So I am buying a couple of bikes...

[ZLTFUL]

So damn the economy...I enjoy riding a bicycle more than any other form of exercise on a regular basis so I began to research and here is what I have come up with...

For a road bike I am buying:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/1_series/12/

And for a mountain bke I have narrowed it down to:
http://www.bianchiusa.com/bikes/mtb-off-road/doss-5100  <--My most likely choice depending on how soon the local Bianchi dealer can have it here

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain_hardtail/3_series/3900disc  <--Close second

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45757&eid=4340&menuItemId=9253  <--Tied for close second

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bikes/Mountain/Hardtail/CO2/Details/1293-0FS8-F8  <--Tied for a close second

http://www.schwinnbike.com/usa/eng/Products/Mountain/Hardtail/Details/1449-S10FROEX-Frontier-Expert  <--Unfortunately, the Schwinn reminds me of my roommates WalMart Special Schwinn...This will be my absolute last option.

SO any first hand experience with any of these choices? I am sticking with my first choice for road bike as I have ridden one and I liked it alot. Plus I am not getting in way over my head on a bike I may or may not stick with.

[77south]

Well, bikes are pretty personal, so I am pretty sure your subjective assessment of those bikes is what really matters.  Having said that, any bike you get will only be better if you get the best fitting saddle you can find, bike shorts, clipless pedals & matching shoes, and a good helmet.  Less important but still really nice are some biking gloves and a bike jersey.   Seriously, a good saddle and shorts are the difference between a bike that gets ridden and one that is a towel rack.

[Grampa]

I gots one of these..... love it Haro Escape


only now it's been darkducified

[ZLTFUL]

Haro...that's a brand I haven't considered...time to do some research.

The big thing on the Bianchi though is that it is a local dealer who throws in a year's worth of free maintenance for free and is a friend of a riding buddy(bicycle riding buddy).

[mdriver]

Get one of these. If it breaks you can just grow a new one in a couple of weeks.

http://www.calfeedesign.com/Bamboomtn.htm

[hankthe8th]

I have the Specialized Hardrock Disc. But I turned it into my "urban assault" bike, so I don't have any input on how well it does offroad. I'm no expert on bikes, but I'd say the Hardrock is on the lower end in quality for the price range you are in ($4-600+). I never owned a disc brake bike before, but there is something about the breaks on it that I don't like. I don't feel confident in them.

If you haven't been there already, mtbr.com has pretty good bike reviews.

[bryant8]

I have the 2008 Trek 1.5 and was a great bike for the price; the 1.2 is pretty much the same except for the derailleurs.  I have Sora/Ultegra and the new 1.2 has Sora/Sora.  It's a great training rig and will serve you well

But now I'm looking for a tri-bike soon so the 1.5 will be sold after my next century

[Kopfjäger]

There is already a bicycle thread, but I would go with an IF, hands down.    Single speed of course.  

[DW]

I am not much of a roady, so my suggestion is to ditch the skinny tire shaved leg look and buy a $1,500 MTB. You can always throw a set of slicks on the MTB and ride on the road.   Of course roadies would disagree (But they'd be wrong... )  I got some great double-take looks riding the MS150 on my dual suspension MTB and will probably do the ride again this spring.  It is a pretty good feeling to pass a guy on a light weight carbon road bike while spinning your dual suspension XC bike!

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bikes/Mountain/Hardtail/Flash/Details/1289-0FS3-F3

http://www.specialized.com/zz/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45867&eid=4342&menuItemId=9247

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain_hardtail/6_series/6700disc/

http://www.scottusa.com/us_en/product/8280/44735/scale_50

Bicycles are nearly as bad as Ducatis.  You can never spend too much money on one.  If you up your combined price range to about $2,000 I'd start directing you towards some pretty capable dual suspension bikes.  As it is, these hardtails are fully capable of riding daily, racing (if you are into that sort of thing), and riding on the road with just a set of slicks.  I'd go for the Cannondale   Also, a MTB makes a better urban assault vehicles than a road bike ever would.

[Got Duc]

I used to ride for a living.

I rode a Specialized for 7 months straight, 4 days a week. They make a nice bike 

8 hours at a clip.

I punished that bike!

No complaints. The discs are nice you just have to pay attention to the adjustment on the caliper to keep the inside pad close to the disk.

[desmo_drum]

Have you checked out Kona? If they have a dealer near you, they make great bikes. I have a 2001 Muni Mula that I use both off and on road by switching tires. It isn't ideal but it has worked for me. Right now I'm looking at a felt f75 for road riding.

My wife has a trek pilot 2.1 road bike and it has been a great bike. SHe had it 4 seasons now with no problems.

[cbartlett419]

Have you checked out Kona? If they have a dealer near you, they make great bikes. I have a 2001 Muni Mula that I use both off and on road by switching tires. It isn't ideal but it has worked for me. Right now I'm looking at a felt f75 for road riding.

word

I carry both Kona and Felt at my shop. Felt Q520 is a comparable bike as is the Kona Fire Mountain Deluxe. The Q620 and Kona Blast or Blast Deluxe have great up grades if you've got a couple hundred extra bucks.

[Dannyboy]

There is already a bicycle thread, but I would go with an IF, hands down.    

IF FTW!  I've had a total hard-on for an XS (carbon tubes with Titanium lugs).  Probably overpriced but totally awesome.  And then I just found out that they support the Wounded Warrior Project.  I think I might have to bite the bullet and buy one after my next rotation.

[Kopfjäger]

IF FTW!  I've had a total hard-on for an XS (carbon tubes with Titanium lugs).  Probably overpriced but totally awesome.  And then I just found out that they support the Wounded Warrior Project.  I think I might have to bite the bullet and buy one after my next rotation.

If you do, you will never want to ride anything else. 

[Dannyboy]

If you do, you will never want to ride anything else. 

I've never ridden one but I already don't want to ride anything else.  It's like the two wheeled, self-propelled version of the Ferrari 599 GTB.