I rode the Backyard down your way two weeks ago and I am riding this weekend at the Farms just south of Charlotte you young whippersnapper lol. Yea I'm used to all the dad jokes on the trail, that is until we start going over the rocks and roots. I do OK for half a hundred. My 17 yo son can and does kick my ass everywhere else tho.

So just in case anyone is still interested, I talked with our schools cycling coach. With 14 or so national championships, I think I could take some of his advice. He sent me to the shop the team uses, and I ended up getting a pretty good deal on a Raleigh Misceo Trail 1.0. Pretty good road manners, and capable on any trails I'll go on. And if I wanta little more grip, I can easily change tires. Bike was comfortable, and fit me pretty well. Thanks for the info guys.

Raleigh Bicycles Misceo 1.0

That bike looks like it'll serve you well, congrats!

I had a Pro Thunder back in the day when they really were great dirt bikes, so get off my lawn.

He he. I had to do it. All this serious talk gets me jittery
And I wasn't dogging the Pro Thunder!! Uh, Uh, did you read my explanation defending it?! C'mon!! ...Oh, and its still a kickass dirt bike. So get off MY lawn.

I'm 6'2" and my trek x cal 29er was a must for me. I would not go back to 26

I loved my 29er. I sold it to get one with a little bigger frame, and I haven't gotten around to the getting the new one yet.

One of the reasons I went with the Raleigh, I can put a set of 29s on there (although thinner than MTB versions) but will have substantially more grip off road than the 700c tires on there now. I'll see how muc h road vs off road I do this year, and move up if I need to.

Glad to see you did not get the 3700. Not to knock on Trek's, I currently own two, but have had up to 4 at a time. The 3700 is just a heavy bike and not really good for anything. It is really just a good entry bike for kid that has outgrown 24" bikes.

Good luck with the Raleigh, I am friends with some people that own a shop that sells Raleighs and they seem like great bikes. I actually am considering one of their road bikes right now mainly because the Trek I want is so pricey.

Congrats on the new bike. Getting the best "feeling/fitting" bike is def the most important, especially for a new rider. I have to warn you...if your new bike feels as good as my first bike did, you will have yet another expensive hobby on your hands. At least you can buy an entire decent bike for the cost of a Gobi rack, Shockworks bumper, etc..

Congrats on the new bike. You will like the fact your fork has a lockout when riding on the road. It is a slippery slope, I just got into biking last year and now have a fully built full suspension mountain bike.

Picked up an older bike for my wife. She wants a "cruiser" that we can ride around town on. Pretty good deal, its in great shape.



Plan on doing some upgrades along this line...plus a basket.

Thanks again for the info guys...picked her up today.

I have about every type of bike made at one point or another. I currently have a road bike and 2 mountain bikes, both hardtails. The road bike is a workout and a blast to ride and the MTN bikes great on the trail. I personally think hybrid bikes are great compromise and I am in the market for one. I did a test of one from a local store. They work great on roads, rail trails, and dirt paths. True they are not intended for intense downhill riding but they are very comfortable and fairly lightweight. Both of my MTN bikes are steel and they are heavy to ride daily. Some people may not mind that but they are intended to go down. By no means are they comfortable for long rides. They do make lightweight MTN bikes but be prepared to spend. Personally I would get a Giant.

what hitch rack are you using.

i have just received a 1upUSA... very easy to load and go!

here's a pic on the back of my outback. my '88 4runner is in the garage behind me



joel