advice on which bike?

[Kaci]

looking for a bike that is below $600 for riding mostly on concrete, but sometimes dirt/light gravel trails.

i’ve looked at and test driven the liv tempt 4, which is a mountain bike. initially, i wanted a hybrid. but soon, i’ll also be looking at the trek fx-1, the trek verve 1, and the liv alight 3.

i liked the tempt 4, but it was very difficult going up hills on it. i live in an area with quite a few hills and i don’t want to be *dying* by the time i get to the top of them. (seriously on my test ride i almost passed out in the 95 degree heat and i’m a fairly in shape person.)

i am very excited to test ride the treks, though!

any advice on choosing between these? thanks!

[Criminal]

(07-25-2021, 03:24 PM)Kaci Wrote:  i liked the tempt 4, but it was very difficult going up hills on it. i live in an area with quite a few hills and i don’t want to be *dying* by the time i get to the top of them. (seriously on my test ride i almost passed out in the 95 degree heat and i’m a fairly in shape person.)

Sounds like the bike is not geared for your terrain. Ask if the shop you tested it at if they would be willing to swap out the cassette or modify the gears of the existing one. If you plan to purchase I do not see why they would not help you out there; it is a very easy job to do for any shop on a brand new bike. Any bike you ride, if it has the same approximate gear ratios, will essentially behave the same way going up the hills excepting extremes in bike weight difference. Tell the shop you need something with climbing gears. I can't ride my regular road bike in the mountains so I have one specifically geared for those conditions.

95 degrees is a nasty temperature to cycle in no matter what shape you are in; nevermind the uphill part.

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

Some great options are GT Laguna and Fuji Lea.

Check them both out. The Fuji Lea is a little cheaper and would be as perfect for what you're suggesting as the Laguna.

[Kaci]

thank you for the advice!!