Giant Rapid 3

[Zen]

Trek's term for that is "fitness bike" but most of us would call it a flat bar road bike.

here are the specs for that bike

Two things that stood out to me- Sora derailleur and 8 speed.

Those things aside, it looks like a good bike for a great price.

[Shara]

Thanks

The other one I was looking at was this one

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...rid%2BBike.jsp

[Owlie]

Trek's term for that is "fitness bike" but most of us would call it a flat bar road bike.

here are the specs for that bike

Two things that stood out to me- Sora derailleur and 8 speed.

Those things aside, it looks like a good bike for a great price.

Zen, why does the 8-speed stand out? Just curious.

Shara--
I assume you'd be buying the Giant at a LBS. Yes, it's a more expensive bike, but there are advantages. It'll be put together by people who know what they're doing and will adjust things to suit you. The same can't be said about the department store Schwinn. I'm not saying anything about the quality of the bikes (I'll leave that to the people who are qualified), but a good relationship with a bike shop is important. (I'm not saying that you can't be a cyclist on anything but a bike you bought from a bike shop either. I've got a bike from a bike shop and don't feel I qualify for the label "cyclist." )

[Running Mommy]

Only popping in here to give a few tips I give my customers.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a bike shop owner who happens to be a Giant dealer.

Ok, that out of the way...

1. I always tell my customers who have budget issues to WAIT until you can get the better bike. Put a couple of dollars away every week, and get the better bike. This is not because I want them to come to me in a couple of months and buy a high dollar bike. This is because I have been there- a few times. I think that the entry level bike will be "fine for now", and within a couple of months I'm already looking to upgrade and regretting "settling" for a bike. I want my clients to be happy with their purchase from me, not swearing my name in vain.

2. You can find that bike for less.

3.As someone else stated, having a good relationship with a shop means a TON if you ride a lot. And when you need things adjusted, most shops will do that for free/low cost when you buy the bike from them. It's also nice to walk in a shop and be greeted like your part of the family. : )

4. There are other companys out there that make flat bars that are also worth looking at. Felt is one that comes to mind. I believe it may be down speced a bit, but it is also under 500 I believe??
Trek also makes some nice flat bar road bikes.

5. Fit. Which one fits you the best? Have you talked to the shops around you about getting fit?

Well, don't know how much help I was?? But FWIW I ride my Giant FCR (09 they were know as FCR's) on my beginner rides, and I do like it. But the saddle needs to be replaced because it's too wide. And I need to change my bars to carbon, because the vibration from the aluminum bugs me. But I am used to riding carbon in my other bikes. So I guess I've turned into a weenie.
It's also my commuter bike for my 11 mile commute to the shop.

[Shara]

That does help a lot. There is a bike shop that is close to me and I'll be able to get to it easily if I had problems. They sponsor a lot of events around town and really promote commuting so I'd like to get to know them better. I'll have to stop in there soon.

How much should I pay for that Giant?
eta: prices here are a bit more than on other areas because I live on an island and everything is brought across on the ferries. Ferry fees really add to costs from what I've heard.

[Running Mommy]

shara- I'll PM you tomorrow. Heading to bed now..
Are you in the US?

[Shara]

No I'm in Canada on Vancouver Island. Sorry I haven't updated my profile yet. I appreciate any info.

[Owlie]

Running Mommy, I wish I could visit your shop!

I would aim for MSRP or less. In my experience, MSRP tends to be the upper limit for what the shop charges.Granted, you've got the ferry fees tacked on there, so it'll be more.