This is a "which bike is good for me" question

[Jake918]

Hello,

I am absolutely new (okay I haven't even started yet) to biking. I am looking around, and it appears that a hybrid bike might be best for me. I will be riding along a river on paved paths. I do not plan on being off pavement. With that said, I will probably purchase a bike "Tommaso La Forma" (link will be provided below). I am trying to research this bike, and am finding reviews that are polar opposites; they are either extremely positive or extremely negative. I was wondering if any of you have any experience or knowledge of this bike, and/or a good beginner hybrid bike?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BCOBATW/?th=1&psc=1

 

[colourspinner]

Hello and welcome to Cyclechat!

Not sure why nobody has helped you out yet, but my first thought is whether there is a bike shop that you can pop into? I suppose you are from the US given the Amazon US link you included? I am not familiar with names of bike shops there, but I am sure a quick google will help you out.

I am suggesting a bike shop first as you will be able to sit on a few to make sure you get the right size, if nothing else. Given you are new to cycling, the easiest way to turn you off it for life is an ill fitted, clunky bike that rides like a tank. The folks in the shop will help you get a bike in the right size. By bike shop, I don't mean Walmart or the like... We have the equivalent in the UK and their bikes are often put together incorrectly at best and sometimes are just downright dangerous, plus their staff usually are not specialists in recommending and selling bikes.

From the riding you said you would be doing, a hybrid sounds like a good option. If you will be going uphill, some gears will be helpful too. Again, the staff at the bike shop will be able to show you a few options depending on your budget.

And my last reason for recommending a visit to the shop - they will put the bike together for you and make sure it's safe before you ride it home. If you order off Amazon, my guess is that it will come in a box and if you are lucky, you will only have to turn the handlebars 90 degrees and put the pedals on. Or it could be that the seller has only done the minimal assembling and you are faced with a box of bike parts without the tools to put them together correctly and safely. This is probably also not a good introduction to cycling...

I hope this helps somewhat. Maybe someone more knowledgeable will pop along and look at the bike you posted. Hope you enjoy your time on two wheels soon

 

[biggs682]

@Jake918 welcome i presume you are stateside ?

As that brand is not a name i have heard of in the uk , my advice would be as per @colourspinner said go and make friends with your local bike shop or co op if there is one near by .

The bike in the link looks like a fairly basic run of the mill machine and i am sure it will do the job you want it to do

 

[bikingdad90]

The spec of the bike you linked is good. Carbon forks, Shimano Acera groupset and tektro brakes.

Like the posters above I would recommend going to a bike shop so you can take a prebuilt bike away if you don't feel confident building from a box to the right torques.

 

[Drago]

A decent hybrid sounds right up your street, an eminently sensible choice, or maybe and Adventure Bike (basically a house trained cyclocross machine).

I don't pay a great deal of heed to reviews either. Establish your budget, make a shortlist of machines with features you like/want/need, and go test ride a few. Don't buy a bike you can't ride first.

Finally, in the event of a tie breaker look at warranties etc.

Enjoy the process, and good luck.

PS - welcome to the team

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and welcome.
As has been said please please find a good local bike shop. Ask around or read reviews on the net, this is arguably more important than focusing on a particular model or brand. The shop will be able to fit the bike to you which is essential if you're going to enjoy it. They'll also be able to fix any small or even big problems that may develop. The shop will likely be tied to few makes they stock so will recommend one from that. Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Schwinn are all popular makes you might see. Tomasso don't operate through dealers, this is what Wikipedia tell us about them:
"Tommaso Bikes is a bicycle manufacturing company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado, United States. The bikes are designed in Italy, engineered in Colorado, and shipped direct to the consumer through Giantnerd.com."
Don't know what meant by 'engineered' but likely made in the far east somewhere but probably not the best way to buy a first time bike.
Any more questions please ask.

Good luck.

 

[Drago]

It would be interesting to see what "engineered" does indeed mean. Having said that, most people are happy to overlook the Taiwanese manufacture of Bianchi frames, so if it is from those climes it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Some research will tell you more.