New bicycle - coming from a road bike
I am considering purchasing a new bike. My current one is a road bike - nothing fancy, a Norco with a mix of Shimano 105 and 600 components. I don't ride it as much as I used to, and I'm thinking it's because it's so limiting to where I can ride it. There is some great cycling in Victoria, but some of it is gravel/trail. I'm also finding my back & neck get sore after anything longer than 30 minutes. So I've started considering a hybrid, but there are so many subcategories under that term. Comfort, urban, fitness, commuter, sport...it's a bit overwhelming.
I've done some initial research and spoken to one salesperson at a LBS (took me forever to discover what that meant) and narrowed it down to a few models. But I wanted to get your opinion on whether these bikes would be suitable for the odd non-paved trail. I'm looking for a used one, as my current road bike was purchased used from a LBS and has lasted me a good 10+ years. I won't be using this to commute, nor do I plan on riding in the rain. I just hope I don't regret the decision to switch from a road bike, as I do enjoy going fast. But it can be annoying when going for a leisurely ride with my wife, who's trailing behind on a comfort hybrid (I think that's what it's called...)
KHS Vitamin B (very little info online, but is the best price)
Trek 7.2 FX
Giant Escape (1, 2, 3, City...???)
Specialized Sirrus
Cannondale Quick
Kona Dew
Brodie Voltage
Norco VR3
Thanks in advance
I've done some initial research and spoken to one salesperson at a LBS (took me forever to discover what that meant) and narrowed it down to a few models. But I wanted to get your opinion on whether these bikes would be suitable for the odd non-paved trail. I'm looking for a used one, as my current road bike was purchased used from a LBS and has lasted me a good 10+ years. I won't be using this to commute, nor do I plan on riding in the rain. I just hope I don't regret the decision to switch from a road bike, as I do enjoy going fast. But it can be annoying when going for a leisurely ride with my wife, who's trailing behind on a comfort hybrid (I think that's what it's called...)
KHS Vitamin B (very little info online, but is the best price)
Trek 7.2 FX
Giant Escape (1, 2, 3, City...???)
Specialized Sirrus
Cannondale Quick
Kona Dew
Brodie Voltage
Norco VR3
Thanks in advance