New Hybrid or Comfort Bike Advice

[ShawnoftheDread]

Skip the suspension fork. It adds weight without really doing anything beneficial.

[eminva]

Great choice on the Cannondale Quick! We have two of them in our house. They continuously change the model names from year to year, so I’ll focus on the features over the specific name.

My husband has a 2010 Quick CX Ultra with front shock. It’s a very nice bike. The shock is probably overkill for the Mount Vernon and W&OD. But it is nice if you wander onto unpaved paths from time to time. I don’t have a hybrid myself so I rode this bike on the GAP trail and C&O and it was great.

My son has a 2010 Quick CX Rigid, with no front shock (the low end Quick). Also a nice bike. It has proven very sturdy; he is a young teen and rides like one. You could also take that on unpaved trails if you ride like a teenager. But it is perfectly acceptable for the W&OD or Mount Vernon.

Hope this helps.

Liz

[Rootchopper]

I disagree. The extra weight at the speeds and the terrain you will be riding is worth the increase in comfort. I have a bad back and my experience with Cannondale road bikes is that they have a very unforgiving ride. (For what it’s worth, I ride the MVT every day.) I recommend trying other company’s bikes. You may end up coming back to the Cannondale. Also, whatever you buy, test ride it first. Take your time. No rush.

[Crickey7]

I have an old Bad Boy that has a very similar setup to the Quick Ultra. It’s great to have suspension this time of year, when the potholes are really bad, or any time of year to deal with root cracks on the trails. It’s worth the extra $ if you can swing it. But it’s not a dealbreaker.

[Rockford10]

Conveniently, I currently have a Cannondale Quick in my garage that is not being used. Would you ride a “Large”? Are you interested in a used bike?

It was sold to DKel by Dirt in 2013 and was lovingly maintained until someone’s eye fell upon another bike (and then another and he’s looking at new frames!!!).

Are you interested in home brew equipment?

[mstone]

I’m in the camp that prefers bigger tires and lower air pressure over a suspension fork, unless jumping obstacles on a MTB. Still less ridiculous than full suspension on paved trails.

Ride on most comfort bikes is pretty horrible out of the box because they’ve got rigid tires pumped up to the sidewall max rating. Fix that, and it’s hard to sell you a suspension fork.

[Crickey7]

Don’t overlook a comfortable saddle like a Brooks C17 or a carbon flex seatpost like the Specialized “Cobble Gobbler.”

[dkel]

@mstone 107284 wrote:

I’m in the camp that prefers bigger tires and lower air pressure over a suspension fork, unless jumping obstacles on a MTB. Still less ridiculous than full suspension on paved trails.

Ride on most comfort bikes is pretty horrible out of the box because they’ve got rigid tires pumped up to the sidewall max rating. Fix that, and it’s hard to sell you a suspension fork.

+1

Getting the right tires to the right pressure will do far more for your comfort, and do it more efficiently, than a suspension fork will do for you on paved surfaces. Realizing that a lot of my pedal force on climbs was going into my fork’s suspension is one of the reasons I got that Quick SL2 that my wife is trying to sell you. (BTW, you should buy it. It’s a great bike, and I’d like for someone to use it a lot, rather than have it sit in my garage. It has a rack and fenders installed, along with a swanky double kickstand.)

[Greenbelt]

OK, it’s a tad more than $800… But just about the best value “comfort” bike I’ve ever ridden.

http://www.konaworld.com/big_rove.cfm

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