Hi folks. Recently I've found myself needing a lower-impact form of exercise, since my knees aren't what they once were. I decided that cycling sounds about right for me, and with the spring weather starting to show through in patches, I'm starting to get excited about it. I haven't been on a bike in over a decade (since my high school years), so I know very little about the technology these days. I've spent several hours scouring some very good web sites, and it sounded like the best type for me would be a hybrid. I went to local bike shop to ask about them, and was shown the Giant Sedona and Cypress (which appear to be identical except for the tires). They look like pretty good bikes, but even narrowing it to those two I'm having a hard time deciding which would be better for me. Part of the problem is that I don't know the full extent of what I'm going to be getting myself into. Perhaps I could get some help from the group.
Probably 90% of my riding will be split between road (commuting) and crushed limestone (a nearby rail trail). I'd like to eventually work my way up to longer (50+ mile) rides. It would be nice to have a little flexibility in terrain capabilities for when I ride with friends, but I'm guessing that's a trade-off with efficiency for the longer rides (is that correct?). I definitely won't be taking this bike on rough trails or on loose sand.
So based on that, could anyone help me choose between the Giant Cypress DX (700x40C tires) and the Sedona DX (26 x 1.95"😉, or tell me why I should look at something else entirely?
Hi folks. Recently I've found myself needing a lower-impact form of exercise, since my knees aren't what they once were. I decided that cycling sounds about right for me, and with the spring weather starting to show through in patches, I'm starting to get excited about it. I haven't been on a bike in over a decade (since my high school years), so I know very little about the technology these days. I've spent several hours scouring some very good web sites, and it sounded like the best type for me would be a hybrid. I went to local bike shop to ask about them, and was shown the Giant Sedona and Cypress (which appear to be identical except for the tires). They look like pretty good bikes, but even narrowing it to those two I'm having a hard time deciding which would be better for me. Part of the problem is that I don't know the full extent of what I'm going to be getting myself into. Perhaps I could get some help from the group.
Probably 90% of my riding will be split between road (commuting) and crushed limestone (a nearby rail trail). I'd like to eventually work my way up to longer (50+ mile) rides. It would be nice to have a little flexibility in terrain capabilities for when I ride with friends, but I'm guessing that's a trade-off with efficiency for the longer rides (is that correct?). I definitely won't be taking this bike on rough trails or on loose sand.
So based on that, could anyone help me choose between the Giant Cypress DX (700x40C tires) and the Sedona DX (26 x 1.95"😉, or tell me why I should look at something else entirely?
Thanks in advance,
David Murphy
Okay David, first you sound a lot like I did a couple of years ago. You sound as though you are going to be starting out on relatively short rides say less than 15 miles. But you also say that you might like to build up to longer 50+ mile rides. Any bike should be able to do both rides, however, the hybrid bikes you are looking at are well let's just /heavy/ by bikes designed for longer distance standards, like a road bike. However most road bikes wouldn't do very well on crushed limestone. So if you really want to ride on crushed limestone trails, the hybrid maybe your best bet, and for versatility I would suggest getting a bike with 700c sized tires as you can get replacements in a wide variety of widths.
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Quoted message said:
Hi folks. Recently I've found myself needing a lower-impact form of exercise, since my knees aren't what they once were. I decided that cycling sounds about right for me, and with the spring weather starting to show through in patches, I'm starting to get excited about it. I haven't been on a bike in over a decade (since my high school years), so I know very little about the technology these days. I've spent several hours scouring some very good web sites, and it sounded like the best type for me would be a hybrid. I went to local bike shop to ask about them, and was shown the Giant Sedona and Cypress (which appear to be identical except for the tires). They look like pretty good bikes, but even narrowing it to those two I'm having a hard time deciding which would be better for me. Part of the problem is that I don't know the full extent of what I'm going to be getting myself into. Perhaps I could get some help from the group.
Probably 90% of my riding will be split between road (commuting) and crushed limestone (a nearby rail trail). I'd like to eventually work my way up to longer (50+ mile) rides. It would be nice to have a little flexibility in terrain capabilities for when I ride with friends, but I'm guessing that's a trade-off with efficiency for the longer rides (is that correct?). I definitely won't be taking this bike on rough trails or on loose sand.
So based on that, could anyone help me choose between the Giant Cypress DX (700x40C tires) and the Sedona DX (26 x 1.95"😉, or tell me why I should look at something else entirely?
Thanks in advance,
David Murphy
For a 50 mile ride the bigger the wheel and the narrower and higher psi the better. My GT has narrower 100 psi. MTB but I would definitely take the Trek road bike on a trip like that. GT is a convertible bike too. With shocks or without with a button push. You might try a 29". Ask about the pros and cons on that.
Okay David, first you sound a lot like I did a couple of years ago. You sound as though you are going to be starting out on relatively short rides say less than 15 miles. But you also say that you might like to build up to longer 50+ mile rides. Any bike should be able to do both rides, however, the hybrid bikes you are looking at are well let's just /heavy/ by bikes designed for longer distance standards, like a road bike. However most road bikes wouldn't do very well on crushed limestone. So if you really want to ride on crushed limestone trails, the hybrid maybe your best bet, and for versatility I would suggest getting a bike with 700c sized tires as you can get replacements in a wide variety of widths.
Ken
nash said:
For a 50 mile ride the bigger the wheel and the narrower and higher psi the better. My GT has narrower 100 psi. MTB but I would definitely take the Trek road bike on a trip like that. GT is a convertible bike too. With shocks or without with a button push. You might try a 29". Ask about the pros and cons on that.
Thanks to both of you for the responses. To be a little more specific about the question on my mind, is there any such thing as a "conventional wisdom" for minimum tire width on different terrains? Is the 700x40c fine for crushed limestone? What types of terrain am I likely to miss out on if I go with that over the 26x1.95"?
Thanks to both of you for the responses. To be a little more specific about the question on my mind, is there any such thing as a "conventional wisdom" for minimum tire width on different terrains? Is the 700x40c fine for crushed limestone? What types of terrain am I likely to miss out on if I go with that over the 26x1.95"?
I don't think you can really go wrong with either the hybrid or the MTB. Both will allow you try a variety of ride types: long road rides, mountain biking and commuting. If you think you might want to go longer than ~50 miles, then the hybrid might be a better choice. If you think you might enjoy technical mountain biking trails (lots of big rocks/logs), then a suspended MTB might be a better choice. For everything inbetween, I think either one will suit your needs.
Thanks to both of you for the responses. To be a little more specific about the question on my mind, is there any such thing as a "conventional wisdom" for minimum tire width on different terrains? Is the 700x40c fine for crushed limestone? What types of terrain am I likely to miss out on if I go with that over the 26x1.95"?
I don't think you can really go wrong with either the hybrid or the MTB. Both will allow you try a variety of ride types: long road rides, mountain biking and commuting. If you think you might want to go longer than ~50 miles, then the hybrid might be a better choice. If you think you might enjoy technical mountain biking trails (lots of big rocks/logs), then a suspended MTB might be a better choice. For everything inbetween, I think either one will suit your needs.
Thanks. I was leaning toward the Cypress (700x40c), so that sort of reinforces that. You reminded me of one other thing I haven't put much thought into yet. I believe the DX model I'm looking at has a front fork suspension. Is that a bad thing if I plan to do mostly flat rides? How much maintenance do those require?
