Newb Status? Now what?

[hebe]

Hello and welcome! I identify completely with your bike-buying woes. I have to go to nursery now but just wanted to say you must find a bike shop that you love, really, it makes all the difference in the world. Will be back later.

Right. I can't really advise you on exact bikes to try as you probably have a whole different range available to you on your side of the Atlantic. But I do suggest going to all your local bike shops, on your own, and telling them the kind of thing that you're looking for. They should listen, suggest, and not make you feel at all pressured. You might need to clarify the type of bike you want - over here "road bikes" and "comfort bikes" are two completely different animals and I think the US terminology is similar. The bike you tried is a hybrid, so it would be useful to try to work out exactly what you didn't like about it so that another shop can help direct you to some better choices. You can change both the look and feel of a bike to some extent, though obviously only within certain limits. Different shops will carry different bike ranges so going to a few different shops will let you see both how the shops compare and how the bikes feel.

I'm currently looking at changing my comfort bike for something lighter, prettier and faster. The two that are front-runners at the moment are the Specialized Vita and the Giant Escape 1W, these might be worth a look? Good luck!