Newb looking for the right starter bike.

[mrfowler]

I borrowed a buddy's bianchi over the summer and had some fun doing twenty mile or so day trips. Now that he needs his bike again I would like to get back into bike riding. I'll probably be using this to get around in santa cruz, ca (slightly hilly), doing some weekend trips in the area and trying out the dirt trails on campus.  In a year or so I'm hoping to be able to do a month or two long bike tour.

 Not quite sure what I'm going to want to do next year so looking for a decent all rounder. Something that'll be able to handle off road if I need to. With about $500 a gt transeo 3.0, diamond back insight , and an old centurion iron man expert.

haven't been able to find much on the gt transeo 3.0 besides some overall general reviews.

Diamondback Insight 1 looks like its leaning towards road bike. Not quite sure how it would handle off road. Not quite sure about the 19 " rims or  aluminum forks though.

the refurbished centurion sport definitely looks nice and was a light ride but don't think i'd be able to do much off road or tire swapping since the wheels are pretty close to the fork. It's constructed with Tange 1 double butted chromoly tubes. Outfitted with a complete Suntour GPX component group, new tires, new handle bar tape, and new cables and housing. 7 speed index shifters, 700c Araya hard anodized rims, and Tange Levin head set for $425. I read on another forum these sold for about that new in '87. so not sure if the shops giving a fair price.

My bad on the long post but any help is appreciated 

[Slim]

Unless you're a collector that old bike looks like a crappy deal, you can get a new roadbike for ~$800, with way better technology. Nothing wrong with riding old tech, but you shouldn't have to pay new bike price for it.

You mentioned 'dirt trails'. what do you mean by that: Fire roads or mtb trails?
If you are looking at fire road then a cross or hybrid bike might make a good choice, if you want to ride mtb trails, get a real mtb.

You can always ride 'smother' surfaces on a bike made for rough trails, not vice versa. On the other hand a more 'road' oriented bike will be faster on the smoother stuff. You choose.

At these pricepoints I would lean towards the mtb, they are often cheaper than the 'hybrids' and you can always put on some smoother tires and have essentially the same bike as the 'hybrid' option from that brand, you can go the other way.

If you are buying a new bike in that price range, make sure you get one with 'double wall rims' for durability and preferably machined side walls on the rims for better braking with less squealing. Ask your shop about what that means and to show you the difference.

[Salsaholic in CO]

I'd save a few more dollars while looking for a used Salsa Vaya, or first gen Salsa Fargo - both are very versatile bikes (I should know - I own one of each, but don't tell my wife!). Vaya for on & off road touring and commuting / Fargo for off road bike-packing. If I HAD to choose one - it would be the Fargo. Otherwise, I agree with Slim - get a good, used cromoly framed hard-nose & tail 29'r mtb - like the Surly Karate Monkey (and for the record, Surly's version of the Salsa Fargo is the Ogre). Salsa and Surly make very good functional bikes at reasonable prices. If I wasn't a 'salsaholic', I'd be a 'surlyaddict'!

[paxton coyote]

 I too own a Salsa Fargo & a Surly KM & love them both but for bikepacking, backroad riding & singletrack my Fargo wins everytime, another option may be a KONA Unit, they are an excellent starter bike & a new one can usually be found for sale in the right shop for under $600 though it may be a singlespeed it's a GREAT bike! My wife rides an old mid-80's Centurion that was given to us by a friend & we built it up as a fixie, it's about all she rides on the road these days but I can't imagine even thinking of riding it off the pavement, we have less than $500 in building hers up with new parts so ya, for the money, I'd be looking for something a little more comfortable & off-road ready.