Commuting - Which Bike Should I get? (Going Kona or Giant)

So, story goes like this...
in September I moved off the college campus and began to commute with a bike. I was very nervous to spend the $649 I did on a Kona Dew Plus which seemed like too much to spend on a bike...
After riding for 4 months now I absolutely love the bike and now actually enjoy biking to the point that I will be bringing it home over the summer and commuting to work as well.

I purchased a rear rack and do all my shopping with MEC Urban Tote bags which I love :)

Problem is that last week I was hit by a car :( Though I am recovering quickly and didn't break any bones, the insurance company is going to refund me the full amount I paid for the bike.

No I'm left with a dilemma... Now that I have seen how much fun riding is on a nice bike, I am willing to put even more money into my bike. I'd be fine going even double, but only if there are going to be significant advantages.

Looking in the Kona Dew line, the most expensive one is the PHD which has skinnier tires than the dew plus which I had.

At first I was nervous to have skinny tires but now I'm realizing that I am only riding on the road so it could even be a good thing, though I'm not sure of this.

The things I am looking for are this...
1. Disc Brakes (I ride in the rain lots)
2. Lots of gears (I live among many hills)
3. Rack mounts for my pannier sacks. ( I salvaged my old rack which was designed for disk breaks)
Beyond this, the store I must buy it from only sells kona and giant so that limits my choices but I'm open to suggestions.

I'll spend more money but not if it is only for marginal improvements.

Kona Dr. Dew (http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=dr_dew)
Giant Seek 1 (http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-CA/bikes/model/seek.1/8069/45719/)
Plus, since you mentioned MEC, MEC Shadowlands (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442630190&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302886468). I test rode an MEC Hold Steady, which has the same frame as the Shadowlands, and was very impressed. BTW the Shadowlands' colour is much nicer in person.

Having shopped for a similar bike myself recently an assistant at the LBS said of Giant that their high-end bikes are indeed very good, but unless you spend the money they can be rubbish. Having had a low-end Giant mtb this this seems to back up my experience. However, if Giant was serious about this community it should be serious about the Seek which is an obvious choice for the commuter. Less importantly, IMHO the Seek looks chunky next to the sexy Dew.

I was seriously tempted by both the Dew and Fine. The Dew ticked all the boxes for me and I was about to go that way but then fell in love with the Cube Hooper (http://www.cube.eu/en/tour/urban-life-series/hooper-pro/)and Hyde (http://www.cube.eu/en/tour/urban-life-series/hyde-team/). I ended up going for the Hyde, but if money were no object the Hooper Pro looked perfect.

If you think you might enjoy drop bars, you could find a close-out bargain on a 2010 Kona Dew Drop. It has discs, rack and fender mounts and 24 speeds with a good, low granny gear for the nastiest hills. On the top end, it's straight, stable and as fast as I'll ever need to go on a bicycle. I like the go-anywhere capability of the 700x37 tires and the overall versatility of the bike. It's OK as a touring bike and a great commuter and errand runner.

I suppose where my confusion lies is whether or not it is worth spending the money for the next up model.
I spend a long time looking at and comparing the kona commuter line and have found that I would like the Dew, Dew Plus, Dew Deluxe, Dr Dew, or the PHD as they all have similar characteristics but with more expensive parts. (The PHD is diff with lighter material and smaller tiers)
My previous bike was the Dew Plus and so I wouldn't really want to get anything worse than that but that still leaves the plus, deluxe, Dr Dew, and the PHD (I didn't include the dr good because it has shocks which I've heard just add weight if your ridding on asphalt.

When I look at the included parts on the Kona website I find it hard to see whether one, for example, has $300 worth of better parts on it and whether that will make a difference.

In regard to MEC, I can order online from them but without a car I couldn't go to their stores... which is the only way to get their bikes :(

Just curious, but what year was your old Dew? The Dew Plus had mechanical discs in '10, but now has hydro's on the '11's.

I would say, generally, in this price range the bikes are pretty well developed. So, you really do get what you pay for. You don't have to worry about paying for 'the name', or differing country or origin, or anything like that. The differences between the bikes in the Dew line are significant, and paying more really does get you more.

I would suggest to you that you spend as much as you feel comfortable spending - you can be confident that the money spent is getting you a bike of comparable value.

Also, this might be a good time to expand your search. If you are really starting to enjoy cycling, it might be a good time to go to a 'proper' drop bar road bike. Many people prefer this setup. Nothing wrong with a flat bar if that's what you like, it's just something for you to think about. In the Kona line, you have the ***** Inc, and the Sutra. Course the Sutra is heavy, but it'll certainly carry your groceries!

My old Dew Plus was a 2010 with the mechanical discs.

I noticed that the kona road bikes are made out of a steel alloy rather than an alluminum alloy. Wouldn't the steel be heavier? What is the advantage to that. What is the difference between the Honkey/Sutra and the PHD which seem around the same price range.
It seems, by looking at the pics on the website that neither the PHD, nor the Honkey have room for a bike rack on the back. Is this true, or am I just not seeing how it would be done?

So if it is true that the more money I spend, the better of a bike I would get, I would only really consider the Dr. Dew, PHD, Sutra, or Honkey.

Hopefully my LBS has all them in and I could take a look in person and try them out...

Just checked the Kona site, and I didn't see the PhD at all. And the ***** doesn't fit your requirement of disc brakes.

Since it appears that you are both willing and able to spend a little more $... ask your LBS if they do business with Quality Bicycle Products. If so, see if they would be willing to order a Salsa Vaya (http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya/).

Just checked the Kona site, and I didn't see the PhD at all. And the ***** doesn't fit your requirement of disc brakes.

Since it appears that you are both willing and able to spend a little more $... ask your LBS if they do business with Quality Bicycle Products. If so, see if they would be willing to order a Salsa Vaya (http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya/).
I'm guessing you're on the wrong site. The ***** Inc. has discs and the Phd is def there.

To the OP, the *****, Sutra and PhD are very different. The Sutra is a very heavy bike. Tough, versatile, but heavy. I would suggest it is overkill unless you plan on getting into doing some touring, or regularly carry heavy loads. The PhD is more like a conventional road bike with flat bars. It's light and fast. No discs, but I have bikes with both and live in the same climate as you and the rim brakes work. But yeah, discs are better. The ***** Inc. is probably my personal favourite of the bikes here. It's light, fast, has discs, and has a great parts spec. It's the kind of bike you could start doing some more serious road riding, some randos, etc. No surprise, it's also the most expensive.

All of these bikes have the braze-ons for a rear rack and take fenders. Of course with the discs you sometimes to get a bit creative with the mounting.

I like steel, but yeah it adds a bit of weight. Maybe a half pound at this price range. That doesn't bother me personally, steel is good.

Okay, I overlooked the "Inc." when you first mentioned the *****, but I still didn't see the PhD on the 2011 (US) site, though it is there for the 2010 line...

Looks like another example of not all models are intended or marketed in all markets.

007 Quick,

I think you have things in pretty good perspective. My personal opinion is to buy quality, but not over buy. I think the high end stuff has diminishing returns; especially for a commuter. For a road bike I'd like Shimano 105 or equivalent; although Tiagra would suffice on some components. In the MTB line Shimano LX/XT. It really does pay off in the long run.

It sounds like you will be putting on some miles. Go online and check what some of the wear/consumable items will cost (i.e. chains, cassettes, sometimes shifters if you crash, etc.). Some of the mid to higher end stuff is ridiculous for your purposes. Plus the better bikes are more of a theft target. If you never have to leave your bike out of your sight than this becomes less important.

Another personal opinion is I like steel. I also wouldn't ever buy a commuter that didn't have eyelets for rack and fenders.

But whatever you do do get too hung up in the economics of the absolute best bang for a buck. The most important thing is fit. Make sure you get the best fit possible!

Matt

007 Quick,
But whatever you do do get too hung up in the economics of the absolute best bang for a buck. The most important thing is fit. Make sure you get the best fit possible!
Matt

I'm sorry. I meant to say don't get too hung up .....

Matt

Ya, I'll go down to the LBS and see which models they have available and try them out and probably choose the best one out of that lot. I simply didn't want to invest more money into a bike if I wasn't going to perceive any benifit from the extra cost. Right now I'm thinking that the Dr. Dew will be my pick but like I said, I have to see what works and what doesn't.