Best "All-Around" Bike

[hiking_and_biking]

In your opinion, what is the best "all-around" bike? We are thinking about buying bikes with our income tax return, but we don't know which ones to invest in.

[ChadTower]

"all around" is too subjective. Every bike is designed to be best in a certain situation, some more than others, but none are going to be good in every environment. Need more details on your most common uses.

[dinosaur]

An all terrain bike is probably the best. I have a few suggestions for tires, but a good "Mountain Bike" will cover a lot of territory with minimal effort.

[oldsarge]

I'd go with the mountain bike. I have one and it fit's the bill for what I need. I wouldn't go with a touring bike because if you did decide to off road it, it won't hold up. At least with a mountain bike you have something rugged enough to cover most situations. I prefer 21 speeds with index shifting, elliptical gears, cantilever brakes. As far as tires go, I like them knobby. I don't mind the rough ride on the road, I've been driving 4X4 most my life.

[rockclimbing_n_rappelling]

I'm not an expert on bikes by any means, but I agree with oldsarge's suggestion to go with a mountain bike, because they are built to handle almost all terrains.

[oldsarge]

Originally Posted by hiking_and_biking

In your opinion, what is the best "all-around" bike? We are thinking about buying bikes with our income tax return, but we don't know which ones to invest in.

Well, what did you come up with?