7/13    I am looking into buying a light weight bike--mostly riding in
        the parks with some weekend off the road riding.  Is Marin's Hawk
        Hill a good buy for a $800 budget?  Thx.
        \_ If you're a beginner you SHOULD buy a really nice ***USED***
           bike. A used Giant OCR C1/C2 is pretty decent. But more
           importantly you should try out a few. Go to your local bike
           shop (LBS) and ask for demo rides, and then find out what you
           like. People say aluminum vibrates a lot, and steel is more
           gentle, but only you can find out what you like. Lastly, may
           I recommend clipless shoes, as they make your strokes much
           more efficient.