothing extreme), good opportunities for repairing/upgrading (well known hubs, bottom brackets, etc). Are there any solid choices for the buck or should I consider buying used bicycle?

Thank you everyone.

NewATBikeComute

It's easy to get paralysis by analysis, but certainly shop around craigslist for its educational value (you can see many different styles of bikes, and use the names of bikes as starting points for research).

Likewise in visiting local bike shops. There are good choices for your needs in virtually every brand, so many here would say that the shop is more important than the brand, and I would tend to agree.

Fit, fit, fit. If it fits you well, you will enjoy cycling more, and you will do more. If you are quite certain that you know exactly what will fit you, than buying used can be a money-saver. Otherwise, the chance to test-ride different bikes makes the LBS a better choice.

As far as style, the latest trend seems to be the description 'fitness bike', replacing 'hybrid'. Specialized, Trek, Giant, Performance Bike, Cannondale all have bikes in the range you mentioned that would probably fit your needs. Hard to tell without more details, though.

mcours2006

Giant Seek 2 would fit your bill--10-speed, hydro disc brakes, relatively lightweight. But not sure if you can find it at your LBS.

Other options: Cannondale Quick, Specialized Sirrus, Trek FS.

Senson

I am commuting 15miles a day with Gaint escape 1 disc on bumpy ny queens street it it's very comfortable and fits pretty good for me i am not 100%sure about upgradability and exact weight but it has hydro disc composite fork 3x9 gear set.
Hope it helps

Skipjacks

Check out the Specialized Sirrus of Crosstrail (Sirrus is more street oriented. Crosstrail is a little more rugged. But they are very similar bikes)

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/men/bikes/fitness

I got a Crosstrail Disc earlier this year and absolutely love it, using it for similar type stuff that you are looking for. Commuting, hard pack rail trail riding, the occasional cut across a bumpy field....

The Crosstrail Disc and Crosstrail Sport are right around your price range. The Sport has some slightly better parts and a 2 speed chainring where the Disc has a 3 ring chainring. I've been happy with the parts quality on the Disc, figuring I'd upgrade in the future if anything breaks.