newbie: flat bar vs mountain bike

[Thorny10]

Hi there,
I've just moved to Alice Springs and have quickly realised that biking is really the way to go out here! I would be primarily commuting to work each day (2kms each way) and also around town but my aim is to also get fit and make use of the graded bike track out to simpson's gap which is 17km each way!

My only experience with riding was in high school on a mountain bike which i thought might be a good idea out here given that the track to my work has a few sandy river bed crossings and is a typical bush track but my housemate has a flatbar roadbike (apollo fiamme) which she swears by.

I do of course have a budget and I think i may horrify some of you as it is quite restricted...to about $300 - $350. When i went into one of the bike shops in town and asked to see their 'cheap bikes' they lead me to a $750 bike! I have done a little browsing on the web and so far the apollo activa mountain bike has taken my fancy but I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions!

Cheers,
Pete

[trailgumby]

While the above examples are clearly good buying, the advice may be assuming knowledge you don't yet have: what size is right for you?

I'd caution against buying off the net sight unseen for a first "real" bike. The most vital aspect of any bike purchase is how well it fits you. You need to test ride and get teh advice of a bike shop to do this properly. If a bike doesn't fit you properly, any savings will be wasted: it will be uncomfortable and you will not ride the bike, and you may go as far as injuring yourself if you persevere with an ill-fitting bike.

Once you've ridden for awhile (a year) and know what horizontal top tube length suits you, then buying remotely will be much less risky.

[Thorny10]

Thanks very much for the advice guys,
I will be popping back into the other bike store that i havn't been into once they reopen, to chat about sizing and bike fit before i go ahead with any buying.

Cheers