[mpcremata]

Bear with me on the length of this please. This is sort of a tough one.

So my uncle is looking for a bike and asked me to help figure out what to get. Here's the deal...

He rides almost exclusively on bike paths, usually with his son-in-law. SIL has a nice road bike. Uncle has an old, cheap, super-heavy Trek mountain/hybrid bike, and he's tired of getting smoked by SIL. Uncle wants something that will make it a little easier to keep up, and also shift smoother, brake better--just a nicer bike overall.

Here's the catch, though: comfort is paramount to him. He's older (mid-60s), and is in decent shape overall but has a bad back, multiple shoulder surgeries, etc. So he wants something that's going to sit more upright (no drop bars), and have a stable feel like a mountain bike...BUT provide the maximum possible efficiency/performance given those parameters.

Oh and his budget is $2K.

Given all that, I'm sorta torn between recommending a light, rigid mountain bike with skinny cyclocross tires, or a really nice commuter/urban bike. (My first thought was gravel grinder or cyclocross, but he really doesn't want something that "feels" like a road bike. He wants that upright riding position and really stable handling.)

So currently I'm leaning commuter/urban, and thinking maybe the Cannondale Bad Boy 1.

Any other options you can recommend in the commuter/urban category? Anyone think he should go the rigid mtb route instead?

Thanks for your help!

 

[JillRide45]

Electric bike. Trek super commuter or Specialized Vado. With the electric hybrid you can have comfort and speed and more fun.


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[mpcremata]

That's a good thought, thanks! Although his main goal with riding is actually the fitness aspect. In fact, he even said he doesn't want something "too light" because he still wants it to be a good workout. I laughed in his face when he said that

P.S. For anyone following along I'm now thinking maybe the Cannondale Quick Disk 2 instead. $1,150 at REI and has hydraulic disk brakes, 1x11 drivetrain, similar geo to the Bad Boy (maybe a bit more relaxed?).

 

[J_Westy]

Here's the deal...

He rides almost exclusively on bike paths, usually with his son-in-law. SIL has a nice road bike. Uncle has an old, cheap, super-heavy Trek mountain/hybrid bike, and he's tired of getting smoked by SIL. Uncle wants something that will make it a little easier to keep up, and also shift smoother, brake better--just a nicer bike overall.

Seems like "Fitness" bikes are worth looking at -- flat bars, disk brakes...

For example: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/mens-sirrus-x-comp-carbon/p/159152?color=239583-159152

Specialized's 20mm Future Shock looks interesting, but I don't know much about it.

 

[mtbxplorer]

This one looks pretty cool, Norco Indie with belt drive and internal geared hub (shift 11 speeds without derailleur) https://www.norco.com/bikes/pavement/urban/indie-aluminum/indie-igh-11-alfine-belt/