After a too-long absence from 2 wheels, my wife & I have decided to buy bikes for ourselves with a bonus I got from work & wedding gift money. We decided immediately that my 11 year old GT Altera and her similarly-aged KMart-special just wouldn't cut it any longer.
Went out to a highly-recommended bike shop tonight and took a look. I was surprised at just how much bike we can get in our price range (under $600)! My GT was Chro-Mo front, and a hi-tensile steel rear triangle, so these 6061 frames are a nice weight reduction.
I took a Giant Yukon out for a quick spin around the block and was impressed with the comfort and ride quality, considering we hadn't even adjusted the seat (it was close though). I really liked the disc brakes and suspension fork. Also saw a Giant Iguana that looked tempting. A little more money, but it looked like it was a worthwhile upgrade.
This shop also sells Trek, but we didn't see many on the floor. How would a 4900 Disc compare to either of these Giants? Or should we be looking a little further down the 4000-series for a comparison? They also carry Gary Fisher.
While I was riding the Yukon, the guy in the shop was trying to tell my wife she'd be good on a 21" frame; I was riding a 19". I'm 5'-11", she's 5'-9" (being a woman, she has slightly longer legs). 21" sounds too big, IMHO.
We're planning on doing country road, bike path and light trail riding, and some fun/charity rides once we're in shape. I expect we'll be pushed off the no-shoulder roads into gravel & weeds on the country roads.
Any other models/brands we want to look at? I wouldn't mind going with another GT, but don't think I have a store nearby that I can just drop into and take a look. Like I said, we're in the sub-$600 range, but don't want to go "too" low, as we want to be in a position to keep these for a while and get a lot of versatility. Many thanks for any and all help.