GoGreen4Life

I visited my local bike shop "Spokes N Skis" in Altoona, PA and tried to find a bike for around $450 that would nicely get me to work and be able to take the rail trails near my house. They didn't have any on display that matched my size but they did tell me that If I came back in about 2 hours they would build one for me. As with any bike I asked for the aluminum frame upgrade and well, for everything else, it was good enough as it was. I only bike a short distance, but the hills and roads to get to my job are a real pain so it takes a bit longer. Here's the stock picture of my bike.


And about it:
700c Wheels
Aluminum Frame
Very Comfortable Wide Seat
Has sort of a square shape to the frame

devildogmech

Um..... I don't consider Aluminum an upgrade..... Just makes the ride harsh.... Giant Makes some good bikes. Hope you enjoy it.

Artkansas 

I rented a Giant Cypress for a week while in San Diego. It was fun and had plenty of gears, but was a bit too upright for my tastes. But then again, I also bought a recumbent back home via email that week, so I guess I'm biased.

Enjoy it.

d2create

Congrats on the new ride!
Agree about the aluminum and you will have more trouble with hills with that geometry/riding position. But if it works for you, that's great.

So what cool stuff are you adding to it?

crhilton

Aluminum upgrade?

Welcome to cycling.

delman

I agree that depending on circumstances that aluminum can be an upgrade or downgrade just depends on what an individual prefers. For me I got my first aluminum bike this week and I absolutely love it as it is over 10lbs lighter than my previous bike. It makes it much easier to carry to get it out of my apartment.

Hot Potato

It seems to me that tires have a much greater effect on ride harshness than frame material. And you can change tires cheaply and frequently. So unless you are only riding tires with top pressures, frame material is not likely to be a factor? Plus that bike has a suspension.

ItsJustMe

I've got a 2004 Giant Cypress and just rolled 17000 miles on it.

The only problem I've had with it is that the wheels it comes with are junk. Single-walled weak rims and spokes made of spaghetti noodles as far as I can tell. Then again, my route covers 8 miles a day of gravel road that can be quite rough.

I broke 20 spokes in the first 1500 miles, and finally gave up and rebuilt the rear wheel with a Mavic rim and DT butted spokes. That wheel lasted 14000 more miles, at which point the axle broke. My bike had a freewheel, which puts the rear wheel's drive-side bearing about 1/3 the way in from the support, which makes it susceptible to breakage. But again, it broke because I beat the tar out of the thing. On smooth pavement I'd probably still be running stock.

I do wish I could get rid of the front suspension. Even on my rough roads, it's useless and just extra weight.

I really like mine, despite having replaced the rear wheel twice. I still ride it 21 miles a day, 5 days a week, after nearly 5 years (I didn't ride daily in the first few years, which is why it only has 17000 miles on it).

BTW, I consider aluminum bikes to be an upgrade from CHEAP steel. GOOD steel is an upgrade from aluminum. Go pick up a Trek 520 touring bike some time. It's quite light, and has a steel frame. But it's a damn nice, well designed steel frame with high quality tubing. If what you're used to is department store crap "gas pipe" steel frames, then aluminum frames are quite the upgrade. My bike is aluminum, my roads are rough, and I'm perfectly happy with it.

d2create

I agree. It was the way it was worded that made me chuckle.

"As with any bike I asked for the aluminum frame upgrade and well"

Sixty Fiver

The Cypress is a really plush bike and sucks up the bumps like one would not believe... it does what a comfort bike should do and does it very well.

The suspension fork is not really needed on a bike that has such a set back riding position and high volume tyres but it sems to be a selling point for many buyers.

The stock gearing has a mega range freewheel in the back with a 34 low... the bike will climb walls.

My tastes lean toward more performance oriented bikes but I do like the Cypress for what it is.

adaminlc

Yes, aluminum is lighter. If you were worried about weight, however, you wouldn't have gone with suspension. That suspension will add at least 1 - 2 pounds over a solid fork and seat post. With a commuter you will also inevitably add accessories to the bike, also adding to the weight.

As a side not, please don't compare aluminum to carbon fiber. There is no comparison.

degnaw

LOL

I ride aluminum, but if a steel frame was available for the same price, I would have gone with it. Weight difference is no more than a few pounds, and steel lasts longer and is less prone to catastrophic failure.

d2create

Actually, the steel frame version is a couple hundred cheaper.
And no suspension fork, and no adjustable stem.
Other than that, pretty much the same bike with a couple pluses for me even.

In his defense, he wasn't directly comparing alum to cf though. Just making the point that he was willing to pay more for less weight, which is one of the reasons people buy cf frames.

We shouldn't give him a hard time. He's commuting and that's all that matters, right?

Sixty Fiver

I bet the steel frame model without the suspension fork and adjustable stem does not weigh that much less than the Al version... with that being said the only Cypress models I have seen here have all been Al with suspension forks.

It's a good bike.. I have refurbed quite a few at the co-op and a few members have them and have no complaints.

dynaryder

I had a Sedona,which is the same bike only with 26" wheels(and mine had disc brakes). I beat the crap out of it in all weather and it never let me down. The suspension was bouncy and def robbed power,and I didn't like the stock tires,otherwise it was heavy but did everything I asked of it with no troubles. It's by no means a performance machine,but it'll do fine for basic transportation.

AngryScientist 

give the OP a break, he walked into a bike shop, and they built him a bike for the money he had to spend on one. it sounds like he enjoys it. bravo, and happy commuting!

dcrowell

My first real bike was a Giant Cypress ST that I bought in April last year. It's the steel version, without the suspension forks.

As "ItsJustMe" said, the wheels are junk. I bought an old 7-speed cassette hub off of eBay and I'm having a new rear wheel hand-built from that. Of course, I was 270 lbs when I got the bike, so I used to destroy wheels pretty badly.

I replaced the suspension seatpost with a solid one, and put on a Brooks saddle. I've also switched out the handlebars for straight bars with bar-ends.

I also added lights, fenders, rack, and bags.

Ride the bike a while. You'll find out the things that are important to you.

Happy Riding!

baron von trail 

+1 to losing the car; I use mine far too often.