choosing a bike.

want a bike that could go offroad, but probably mostly 80% on road or trails.

no one? do any of you guys even ride spiaciliazed??

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by luism [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

want a bike that could go offroad, but probably mostly 80% on road or trails.

FYI. Hybrids are not really designed for off road as much as poor road conditions ...

• I "love" Hybrid frames, BTW, because they are really Touring frames which were relabeled back-in-the-day
  
• and, they have much greater tire clearance than a typical Road frame will have
  
• basically, figure out the largest tire size that you think you will want to use & choose the bike whose frame will accommodate THAT tire size
  
• wheel size (26" vs. 700c, or even 650b) should also be considered
  

If you plan to go "off road" then you need to define THAT as a parameter & choose the bike accordingly BECAUSE you can certainly use an "off road" bike on pavement ...

• "slicks" on MTBs which are used on paved surfaces are a common solution
  

• a MTB on the road will just not be optimized for most of the riding conditions which you will encounter on the road.
  

Having said THAT, based on what you have indicated, I would choose a 29er (unless you are shorter than 5'9") and have two sets of wheels with the two different types of tires ...

• a 29er Hardtail which has a suspension fork will serve you well
  
• a Hybrid with a suspension fork will NOT serve you well due to the quality of the fork which is not truly designed for off road riding
  

• some Hybrid frames MAY be able to accommodate a 700x52 (29er) tire
  
• a Rigid (vs. "suspension"😉 Hybrid fork will accommodate a 700x52 tire
  
• a 700x52 tire is probably as large as most people would want to use due to the weight of a 700x58 tire/tube
  
• 700x58 is definitely for soft-and/or-muddy conditions
  

SPECIALIZED bikes are certainly "okay" ...

• I would probably choose an equivalent GIANT
  
• or, an equivalent bike from a mail order source (e.g., bikesdirect.com) if you already know what size bike you want
  

If you have a JAMIS dealer near you, then consider a bike from their CODA lineup.