I feel like a question much like this probably gets asked twice a week but I had a quick look and couldn’t find an FAQ or anything, so…
I’m helping my partner buy a new bike so we can ride together. We are both in our 40s and neither of us have done a huge amount of riding. We have typically been hiking for fitness but we’re looking to do something different. I have a 10 year old Trek hybrid that I used to ride to work on, but I haven’t touched it in a few years. It seems like bike tech has evolved a lot since then and I’m finding it hard to figure out what to get.
Our riding would be I would estimate about 70-80% sealed paths and 20-30% unsealed paths, dirt roads, fire trails etc, so decent quality surfaces. No rough trails, if we get to the point of wanting to do that we’ll get proper mountain bikes. Price point looking around the $US 500-600 mark. Comfort and reasonable efficiency are the priorities; handling rough terrain and setting land speed records are not.
I went to a Giant store with her and the guy there recommended a [Liv Rove 4](https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/liv-rove-4-2022-blue-ashes). At another store she went to she was recommended a [2018 Norco Yorkville](https://www.99bikes.com.au/norco-yorkville-flat-bar-road-bike-2018), which is a lot cheaper but seems to be an old design. One big difference is that the Rove has handlebar suspension but not suspension seatpost, whereas it’s the other way around for the Yorkville. I’m specifically wondering if either of those are worthwhile for our purposes and whether anyone can give any other advice using those examples as a jumping-off point.
Thanks!
by ChrisV2P2