Recreational & Family - Giant Cypress or TREK 7200?

I have been looking at both of these bikes trying to decide which one I like best. The specs on them are very comparable. I want a nice comfy bike for me and the family to go on rides with. It will mainly be ridden on road but we may do some bike paths made of usually finely crushed limestone. No major off-roading. I have ridden them both but am torn between them. The TREK is $120 more but I am not sure if its worth the difference. I know it mainly comes down to my personal choice but any input would be great.

Thanks!

They are so close that you could probably be safe in just choosing which one you thinks looks nicer. I have a Cypress DX and have been very happy with it, though I am mostly riding a Specialized Roubaix now. If you go with the Giant, see if the shop would sell it with a different seat. The stock seat almost made me quit cycling before I really got started. I have had no other problems with the Giant and have ridden it up to 70 miles at a clip.

I don't own either, but I would give the Cypress DX the advantage, because of the disc brakes. I have Hayes mechanical disc on my Venture 5.0, and think they are great. A little noisier than rim brakes, but great stopping in all weather, good modulation, no rim wear, and they look cool.

You answered your own question. You like them both, so price and shop service, in that order, are the deal breakers.

Thanks guys for your input. Im actually looking at the standard cypress. I dont really need the disc brakes for the kind of riding we will be doing. They do look cool though! I actually found a place that sells both and they are $90 different in price there but I will still likely go with the Giant. if anyone else has some input that would be great. I will post when I get my new bike whichever it may be.

Thanks

i never owned a Giant, i have a TREK 4300 and still i'm enjoying it... its my second bike actually... but i really love to try those Giants also... but can't afford still of having two bikes though...

They are similar, but the 7200 has several upgraded parts over the standard Cypress. The Cypress is closer to the 7100. The derailleur, brakes, rear cassette, wheels, etc, are all a step up on the 7200. Not a huge difference, but in line with the prices.

My wife and I both have 7200's, thanks to some awards I received at work. So far they are really nice bikes, however we have not had them very long and the weather here has been cold and rainy so I have mainly been using the bike on a trainer. I hope to put quite a few miles on it later in the spring. My son got a KDR 7.2FX for christmas so we are all looking forward to some nice rides when the weather warms up a little.

I have a Cypress SX that I bought in March and I like it very much. It's been a great bike, no problems whatsoever. You will probably want to replace the slippery, satiny, pillow-like saddle for something like the Specialized BG (Body Geometry) which I find more comfortable for longer distances (15 miles is our "short" ride).

I had a Giant Farrago, a Giant promotional Cypress with lights an a bike computer. This was a 2005 model that I bought in 2006. It had 24 speeds total with a chain guard. A great bike for me to get back into bike riding.

Looking at the specs between the Cypress and the 7300, I would spend the extra money on the 7300. The Cypress has mostly generic parts, the 7300 has the Bontrager parts, rims, supension, seat. What I also like is that it has 24 speeds compared to the 21 of the Cypress, which is using an 8 spd shifter for a 7 spd cassette. The 7300 also has a chain guard which is nice for casual riding, the Cypress use to have a chain guard, may have been dropped for the kickstand. Either bike will be fine but the 7300, to me is worth the extra $90.

FYI, I gave my Cypress to my future daughter-in-law for a graduation present, she loves it too. I changed the handle bars to flat bars and upgraded the pedals, the plastic ones get very slippery when they get wet.

My previous comments also apply to the 7200.

I have a Cypress SX that I bought in March and I like it very much. It's been a great bike, no problems whatsoever. You will probably want to replace the slippery, satiny, pillow-like saddle for something like the Specialized BG (Body Geometry) which I find more comfortable for longer distances (15 miles is our "short" ride).

Yen, note that the OP is looking at a standard Cypress, while you have the top of the line Cypress SX. Your bike is significantly upgraded from what he is looking at and cost over twice as much.

I believe Giant has dropped the SX in 2008. Too bad, that was a nice bike that they have offered for several years.

Tom, thanks for correcting me; I didn't see his later post that mentions the standard Cypress.

Yes, it's too bad they dropped it.... I wonder why, or what leads them to make these decisions. Like when they decide to change the heal shape/size of my favorite and very popular athletic shoes to fit more of a "European" foot size. HUH??? Now that there is a coffee house on every corner in the U.S., are we also going the way of European sizing (whatever that is)???

But I digress...

The Cypress has mostly generic parts, the 7300 has the Bontrager parts, rims, supension, seat. What I also like is that it has 24 speeds compared to the 21 of the Cypress, which is using an 8 spd shifter for a 7 spd cassette.

I wouldn't consider the Bontrager parts exactly name brand, since they are Trek's in house brand. I do agree that an 8 speed cassette is worth some cash over a seven speed. I'm not sure Giant's website is up to date though, they show a Cypress DX having a 7 spd cassette, while my 2005 Cypress DX has an 8 spd cassette.

A large percentage of Trek's Bontrager parts are manufactured under contract by SRAM. Many of them are pretty good, and some of them sell at high prices. In fact, Trek's Tour de France's bikes use several Bontrager parts.

Hi guys after reading the post I have a question? I just got a Giant Cypress with the stock seat, is there some reason I should replace it? And if so with what brand and model and for what reason?

Just starting out.....:p

I have a Cypress DX with rim brakes and love it.. I have had it a couple years now and have had no problems with it... I did however put a Brooks seat on it... Sitting on that bike is almost like sitting in my easy chair :-).. Never had a Trek so I can't really compare them...

I don't know who said it, but Bontrager doesn't make suspension of any sort.


And the majority of Bontrager's parts are very good, especially the wheel's and Carbon.

The high-end wheels are so good, in fact, that some high-end manufacturers that don't have their own line put them on their bikes.

Don't forget about the warranty either. Trek have a pretty good warranty. http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/support/limited_warranty/
Lifetime on frame and 5 years on Bontrager stuff.

Giant Warranty
Giant Bicycle Limited Warranty
Giant Bicycle, Inc. (“Giant”) warrants the steel frame and rigid steel fork of each
new Giant-brand bicycle to be free from defects in material and workmanship
for as long as the original purchaser owns the bicycle. All Aluminum and
Carbon Fiber frames and rigid forks as well as suspension frames are warranted
to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the original owner for a
period of 5 years from the date of purchase. All other original components and
all Giant brand repair parts, replacement parts and accessories are warranted to
be free from defects in material or workmanship for a period of one year from
the original date of purchase.

They look pretty even, but it is always good to know.

Good luck and ride as much as you can.

I love my Cypress
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2180816398_621111bc83.jpg

I've heard that Trek and Giant are actually made in the same factory and are equivalent in quality. Giant is sometimes a little less expensive because of how they are wholesaled in the U.S. Not sure if this is correct.

Just wanted to let you guys know that I picked up my new Giant Cypress last weekend. I went with the silver fade. Looks real sharp!! Now if it would just get above freezing so I can get out ride it. LOL! From the best I can tell I couldnt go wrong with either bike. Thanks for everyones input in helping me with my decision.

NitroRC,
I take it your other hobby is radio control glow powered aircraft or cars?

I've heard that Trek and Giant are actually made in the same factory and are equivalent in quality. Giant is sometimes a little less expensive because of how they are wholesaled in the U.S. Not sure if this is correct.I think that could be correct as to the entry-level hybrids, but If someone is saying that about the entire lines, it would be incorrect. Trek still makes the majority of its bikes in Waterloo and Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA.


http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questions.php?questionid=11
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/company/factory_tour/

Trek still makes the majority of its bikes in Waterloo and Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA. [/INDENT]

Negatory. Trek only makes the OCLV framed Madones and Fuels in the USA.

Trek switched a lot of its production to Asian plants over the past 5-7 years. My 2000 Trek 7600 hybrid was made in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Even if Trek and Giant bikes are sometimes made in the same factories, that would not make them the same bikes. Each is built to their own specifications. These specifications would include not only the frame geometries, but materials, quality of materials, how they are welded, what components are installed on them, etc. etc.

In looking over their $250-$500 bikes, I do consider them to be equivalent in quality. The price is usually dependent upon what components are installed. And when I've done close comparisons, I don't find much of a price difference either.