Congrats on the purchase. Hope you enjoy many miles of fun and safe exercise. Bikes are a great way to get active and have fun. Be careful, they can become addictive. I may have a few in my collection...

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
I'm hoping tomorrow will prove educational. As a back-up, the LBS guy said he'd bring in one (a drop bar with those freaky shifters) similar to what I'm interested in and let me borrow it for a weekend. LOL I told him I could drop by during lunch, grab it, take it on the 6 mile route I routinely rode on for PT, then bring it back the same day.

So?

LOL Well, I'm scratching Giant off my list. But not because of the bike.....

WV, despite having tons of wonderful places to bike, is sadly lacking in bicycle shops. Tally up all the shops that carry Trek, Giant, Specialized and Giant in WV....then compare that number to Columbus, OH. Per the manufacturers' websites anyway. Giant has ZERO dealerships in WV.

Anyway, after going over the Cycle Path (say that fast LOL) website, I decided to drive to Athens, OH to check out the Roam and ToughRoad SLR GX. Guess whose website did not mention the actual store being shut down for renovations and not being reopened for a few months?

So Wednesday I hope to visit the LBS near the armory at lunch, borrow the drop bar bike he says he has, and try it out. That will at least let me know if I can exclude any of those from my list.

Dual sport/hybrid candidates still in contention - Trek Dual Sport 3/4, Cannondale Quick CX 3

Gravel bike candidates still in contention - Cannondale Topstone Sora, Trek Checkpoint AL 3

Dark horse - Salsa Journeyman

The Quick CX 3 and the Journeymen are probably towards the bottom of my list due to using QR wheels as opposed to thru-axles, which I gather is preferable when having disc brakes.

The main thing to look for.
1) Buy the best helmet possible, it will cost $150-$300. Bontrager Wavecel or Lazer Cyclon mips helmets are currently the top rated in a Virginia Tech
2) a bike that fits you well, you are comfortable and enjoy riding.
3) it is in your budget

Recovery from head/bike injury may cost $300k or more, your job, your friends, well everything. So spend the money on a helmet.

Buy these best helmet possible. Right now Bontrager

other comments below not attacking anyone just IMHO

quote:

QR wheels as opposed to thru-axles, which I gather is preferable when having disc brakes.

For what you are going to be using it for, this is of little to no concern. The benefit for going with thru-axle for your use will be easy to take the wheel off, put it back on and not have to tinker with it to get the disc/brakes lined up correctly. From a safety issue, if you close the QR correctly then it will be fine.

quote:

Those more knowledgeable can guide. But perhaps things like:

1) front fork angle (balances agility vs line stability)

For an off the shelf bike you are going to be hard pressed to find much difference.

quote:

2) frame dimensions and space to place accessories, if needed (water bottles, spare parts, first aid kit, etc).

Frame dimensions are 100% about how the bike fits the rider. Accessories can go on a rack or a seat bag. I've done 380+ mile rides unsupported with a seat bag.

quote:

3) cable routing preference (inside frame, outside frame)

Outside, less expensive and easier to maintain.

quote:

4) exposed seat stem length (when adjusted for your height) - I have a stupid fear of stems breaking so when possible I try to minimize the exposed length, keeping the stem as much as possible inside the frame.

This too is all about the frame dimension for control. Unless the seat post is sticking out some crazy amount its not going to break. For the intended use this is not a concern.

Shift Levers. The most common types

Road
Frame or handlebar mounted levers: The typical 1970s road bikes had these, still can be found or custom for personal preference.
Bar end Levers: The levers are in the end of the drop bar. Some folks like them, the get the levers near your hands, and are easy to work on.
Campanogola: Has a little clicker on the inside of the grip and the whole lever moves to shift the other direction
Shimano: Sora: has the clicker as well (Shimano did this as their low end to poke fun at Campy)
Shimano: Other models: 2 levers 1 Big for moving from high gear to low gear, 1 Small for clicking down 1 gear at a time to higher gears
SRAM: 1 Lever, push it a little to click down to higher gears, a lot to move up.


For Shimano road component groups. Any of their road groups would be fine for you. Sora, Tiagra being the less expensive options, for your need you don't need to speed on anything higher.

For SRAM: Same thing their low-cost groups are great.


Mountain:
2 levers one to go up, one to go down
1 Lever: push forward, push backward

- then there are the grip mounted ones where you rotate the grip to shift.

Electric: Not recommended for what you want to do.
they shift fast
they auto adjust
they need a battery
they are higher cost

Bike Manufactures
Cannondale - formerly made in the USA, I have one of their last one from 2009.
Trek - formerly made in USA, some $$$$$$ ones may still be,
Giant - taught how to make bikes by Schwinn, then in some part killed Schwinn, the CEO at the time didn't know how to be a CEO in a competitive industry (long story). Schwinn brand today is owned by Pacific bikes along with a dozen or so other brands.


My Bikes
Road #1: Frame, wheels, a few other parts made in USA
Road #2: Frame Taiwan, wheels USA, most of the rest from Asia. Assembled by me with good components I bargain shopped for.
Schwinn: Chicago USA 1982, It is a little small for me but I can ride it around the block. If I had a mailbox at the end of the drive I would use it for that.
MTB: Cannondale Made in USA

Ok I need to go ride my little 12 mile loop now.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInWV:
LOL Well, I'm scratching Giant off my list. But not because of the bike.....

WV, despite having tons of wonderful places to bike, is sadly lacking in bicycle shops. Tally up all the shops that carry Trek, Giant, Specialized and Giant in WV....then compare that number to Columbus, OH. Per the manufacturers' websites anyway. Giant has ZERO dealerships in WV.

Anyway, after going over the Cycle Path (say that fast LOL) website, I decided to drive to Athens, OH to check out the Roam and ToughRoad SLR GX. Guess whose website did not mention the actual store being shut down for renovations and not being reopened for a few months?

So Wednesday I hope to visit the LBS near the armory at lunch, borrow the drop bar bike he says he has, and try it out. That will at least let me know if I can exclude any of those from my list.

Dual sport/hybrid candidates still in contention - Trek Dual Sport 3/4, Cannondale Quick CX 3

Gravel bike candidates still in contention - Cannondale Topstone Sora, Trek Checkpoint AL 3

Dark horse - Salsa Journeyman

The Quick CX 3 and the Journeymen are probably towards the bottom of my list due to using QR wheels as opposed to thru-axles, which I gather is preferable when having disc brakes.

Well good luck man. Taking the time to identify the right bike is time well spent. My last two bike purchases took more than 6 months both times. You've got to find something that fits you and your style.

The Trek DS bikes also have QR axles. Some of the benefits of thru axles are lost on fixed fork bikes. I don't do the type of riding where thru axles would be a matter.

The Trek Checkpoint AL3 has 32c tires which are fairly narrow for trail riding. The Cannondale Topstone Sora's tires are 40c which would be better.

I am man enough to admit when I'm wrong. Found a Giant dealership about 1.5 hours away. Guess I'll be driving again next Saturday.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozarkwoods:
I have had my Giant Toughroad SLR 2 for two years now behind my motorhome. Perfect for road and trails.Toughroad

I've been playing around with that 99spokes comparison website...the SLR GX 2 looks pretty good! And as far as flat bars go, the Roams compare well against the Trek Dual Sport. I just think that X-Defender thing looks kinda jakey, though I suppose it is the best of both internal/external cable routing worlds. Cables are tucked away behind something, yet easy to get to.

UPDATE...(no, I haven't bought anything yet, but...)

The very LBS let me ride one of his drop bar Trek bikes for a bit. Very short ride, maybe a couple of miles. He wants me to take it for a weekend and do an hour-long ride before I commit. I find the shifters odd. The front, since there are only two gears, requires a pretty "long" push, whereas the rear doesn't. The bike wasn't one I am considering, just a similar set up. I definitely don't like 'road' tires. Very twitchy.

So I've narrowed my list down significantly...

2019 Trek Checkpoint AL3 - LBS has one in his warehouse, but in color I don't like much and I haven't seen the tires. I've read the Checkpoint is more road-oriented.

2019 Trek Dual Sport 4 - my last bike was a hybrid fitness bike, so I imagine this one rides the same.

Both of these are $1,200

Now, the wrench in the works.....a not-so-local bike shop (2.5 hours away) has a 2018 Giant ToughRoad SLR GX 1. Superior components (Shimano Tiagra instead of the Deore/Sora on the Treks), already set up with tubeless tires, paint scheme is so-so, and it's got a weird proprietary mechanical/hydro brake system, which makes it difficult to just slap lights and whatnot on the bars. It's actually a little less in price. I figure it'll even out once I include the gas driving up and back. LOL

If it's just the front shifter/derailleur, you can probably change that part out pretty easily.

I had a hybrid bike - wasn't good for road or trail. Wouldn't get one again.

I'd get road bike (but no trail use). Or get a trail/mtn bike that I could use on road (not ideal for road but it's just for fitness and fun, not for competitions). I only have the latter now.

Decision finally made....

Trek Dual Sport 4. The flat bars are definitely more comfortable, as is the riding position. I get that it isn't "great" at all things, but it'll be "good enough" for me and my anticipated usage for it. A bit over my original <$1,000, but worth it I think.

Solid choice.

Even when I was riding 50-100 miles a day 5 days a week, I didn't like drop bars. My hands were mostly on the brake hoods.