Need help finding the right bike!

[BarelyLegalBear]

Hey guys, recently me and a friend were going to get into biking and now that we've decided we really want to bike, i've come to the conclusion that i want a decent bike to start out with. I'm 18, 5'7 and weigh about 150lbs. Right now i'm looking to lose quite a bit of weight. 10 or so lbs is what i want to lose and look a little less fat. I'm normal weight but have a slight case of the moobs (fml) and a little fat i want to get rid of. I heard biking is a great exercise for the job from many friends.

So, what kind of bike do i want? Well I've been looking at Diamondback and Trek bikes and been deciding on what i really want. I plan on going mostly on concrete roads/trails and such. With that said, i've been leaning towards a Dual-Sport bike. I plan on spending 500-600$ on a bike so nothing more than that would be great.

I've been looking at two and they are:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...eries/8_2_ds/#
and
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/pr...uctId=26708926

I just can't really decide over the two, but i do know that i want a bike that can do quite a bit. I live in Pensacola, FL, so if anyone has ever been here then you know what kind of terrain i am talking about. I'm leaning towards Trek because there are bike stores close. If there are any other bikes that you highly recommend over these that are around the same price range then please let me know. (500-600$) I'd appreciate any kind of help and if you can tell me whichever of these bikes are better for what i want to do because i really want to start biking as soon as possible.

[Bluesftw]

go to the shop and ask dudes that work there, tell them what you plan to do with the bike and they should give you advice on what to buy...

[Spectral]

You're not planning on doing much in the way of riding difficult terrain, right? If that's the case, I think you'd almost certainly be better served with that Trek hyrbid. If you have the time and possibility of doing so, I strongly recommend test riding one of these. I'm pretty biased towards Specialized, I really enjoy their products in general, and the Sirrus is my favorite hybrid that I've test ridden (although the Cannondale Quick is nice too, I owned a carbon one for a couple months).

I'd also consider bikes in the cyclocross genera. They have geometry that's more like a roadbike, but make some compromises to make them suitable for tougher terrain.

[BarelyLegalBear]

You're not planning on doing much in the way of riding difficult terrain, right? If that's the case, I think you'd almost certainly be better served with that Trek hyrbid. If you have the time and possibility of doing so, I strongly recommend test riding one of these. I'm pretty biased towards Specialized, I really enjoy their products in general, and the Sirrus is my favorite hybrid that I've test ridden (although the Cannondale Quick is nice too, I owned a carbon one for a couple months).

I'd also consider bikes in the cyclocross genera. They have geometry that's more like a roadbike, but make some compromises to make them suitable for tougher terrain.

If there was difficult terrain in Pensacola, i would go for a mountain bike but the hybrid sounds like it will do the job. I'll also be sure to check out the other bikes as well.

[Spectral]

Yeah, I think you'll find you have more fun with the hybrid. The quicker acceleration is something you'll appreciate for sure. If you're thinking about longer rides, roadies are a lot more comfortable in my opinion, although I know Rukentuts (another poster) puts in huge mileage on a hybrid, so to each their own.

[Lapetos]

Been riding both downhill and cross country for some time now... personally I'd grab yourself a second hand "Specialized" (brand) bike. Why a used bike? Well chances are you can get a good deal on a custom setup... one where someone passionate about the sport has set up a bike to ride more comfortably than a shop package bike. Then just have a shop service on that bike (usually forks can be the main culprit of needing a service).

Problem is for that price range shop bikes tend to be a bit mediocre even for a beginner.

If not a specialized then perhaps a Kona Stinky... a good beginners all round bike if looking for a full suspension.

[Spectral]

Problem is for that price range shop bikes tend to be a bit mediocre even for a beginner.

I generally agree with this. I think there are a couple sweet spots as far as price points go. If you're getting an aluminum roadie, spending ~$1K gets you a great value. If you're going higher end, you can get a great carbon bike for ~$2K ( Cannondale SuperSix Evo, Specialized Roubaix, either one with 105 groupset). Spending more can be fine, but you tend to hit diminishing returns after that, and you're paying for a lot of cool factor rather than functionality.

[Lapetos]

Ah my apologies I didn't realise it was a road bike. Although the same still stands in terms of brands... may wanna try cross country riding for fitness though.

[Spectral]

OP was looking at a hybrid, my fault for adding confusion!