spuzak30

Hi everyone. I’ve done tonnes of research and I’m still unsure what to buy. I have an old Giant mountain bike that is 25 years old and my over 50 body can’t take it anymore LOL

Looking for a bicycle with good suspension, upright seating and around $600 - $800 Canadian dollars which is around $450 to $700 US.

I ride mainly on pavement with occasional gravel and use my bike for modest exercise and riding with friends.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Rhonda

RH Clark

Tell me why you need good suspension. You mention mostly pavement riding and some gravel. If it's a normal gravel road a car would easily travel, you shouldn't need any suspension other than from larger, higher volume tires. Suspension will add weight if you don't really need it.

veganbikes

Unfortunately at the low end like that you won't find anything with good suspension. Good suspension usually will cost $300-1500. However you could consider a Kinekt Seatpost for your current ride and maybe fitting some wider tires and then get some Ergon grips if you don't have them already and maybe a swept back handlebar (I would suggest no more than 34˚ sweepback for best comfort) That might help turn your current ride around. $700 USD is generally where you get into the entry level hybrids that are ok enough for the occasional rider. At 1K (USD) you start getting more decent bikes and at that point you might find a nicer frame with a carbon fork and maybe you can find a gravel oriented frame that can fit nice wide tires.

Smaug1

What brands does your local bike shop support? (Giant is one, I presume)
I agree with RH Clark, that you don't necessarily need a suspension bike. Something with front suspension and then a suspension seat post would probably do for your use. ...or even without front suspension, since you're looking for something more upright. Less weight on your wrists means you won't feel impacts from the front wheel as much.

How about a Trek Verve? I think their entry level bike is a bit higher in budget than you're looking for, but very nice quality. It has largish tires, but smoother rolling than a mountain bike's. Includes the shock in the seat post too.

spuzak30

Im finding I am very sore after riding. I should add that the paved roads in my town are asphalt as well and a lot of patch work so it’s not smooth pavement per se. I was thinking something in the front forks and seat to ease any bumps that I will hit.

spuzak30

Good point about the upright and less impact. I really just want a ride that allows me to not feel like I’ve been beaten the day following. Although my roads are paved they are not always smooth.

I am able to travel to a larger center and get a bike or I would consider ordering online. I can check out the Trek.

RH Clark

What you need to do is find a good bike shop and try some different bikes to get a better idea of what you want and need. Even if you end up buying used you will need to know what size and style to look for. Spend some money at the shop if they help even if you don't buy a new bike there right now.

Smaug1

One mistake that less serious bikers make is to always inflate the tires to the max. marked on the side of the tire. That makes a huge negative effect on the ride quality.

For example, the tires on my Trek Domane are marked "Inflate to 75 psi" (note that they omitted the word 'max' in this case, leading us to believe that was THE correct pressure no matter what!)

After learning a bit here and reading some online advice, I found that 65 rear, 60 front was a lot more comfortable and no slower!