Bike buying advice · Public discussion

Figuring out which bike to get...

Started by bradleyheathhay · · Last activity · 4 posts · 7,435 views

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Bike buying advice
Published
12 May 2012
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15 May 2012
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bradleyheathhay
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  1. Original post
    bradleyheathhay
    Archived post
    #1

    Hi. I've been without a bike for ten years now, and currently I'm looking at some entry level street bikes to start myself back into riding. My plan is to get a pavement type bike this year and then probably more of a trail / mountain bike next summer. For now I'm just wanting about a $600 bike that's good for say up to a 15 mile route through town, but for the most part I'll mostly only be doing shorter 5 mile routes, mostly for exercise.

    After visiting all the local shops I've settled (for now) on the Specialized Cirrus Sport here...
    http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=61571&scid=1102&scname=Multi+Use

    Was considering the straight plain Cirrus model but I decided to upgrade to the Cirrus Sport because of the upgraded shifter. Although my budget's not all that much here, I am willing to spend more to get the best shift action I can (afford).

    Here's the bikes I've been shown so far...

    Raleigh Misceo
    Giant Escape
    Specialized Cirrus Sport
    and nothing at the Trek store (due to low inventory apparently)

    I've been told the Raleigh bikes aren't up the same quality as Giant or Specialized so unless someone here speaks up about Raleigh I'm probably just going to leave that one out.

    I liked the Giant Escape and Specialized Cirrus Sport about the same. Only big difference to me was the SRAM shifter on the Giant vs. the Specialized's Shimano Acera Rapidfire (9 speed) shift levers. The SRAM seemed to tire my thumbs out a little while the Shimano levers just seemed intuitive and easy to use. Dunno, maybe this is a beginner's thing where the Shimano looks good at first but then after I gain experience possibly the SRAM would begin to look better. Guess I'll just go with my gut here.

    Honestly if I could have the Shimano shifter levers on the Giant Escape that's probably what I'd do. But as far as I know the bike isn't offered that way. Is it possible to make a deal with the bike shop to put the Shimano levers on the Giant?

    Well, that's where I am right now. If you guys have any comments on what I'm looking at or maybe suggesting other bikes that I don't know about yet please feel free to speak up. Especially if anyone knows much about the TREK line (which again I haven't seen anything from) please let me know what models I should maybe have a look at.

    Thanks!

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  2. kdelong
    Archived post
    #2

    I have to speak up in favor of Raliegh. There was a period in the 1990's when Raliegh USA was going through some growing pains but they are as good as any of the other mass produced bikes now.

    If you like the Giant frame but with Shimano Shifters, take a look at the Giant Rapid 2. The frame geometry is similar but it comes standard with Shimano Components. I suppose that you might be able to get your Giant dealer to change the drivetrain on the Escape but it will probably cost you extra.

    The Sirrus Sport is a great entry level bike and I an sure that you would be happy with it.

    The Raliegh Misceo is a really good bike as long as you are going with the Misceo or the Misceo 1.0. I wouldn't bother with the Misceo 0.0 as the components are scraping the bottom of the barrel. If you can pull it off price wise, you should at least look at the Misceo 2.0. It has a really nice drivetrain and a suspension fork which adds to the comfort of the ride.

    Whichever one you decide on, make sure that the bike shop gives you a fitting. A bike that does not fit right is not fun to ride.

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  3. bradleyheathhay
    Archived post
    #3

    Thanks KD. I'll look into the Misceo a little more carefully now.

    Latest news now is that I've got advice to look at the Cannondale Quick series, and I think amongst these models I think I've settled on the Quick 4. So now my newest question is...this Quick 4 has Shimano M310 Rapidfire Plus 8-speed shifters while other bikes I'm looking at have the Shimano Alivio Rapidfire Plus 9-speed shifters. Is there that much difference between the 8-speed M310s and the 9-speed Alivio's? Ease and accuracy of shift is one thing I'm willing to spend a little more money on, but if you guys feel the upgrade isn't worth it then I won't worry about it. If I got the Cannondale Quick 4 I'm sure I would have to pay extra to upgrade to the 9-speed Shimano Alivios.

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  4. kdelong
    Archived post
    #4

    You probably couldn't tell the difference in shift performance between the M310 and the Alivio when they are brand new. The big difference comes after about a year when the M310's performance starts to drop off while the Alivio is still giving good crisp shifts. The rear derailluers (RD) both are almost identical in design but the Alivio is made of more durable materials that will resist wear longer than the M310 so it needs less adjustments and will hold an adjustment longer than the M310. It is also nice to have the extra gear to play around with too.

    You are talking a pretty substantial increase in price if you want to upgrade a Quick 4 with an Alivio Rapidfire Plus 9-speed Shifter. You would have to change out pretty much the entire drivetrain because the existing drivetrain is 8-speed. You might ask the Cannondale Dealer if he could exchange the M310 Shifters for 8-speed Alivio shifters which should be fairly readily available as New-Old-Stock on eBay.

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