Best bike?

[dailyjo2003]

I want to buy a bike for riding paved trails and maybe some off-road rougher trails. Can anyone recommend the best brand and model? I want to spend around $400.00.

I'm also looking to get a bike rack for a car.

Thanks for your advice!

[Rodney]

Isn't clear whether you want a true mountain bike or not. You can't get much of a mountain bike for $400, but you might get a good hybrid -- basically a street bike on a mountain bike style frame, but also rugged enough for dirt roads and fire trails and well-surfaced dirt trails, but _not_ the rougher trails. You might look at the Trek brand -- not an elite name, but good quality at an acceptable price.

[Jephree]

GT

[sailor]

Personally, I would look at Giant. Their factory makes Trek and I believe GT too--its the same bike, but cheaper. I have been a big fan of them, and ride a mountain bike them (granted, it was quite a bit more than $400, but Ive never had a problem with it).

[jwells777]

In the $400-$500 dollar range you should be able to find a more than capable mountain bike. Certainly not top of the line, but more than adequate for most casual riders. Keep an eye out for end of the model year sales or other discounting. Just steer clear of the $50 Walmart specials and you should do alright. I also second the recomendation for Giant. When I bought my last bike I really liked their models and pricing; though I ended up getting a bike off the internet instead for about the same price with a little better components.

[Jadey]

I'd also recommend Giant for a very nice "low-end" bike. Depending on how much trail versus road biking you plan on doing take a good look at the type of tires and forks you get. Like Rodney said, you shoudl probably look into getting a hybrid for the 2 different types of riding.