Conference noted::bicycle

Some of the better brands sold in the U.S. are:

Cannondale  
Gary Fischer
Trek        
Specialized 
Schwinn

The next tier of brands includes:

Giant
GT
Diamond Back
Univega

The tiering is my opinion.  Others will probably have other opinions.

Jim

Give us an idea of how much US$ you want to spend.  That would be a big help.

Tim

    Erika,
    
    
      I've alway lusted after the Cannondale T1000.It's one of the best off
     the rack,rather than"custom",touring or randone(sp?) bikes out there.
     But also rather costly.They make a full line of cross and touring bikes.
     They always seem a good value per dollar.Also they are sold by Landry's
     in Framingham.
    
                                       Jack B.
    

Most of this years Cannondale line has been downsized in the component
department when compared to similarly priced bikes by other manufacturers. 
Fisher seems to get you the most for your money.

    ... But bear in mind that when buying on a restricted budget it is
    usually considerred better to buy the best frame you can regardless of
    the components - upgrading components is cheaper than upgrading the
    frame and can be done incrementally (and sadly these days components
    design life seems to be less than that of frames...)

Fisher makes an excellant frame.  And it is on that is not restricted with a 2
inch travel built in headshock.  IMO a standard triangle frame with a normal
size headtube that will accept any fork is better than one that has it's own
fork and requires a special adapter in order to use a better Rock Shox, Manitou,
or Marzoochi.

    re:.6 I believe a touring bike is requested, not a mountain bike. 
    Fisher does not make mountain bikes.   
    
    re:.0 price guideline will be needed. There are options at all levels.
    Also will the intended use be day touring or extended touring. 
    
    steve 

    
    I'm sure Steve meant to say Fisher does not make *touring* bikes
    as for mountain bikes, wasn't Gary Fisher one of the pioneers?
    
    I got a feeling from reading the original question that by touring
    the person probably meant like hybrid bike and not a touring bike
    with drop down handle bars.  However as Steve suggested, unless the 
    person gives us an idication of how much they are willing to spend
    on the total to two bikes , it would be hard to make any
    recommendation.
    
    With some of the suggestions here, we are talking about $3000 - $4000
    for the two bikes, whether that is too much to spend for a wedding 
    gift, depends on the size of your wallet ;-)
    
    Shaw

    A good place to start is the 1996 Bicycling Buyer's Guide.
    
    BTW their definition of a touring, sport, and hybrid bikes:
    "Touring bikes are similar to road sport bikes with their triple 
    chainrings, slightly longer wheelbases and slacker angles.  Touring
    bikes also come equipped with additional braze-ons for racks, fenders,
    and other goodies to make a long, heavily loaded haul in inclement
    weather more  bearable.
    
    A road sport bikes are less competition oriented than road racing bikes
    and are generally characterized by features such as triple chainrings
    (low gears), sligntly longer wheelbases, and slacker angles. .... ideal
    for many recreational, century, long distance, and novice road riders.
    
    Hybrids are a cross between road and mountain bikes.  They generally
    have flat handlebars to encourage a more leisurely upright riding
    position,  wheels that are larger in diameter and tires that are
    narrower than typical off-road rubber, and mountain bike componentry.
    They off less control off road than mountain bikes and are slower on
    pavement than road bikes. "
    
    
    Personally I would not get a hybrid... not really good at anything.
    I have not found the bike thats great for fast riding and touring that
    has the level of components that would really make me happy (Shimano
    105 triple STI).
    Like the previous noter said.  Go for a decent frame and upgrade when
    the components die or you have more cash.  To that end the Trek 1220
    comes real close.  It has one of the cleanest Aluminum frames I have seen.
    It has absolutely no weld marks where the tubes are connected.  The
    finish is excellent as well.   The RSX level of components is not great
    but it works well enough. It has holes drilled for racks in the
    dropouts.  It is disignated as a road sport bike so it is not spread
    out too much.
    I would like the Cannondale T1000 if it had STI components.  Instead it
    has the bar end shifters  (old technology! yuch :-)
    
    -Larry       

    My mistake, I did mean Fisher does not make road bikes.
    
    Fisher = Trek = Lemond  however the frame geometry and small parts may
    be tweeked.
    
    steve

re .9

>    I would like the Cannondale T1000 if it had STI components.  Instead it
>    has the bar end shifters  (old technology! yuch :-)
>    

The bar end shifters are used because they work well, and don't leave you 
stranded when something goes wrong and you are out in the middle of nowhere.  
The bar end shifters have the choice of friction or index mode and are simple, 
reliable components.  This is essential when you are on a tour.

Rich

    >>The bar end shifters are used because they work well, and don't leave
    you 
    >>stranded when something goes wrong and you are out in the middle of
    nowhere.  
    
    Good point. Especially in light of what happened to my Ultegra STI
    shifter recently ... stopped shifting and needed a full replacement 
    (here's where the campy fans chime in). Just goes to show you that
    there really is no one bike that does it all.   
    -Larry

>    shifter recently ... stopped shifting and needed a full replacement 
>    (here's where the campy fans chime in). Just goes to show you that
>    there really is no one bike that does it all. 

I know someone who used to use campy ergo on their tandem but has gone back to 
bar ends as the springs in the campy levers kept breaking/wearing out.

Rich  

I like to thank you all for your brand names and ideas. So I will have more 
understanding when getting any advise in the Framingham bicycle shop (3113.*). 

To avoid further assumptions, here some answers to your questions: 

... up to 900 $ per Bike (translation from german prices)

... touring in my understanding, (translation from german): to make some tours
    (not longer than a weekend), to make your shopping (needs the same amount
     of weight to carry as on a long trip), to ride the bike in the evening 
     for an hour instead of jogging or walking

... we don't want to give them some parts of a bike for their wedding but
    a complete bike for the above mentioned purposes.


Erika.

You will not go wrong with a $900 Cannondale road bike, mountain bike or
hybrid.  Cannondale is the 'BMW of the bicycle world' here in the states.
You can check out the bikes on the web at http://www.cannondale.com.  In
fact, you can check out Trek and Specialized on their web pages as well.

Jim

    Any truth to the statement by the owner of a bike shop that sells
    mostly Cannondales, "You don't want to ride a Cannondale in century
    or longer rides" ?  He was emphasizing the very stiff nature of the
    aluminum frame and how it would feel on a long day's ride.

Some truth. I rode plenty of centuries on my C Dale a few years
back. 

My Merlin is more comfortable, but if you're used to riding Al
frames and you've trained properly it should not be a problem.

Chip

I'm going to see if it's true this weekend when I take my Cannondale mtn bike
on a 60 mile training ride.

Jim

    >>I'm going to see if it's true this weekend when I take my Cannondale
    >>mtn bike on a 60 mile training ride
    
    uh oh.  Looks like another lunch time rider just about ready to inflict
    more pain on me   .... enough already!  I surrender.

I have inflicted some pain on Larry (see -1) on a century or two on my
Cannondale road bike.  I plan on doing it again soon.

Tim

Oh, and to the topic -- It's probably not the MOST comfortable bike to ride a
long distance, but I'm used to it, so it's pretty comfortable.  I do kind of
enjoy the Vetta SP (spring loaded suspension) saddle.  Cushions the ride just a
bit.

Tim

Oh, and to the topic -- It's probably not the MOST comfortable bike to ride a
long distance, but I'm used to it, so it's pretty comfortable.  I do kind of
enjoy the Vetta SP (spring loaded suspension) saddle.  Cushions the ride just a
bit.

Tim

    Erika,
    
     With the sum of $900 in mind there a lot of realy nice bikes out
    there.You should be able buy you neice and hub to be something they
    should realy enjoy.Have fun in the U.S. and have fun shopping.
    When you get here open the the telephone book and there are half
    a dozen bike shops in the greater Framingham area.   

Thank you to all of you,

we'll take the plane tomorrow morning to Boston and go shopping the day after tomorrow.
I'm sure we'll find good bikes just in time. We always love shopping in the US - it's so
different, people are normally so friendly and helpful you'll have to look for it for 
ages in Germany...

Erika.