utku1985

Can someone list what to look on entry level bikes
preferably I m looking to buy hybrid bike .
should I look for modern bike 2020/2021 ? Or any specific bikes that is older vintage ?
what are the better /best - or worst components ? Basically what I m looking for when I m buying bike .

workout /recreational weekend use for me

markjenn

You're asking questions that could fill a few pages. Might start by giving us an actual budget. What you look for in a $500 bike is totally different than a $1500 bike.

Personally, I wouldn't look at any hybrid without disc brakes, a 1X drivetrain (unless you live in an area with super-steep hills or you're in very poor conditioning), and something not too terribly heavy, like big box stores carry. There is some variation on the quality of wheels and tires on low-end hybrids, so this is something to look at. You should budget for replacing pedals and saddle (which are total crap on low-end bikes), and most people like to add bar-ends and a rack of some sort. You can't go wrong with any hybrid from Trek, Giant, or Specialized. Even entry-level components from Shimano and SRAM are generally good enough for most. My $0.02.

I'd buy new unless you are a mechanic (or know one) who can look at used bikes and make good evaluations.. And used bike prices are sky-high at the moment and often don't represent very good value.

- Mark

mdarnton

I wouldn't buy any cheap bike with 1X. Both frame design and alignment are critical and not everyone can pull that off. I know because I did it, a well-known budget web brand. My LBS guy took one look and said he wasn't surprised I had a problem....the bike design was pushing the limits of what would have worked and a slight flaw in manufacture [unfixable chainline prob with the frame] pushed it over the edge. Otherwise I agree with Mark, above.

I would put the riskiest item on the list for low cost bikes and the one with the most possibility of invisible problems to be an anonymous frame from a bottom-end maker. Anything else on the bike you can unbolt and replace if there's a problem.

I returned the first bike and bought a Trek FX1 disc for about the same price and and happy now. It's a totally solid bike.

Troul 

For 2019+ [brand new] bicycles that retail under 1500, two components stand out to me.
worst imo are the tires. Going off of experience [usage, memory logged distances] the "factory" tires barely last a season compared to the tires I select separately for use.
best (subjective) chain. Unless retailers have a reallllly good process to replicate a knock off name brand chain, the bicycle is typically fitted with a well known reputable brand for a chain.

Retro Grouch 

How thin can you slice the baloney?

The marketing folks at Shimano have the responsibility to extract the maximum amount of money that each bicycle user is willing to spend for every component. That's why they have so many different price points. The truth is they all, even the most entry level Tourney components work but the higher priced offerings really are nicer: they work more crisply, they are lighter in weight and they look more attractive.

Here's the interesting part. If you were to graft the performance of the different parts group, the line would be pretty straight. If you were to graft the prices, however, you'd find a more exponential curve.

The decision is easy if you have either an unlimited budget or a "cheapest of everything" budget. The rest of us just decide where our price gag point lives and buy that.

MRT2

I will take a whack at this.

What to look for new or used.
Aluminum or Cro Moly steel frame. Carbon frame would be nice, but probably not in the cards unless you are looking to spend some money.
Carbon fork is a plus, but not a dealbreaker if the fork is aluminum or steel.
8 speed or higher. Because all 8 speed and higher come with a freehub, which is a better design than the older freewheel you find on most 7 speeds.
1 x , 2 x , or 3x are all good. It really is a matter of personal choice whether you want a bike with a front derailleur and 2 or 3 front chainrings. Advantages of 1 x is simplicity of shifting. Disadvantages. Unless you are going with 1 x 11, you might find yourself with either big jumps between gears. On the other hand, some people just hate shifting between chainrings, so in that case, a 1 x is better.
Drivetrain components. Shimano Altus components or higher. (Acera, Alivio, Deore for mountain groups, Claris, Sora, Tiagra, 105 or higher for road groups. I used older 9 speed Tiagra on my main bike and I like it a lot. My wife has an older version of Claris shifters and I don't like them as much, but they do work reasonably well. If I were buying a hybrid, I would look for Acera or better.
No Shimano Tourney or similar entry level stuff from other brands like Microshift.
Hydraulic discs are nice but not essential unless you are spending more than $1,000 t. Otherwise, mechanical discs or rim brakes are fine.
And speaking of brakes, you will often find bikes spec'd with Tektro brakes instead of Shimano. That is fine, actually.

What generally isn't great on any lower priced new bike priced below $1,000, and even sometimes on bikes priced above $1,000.
Wheels and tires. When the tires wear out you will replace them with something better. And depending on your weight and how you ride, you might want to replace the wheels.
Brake pads - Switching from the stock brake pads to kool stop salmon pads made a huge difference in my braking performance.

MRT2

A number of brands are selling $700 or $750 bikes with tourney drivetrains. So it actually is smart of OP to be asking questions.

CAT7RDR

Why a hybrid? This seems like a compromised bike from the beginning. Why not a proper dropbar bike?

Jax Rhapsody

Perhaps because not everybody wants a roadbike, needs a road bike, wants to ride "reasonably dangerous", as one youtuber puts it.

Troul 

it's typically easier to outfit a hybrid with a motor... It'll be a true hybrid then!

WobblyPop

While i am no resource at all in bikes, I have other hobbies, some of which are quite deep; so I can appreciate nuanced levels of appreciation, even within a single brand family.
That aside I struggle to figure out Shimano. They must be the Seiko/Grand Seiko of bicycles, they have every base covered.

Troul 

Shimano comes off like an AC DELCO. Makes parts for everything to build up a major assembly, but that's as far as it goes.

Phil_gretz

I agree with this ^ fully. In my experience, hybrid bikes do nothing well. Except, of course, fit a wide range of people with only a few frame sizes. So, they're easy to sell to folks who "want a bike". As for the riding experience, um..., no.

wphamilton

If you're talking entry level. Name brand entry level bikes are all good, with not enough differences to mean much. Avoid shock absorbers, that's where they cut corners. Otherwise just go by price. If someone is selling you on the frame, I'd pass on it. The frame is just about irrelevant at the low end price point of name brand bikes.

For budget entry level, not name brand, every single one of them will be cutting corners somewhere, possibly drastically. I wouldn't be sanguine about it until I identified where. One-piece crank is a hard no. Nonstandard bottom brackets are problematic; I'll take just the normal square taper cartridge.

Some will advertise "Shimano" when they really have only the numbered (not named) Shimano rear derailleur and everything else is off-brand. That's asking for trouble.

Tourney is fine. Acera, Altus whatever.

Cheap stock tires, who cares. You replace them later anyway, maybe immediately. The cheaper they go there, the less they marginalized elsewhere.

Boat anchor saddle and saddle post is another who cares. Replace it with something cheap from online if you want.

Heavy cheap wheels are pretty common. I agree with avoiding 7-speed freewheels. Although the wheels can be upgraded eventually when those wear out. It's worthwhile IMO to learn how to true them, and lubricate the bearings, set the cones right etc, which mitigates almost all of the problems with those stock corner cutting wheels. So the poor wheels are almost a positive, when you have that capability.

VegasTriker

Has the OP actually looked for a new bike that is properly sized? They seem to be harder to find than hen's teeth these days. There is post after post here about not being able to find one in stock. Older used bikes are similarly hard to find at a reasonable price. If you are not adept at basic bike mechanics, buying a used bike that may need some TLC has it's own drawbacks. Trek and Cannondale are two decent brands that show up a lot as used bikes. You can get information on the MSRP and component list at Bicyclebluebook. You need to know the brand, model, and year to access that information. I use it frequently to get an idea if the asking price for a used bike is within the realm of reason or just wildly optimistic on the part of the seller.. If you can find a decent quality used bike at a reasonable price and it fits you, you will get a better bike for your bucks. It may take some patience but they are out there. I just was asked by a friend this weekend about two bikes she kept as loaners for friends but needed to go to free up garage space. Those are two decent bikes somebody could use during this time of bike shortages.

jaxgtr

Because some riders, like my wife, do not want drop bars, and wanted something lighter than her mountain bike for when she wants to ride on the road. I converted a drop bar to my commuter as it gave me a better field of vision. Hybrids can have a place in the bike inventory and can be a nice riding bike.

My drop bar cross bike I converted to a flat bar 1x for commuting.




I found this FX 4 Carbon for my wife recently in the used market and swapped the wheels out with some Trek Aeolus Pro 37's, put a 14-28 cassette and Xpedo Spry platform pedals on it. She loves it.

Chinghis

Cool bikes, but what I'm really curious about is the bike stand. Home made? I may have to stop by Home Depot tonight.

GamblerGORD53

The best component by far is the SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake hub, ALWAYS works with zero fiddling. My first one has 26,000 miles, including 8,100 on 2 tours.
Next best is IGH rear hubs, preferably also with drum brake, like my SA XL-RD5w, that I can easily change the gear range with $7 cogs. Just as useful as any 1x. The Nexus 7i has a similar range, but with closer jumps.
I really like sweptback bars that actually have better hands and torso comfort than any drop bar.
Best rims for medium width tires is Velocity Dyad.
A good example of this kind of bike, is the Brooklyn Driggs with a 3 or 7 speed IGH. They have rim brakes that are at least better than dumb Shimano roller brakes. I ride my Roadster bikes up to 133.6 miles so far, the 73 lbs my bike is makes very little difference to me. It takes 12 hours to do this of course. All rounder steel bikes are far better for my uses. Alu is OK if you don't need a long top tube.

MRT2

Wow. I must admit I have never heard of this bicycle, but it looks really nice for a beginner looking to do some recreational riding. I take back what I said about 7 speed. A 7 speed internal hub looks fantastic.
FWIW, I just had a wheel built with Velocity Dyad rims.

GamblerGORD53

Yes. My 8 year old Dyad rims are all as good as new. The pointy profile is why. The machined brake tracks are awesome too.
I used WH 2.3/ 2.0 spokes with locking nipples, nothing better.
I month ago I saw a girl with the 3 sp Driggs. I asked her how she like it and said it's a bit slow. LOL.
My new Simcoe came with the Nexus 7i and the stupid roller brakes. So I'll be trying it on the highway in June I guess. The rims it came with were sanded like a piece of lumber. WTF.

jaxgtr

Yep home made and I have a couple of them. One for the narrower wheels, uhhh, I guess that is only the Emonda now, where I it wide enough to accept up to about a 30mm tire, pick shows 25mm in an Aeolus rim. You just need to make sure it is tall enough to allow the wheel to steady the bike, and wide enough to allow the spokes to clear.






The one in the pic above is is wide enough for a 38mm for sure, but maybe slightly larger, possibly up to a 40\42. I know a 29er 2.2 is to large. I used 3/4 pvc and glue everything together, but I also put small screws in them to just add additional strength. For the base, I just put end caps on them.

Troul 

Did you fill the PVC with a regular pump or purge it using CO2?

Like the simple design.

utku1985

would that be comfy never drive one. ?

CAT7RDR

To each his/her own I suppose. Short rides Okay.
But on longer rides, I need to stretch out and also have positions that are more advantageous dealing with winds, curves, straights, climbing, sprinting and switching hand positions due to fatigue.

MRT2

It all depends on how far you ride, and what is a comfortable riding position for you. My current bike has drop bars and I am very comfortable with the setup. So much so that though I see alternative style drop bars with flatter tops and shallower drops, I am reluctant to try them as I don't want to change what has worked for me such a long time.