I need to get my fat ass in shape, lose 15-20 lbs... Its good for me and cost less than all the lightweight stuff I can get for the car.. Look at Bill Clinton and he had the best medical care in the world!!

Anyhoo... Im looking to buy a bike (cant jog, the knees wont allow it)

Whats the best bang for the buck for less than $500?

Dont like mountain bikes, nor a full road bike, so the hybrid seems where Im headed.

I saw a Marin San Rafael at a shop the other day, looks nice!

Also some North Face bike I can remember the model..

Are Marins going to make the cut?

inquiring minds want to know

Had great success with Felt model hybrid in this price category. Felt was recommended to me by an avid racer who is also a 914 owner.

I was down at the local bike/locksmith shop a while back and they had some really nice schwinn 5 and 10 speed cruisers for $200.00-$300.00. Looked like a good all purpose bike.

I would stay away from the North Farce. Marin Makes good bikes as does Felt. I have a Cannondale, Jamis, GT, and an Orbea. I love all of them. for what you are looking for check out (I can beleive I am saying this) Trek or Specialized. Both will have pretty decent components and will be reasonably priced.

I can tell you that for 5 bills you ain't gonna get much bike. I have a friend in the same situation that has decieded to up his budget to 1000$. The options get much better there. Look on Ebay they have some great deals sometimes.

i think you already know what to look for, but just in case you dont..

look for carbon fiber forks if you can, some hybrids have them.
if carbon fiber forks are out of your price range, get a steel one, makes a lot of difference in ride quality.

bikes aside, if you want to loose weight you have to stick t cycling. in order to stick to cycling, you hve to be comfortable while cycling. otherwise, its just a freaking chore. so, i recommend you spend a little less on bike, and get comfortable cycling cloth. if you dont want to go full-on lycra (yes, real men rear lycra, its the only way to go) at least get some loose shorts with a "built in" nice pad. almost all cycling appearl companies have this kind of things. its imperative that you be as comfortable as possible while cycling. its already a brutal sport (80-130mile rides) might as well be as comfy as possible.
if you dont mind going with lycra, spend some dough and get a bib. I like Castelli stuff, they're not "top of the line" but they're high quality for what you pay for them.

oh yeah, get a helmet. there's no if/and/buts about this one.

if you still can afford it, or maybe later on, get a cycling computer, its nice to know how fast/slow you're going and how long/far you've ridden.

btw, if you're adventurous, and like to tinker, get a frame and build yourself a bike. these guys sell great frames, they're in ireland tho, but i didnt have a problem ordering from them, im in so cal

http://totalcycling.com/

I want to buy off the rack... I have enough going on that building a bike isnt way up my list

At leadt the Marin got a nod... I like the bare aluminum frame

I love this: "hybrid". Back in the day, we used to call those "bicycles", and they ALL looked like that. Now they despecialize the bike and they feel they have to come up with a new name for it...

Marins are good bikes.

The best thing you can do is go ride a bunch of bikes. All the bike stores I know of will let you take one out for a spin.

Get one that is comfortable and fits you.

I disagree with the "You won't get much for $500" statement.

The $500 bike you can get today is far better than the $1000 bikes of 5 to 10 years ago.

Good components are a must, but GOOD FIT is top priority. You should be able to do both for $400-600.

You are correct the bikes have gotten better. But when you compare Shimano Sora, Altus, and the lower component lines you will really be more disappointed than you would if you had given a little more change for 105, Ultegra, Deore, STX. Fit can be adjusted a lot. Any GOOD bike shop will make sure the fit is right on. Look for the best components, good shifters, wheels, seat, etc. Those things can make or break a good ride.

I think for most folks Deore is fine, probably more than necessary. One thing that can not be adjusted is top tube length and geometry. Fit is 'somewhat' adjustable. Components are much easier to replace than poor fit.

I had a student at a DE a few weeks ago, he sold high end bikes..

I mentioned I was in the market and he promptly spent $3000 of Ben Steins (my) money LOL

I can buy a more expensive bike, but I dont want to

so I set this $500 ceiling...

so whats the best bang for $500?

Sean how did you make out with the calipers?

Im with Sean, I picked up a last year K2 Beast for less then that mark. And its More bike than Im rider

JP offered a set for a hat. I offered him 2
He hasn't confirmed the deal yet, though.

The M's are interesting to me, but I'd have to get new pads and I hate to do that right now. $ is spending too quickly on this car.

DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT IT FOR...

IF YOUR NOT DOING TRI-ATHALONS,

Get a Hybrid bike, not a mountain bike, not a road racer...

I have a road bike, but am a marathon runner.

My wife got a hybrid at Dicks Sporting good for under $200 and couldn't be happier with it. You don't have to get the most expensive bike to be happy with it. I had her try bikes in the 150-400 range and she picked the one she liked best. At least now she rides it.

yeap done that.. i dont see a triathalon in my future... I cant run for any distance without paying a painful price..but I always liked riding... its means to a better heart healthy livelyhood

I set the bar at $500

Ive decided on a hybrid...

All the bikes I have looked at "look good"

So i take it no one brand "off the shelf " bike is any better than another, in the same price category?

Go to www.roadbikereview.com and check out some of the reviews from people that have ridden and purchased the specific model you are looking at.

Check out what Performance has. When they have sales their bikes are pretty good deals. My sister just got a GT from them for 40% off.

Most important thing is FIT!!!! Go to a real bike shop that can help you get a bike that will fit you and will help fit the bike to you. Try to buy from the shop you will proably have to take the bike to for repairs.
Fit is important because it will be comfortable and prevent you from injury. Speaking of comfort, spend the money on a good pair of shorts and helmet. This will be money well spent. You will also see the value in a good pair of shoes and pedals if you really start to ride some miles and proably a better saddle. I would rather spend $300 on gear and $200 on the bike (provided it does fit). Like a porsche if you really get into it you will regret where you cheaped out.

Check out the recycler,ebay or the local bike shop employees there are great used bikes out there and they loose half there value just taking them off the showroom floor like a motorcycle does !

I did a 585 mile charity ride in June. My recommendation is that if you like 914s, and you don't want to ride up mountains, get a road bike. I got a Giant OCR-1. It's a little over your budget I think, but they have some lower level ones. Giant seem to be very slightly heavier and have better mechanics than the other bikes in their price range. I am super happy with mine, the weight doesn't matter, and shifting properly does matter.

Fit is huge - having a bike that fits right will improve your deal a lot.

Your diet will also need to change if you want to lose weight - over the course of 7 days doing 50-100 miles a day I actually did not lose much weight. You need a combo of both to get it off.