Recreational & Family - Specialized Crossroads or Gary Fisher Zebrano S

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lawnboy246
03-11-06, 08:47 PM
Owned a Trek 950 several years ago and looking to get a hybrid now mainly for recreational biking; hard surface biking including streets, paved trails, hard dirt trails, etc. Don't want a road bike nor another mountain bike. Started looking recently and have narrowed my choices down to the following:

Specialized Crossroads Sport or Gary Fisher Zebrano S

Would appreciate any feedback and/or suggestions on the major differences between the two and if one is "better" than the other.

faith&bike2live
03-19-06, 02:47 PM
Well, from what I could tell on the sites, the Zebrano S has a little better components, but it's hard to compare because they don't use the same brands on everything. My sister test rode a G.F. Nirvana the other day and really liked it. She use to have a Specialized (before it was stolen), but didn't like the grip shifters on it at all. She liked the feel of the G.F. more than the Trek 7x00 series, too. One thing I'd ask about is the tires. The G.F. had knobby tires, but the salesperson said that they could swap those out with more hybrid-style tires for a smoother ride with no problem. They look comparable, so I'd just ride them and see which feels better. Component grade isn't everything for just casual riding. The Shimano Altus stuff on my Trek 830 went probably 10 years before I had any problems at all. (Although I'm looking forward to an upgrade with a new bike in a week and a half. I was really impressed with the feel of the Trek FX bikes. )
chimpunk
03-27-06, 03:09 PM
I hope this reply isn't too late for you. I ride a Gary Fisher Zebrano and I love it. I use is to ride all around the city, suburbs, and trails. It has great handling characteristics when compared to other hybrid bikes I tested out, by that I mean it feels snappier, tighter, more in control. I like that is also has the appropriate mounts for rack, fenders, and water bottles so you could easily turn it into a great city commuter.

When I bought mine the salesman switched out the knobbies with smoother tires no problem at all. I didn't get the suspension fork though, and I am glad I didn't. I am not against suspension, I just didn't like the way the bike handled with the suspension. It weighed the front end down, and comprimised the handling a little. Either way I think you would really enjoy owning and riding a Zebrano or Zebrano S.