Need help buying bike

[MomOnBike]

I admit it. I'm on a bit of a bike buying binge at the moment. I need help with a particular bike, so I ask . . .

O Greater Wisdom:

My daughter's boyfriend has asked me to help him buy a bike. This is good. The problem is that I'm not sure what type of bike to point him toward.

He's a big guy, that is tall and built like a hockey goalie (um, because that's his position).

When I ask him what he wants the bike for, he gets a sort of panicked/confused look on his face. I finally pinned him down, and he wants a bike to just ride around town, perhaps commute a bit, and look dashing when he and my daughter are together. He is not interested in a bike as a Fitness Machine, but wants a reasonably efficient bike. I worry about sticker shock if the bike is too high end.

So, where should we start? There are Trek dealers in town, Surley, and others, I think.

Oh, and I did tell him not to let me bully him. If he falls in love with a bike, he should buy it. After all, it is his butt on the saddle, not mine.

One more thing. My daughter will not, no way, don't even discuss it - consider being a stoker on a tandem. Tandems are out, though I think they would look so sweet. . .

[ultraviolet]

He's a big guy, that is tall and built like a hockey goalie (um, because that's his position).

When I ask him what he wants the bike for, he gets a sort of panicked/confused look on his face. I finally pinned him down, and he wants a bike to just ride around town, perhaps commute a bit, and look dashing when he and my daughter are together. He is not interested in a bike as a Fitness Machine, but wants a reasonably efficient bike. I worry about sticker shock if the bike is too high end.

One of my best friends is a (very) tall former hockey goalie. I helped him through a similar search a couple of years ago. Of the bikes he test rode, his favorites were a Surly Cross Check and a Bianchi Volpe, because of comfort and the flexibility/utility that each provided--he felt like he could use them equally well for fun, fitness or commuting/errands. He eventually decided on the Volpe because he preferred the Shimano STIs over the separate bar-end shifters/brake levers on the Surly, since he hadn't ridden in years he felt like it gave him one less thing to think about if he didn't have to move his hands to shift gears.

[pll]

he wants a bike to [...] look dashing when he and my daughter are together.

So that is important. What bike looks would DD consider 'dashing'?

[Velocivixen]

First thing that popped to mind was also a Surly Cross Check. I test rode one and got used to the bar end shifters within a couple of minutes. It's a solid bike that doesn't cost too much. They are the favorite of a lot of bike shop dudes in Portland as they are "bomb proof" as they like to say.

[indysteel]

I really like the Cross Check. I also think Jamis offers a variety of nicely speced steel bikes with decent price points. Somebody (Knott maybe) was recently raving about the Kona Dew as well. It certainly has a very attractive price.

[pll]

The Salsa Casseroll is in the same price range of the Surly Cross Check. And the Salsa Chili con Crosso is more expensive, but gorgeous.

[MomOnBike]

Thanks guys, I knew you'd come through.

I wish there were a Jamis dealer in town. DD loves her Jamis commuter, and I think Boyfriend could be talked into something similar - but probably without the stylish basket

I'm liking the idea of the Cross Check, he said that "sturdy" is a good word as far as he is concerned. We should probably start there, and see what happens after that.

We are going shopping this evening. I can't wait to see what we come up with.

[Sky King]

Good choice, take a moment and measure his PBH before you go shopping. Don't let the sales person talk him into to small of a bike!!! Here is a step by step on bike size, we refer it to touring but works for any Surly, My husbands round town is a cross check