On May 1, 2:50 pm, mkr5000 wrote:
You know those bikes well and now that you mentioned it, I did notice
a bit more slumped over on the Cannondale.

I didn't notice that until you mentioned it.

Ok -- so I'll stick with a "hybrid"... I guess you call them.

At least I'm getting some help pushed in the right direction.....loved
the Trek "precision" but the "feel" of the Cannondale.

I may look at some higher priced bikes as well.....those 2 were around
5 bills.

If you're buying new, $500 USD is a really good starting point. It
gets you a very nice hybrid or "town' bike that can take a rack, bags,
and all the things that make a bike a thing that gets used. The
controls are right there, and very handy, and you're upright enough to
feel safe as you're getting back into cycling. It's what you more or
less see most of Europe on, but with internally geared hubs. They tend
to have high bars as they ride a lot of short trips in street clothes,
but the further you ride, the lower you'll probably want your bars.

Now, if you decide that you want to ride good long distances,
traditional touring, randonneuring, or road bikes are a better choice
than a city/trekking/hybrid--but the latter's a great place to start,
very affordable, and never a bad bike to have in the stable.