Okay, bike (cycle) enthusiasts!!

[Chest Rockwell]

Originally Posted by CJizzles

The weight wouldn't bother me. I would imagine it'd help my rides from a fitness perspective.

I just asked because when I did ride bikes that was really all I was accustomed to.

Yeah, nothing at all wrong w/mtb's. Like Bugeater said heavier and lower top end. If you're good with that you'll probably appreciate the extra gears. And the fact that you really don't need any suspension will bring down the cost. Basically you're getting a performance hybrid with more gears but no hipster markup. A circa 1995 hardtail w/o suspension fork mtb in good shape like a Specialized hardrock (I think someone mentioned this bike earlier, props.) or Giant iguana sounds like something that would work well for you.

I had and absolutely loved both of those bikes in the past. Wish I hadn't sold them.

Re: too high vs. low gearing that Bugeater mentioned, that makes sense with the hybrid. We're apples to oranges on that one. My race bike has more balls than I have brains, but then again, that's what makes it so much fun. I can't spin it out on a downhill at 75 kph (it's not even in top gear at that; hell the top pros can sprint that on a flat); I've had it around 100, but fear of death outweighed curiosity so I was feathering the brakes rather than spinning so I don't know if I can out spin it. Someday maybe my handling skills will approach it's performance, but it's more likely my confidence will just outrun my ability and things will end poorly.