mbiker

So I'm looking for a new ride in part because I've realized my Cannondale M300 is making me feel scrunched, and I want more speed for my commute, and the comfort of steel. Ideally something between a hybrid and road bike. I thought a Jamis Coda would be ideal, but i checked specs and the wheelbase is actually an inch or so shorter than my current frame, and the top tube only an inch longer. What gives? I've only ridden one Coda, and the position felt similar to my current one, but yet somehow I felt a little more spread out.
Do i need to look at a Satellite (also for the faster gearing)? I really like flat bars, though.
I would love to try all these out, but my area has very limited steel frames.
Or do I give up on the steel dream?
Thanks, all, for your ideas...

Cfiber

What's the most you're willing to spend on your next bike, mbiker?

mbiker

I was trying to keep it in the $700 range, partly because I want/need lots of stuff like panniers, maybe Ergon grips, etc. etc. And the ride plus more speed matter more to me than the best components or disc brakes and that sort of thing...

ThermionicScott 

Could be that you've been riding too small of a bike.

Cfiber

A $700 budget I would give you the following recommendations:

KHS
1) The Urban Xpress (hybrid)

Jamis
1) The Coda Comp (hybrid)
2) The Satellite Sport (road bike)

Add another $70 and you could get either the KHS Xcel (hybrid) or the KHS Xtreme (road bike). IMO, you'd be much better off with a hybrid, considering the fact that their components are much better within the framework of your current budget.

* IMHO- The Urban Xcel is the best of the bunch, if you step outside of your budget.

DVC45

Novara Buzz.



https://www.rei.com/product/837487/novara-buzz-bike-2013

Cfiber

+1

Yes! This is even better!

DVC you ROCK!

fietsbob

Can you put numbers on "scrunched" ? what Distance is too short ? horizontal/ vertical/ diagonal?

DVC45

' hope to sell one of my bikes this week, so I could buy a Buzz during the sale this weekend.

mbiker

Nice to get disc brakes at that price! Does it ride more like a mountain bike or hybrid/road? I'm looking for flat bar that's in between hybrid and road, for some more speed but still good on bumpy sidewalks etc. when needed.

mbiker

Horizontal. Feel like shoulders a bit hunched, and would like to lean forward a bit more, like in between a hybrid and road.

JeffS

Have you done anything to adjust the fit of your current bike?

Notso_fastLane

*cough* recumbent *cough*

fietsbob

considered buying a longer Stem? whats on there now ? [hint: answer is a number, in cm ]

DVC45

Hybrid.

It can double duty as a tourer too. It has all the mounting points for racks and fenders.

mbiker

I'll have to check stem length. Mostly I feel slow on pavement, and got curious about the feel of steel. My bike is 14 years old and it needs some fixing up so I got to thinking of a new one instead.

Engineer

First off if you are feeling scrunched, you should really look at getting your bike fitted. There are plenty of websites that will give you their method which may or may not work for you. You even may need to change out stems to get it right. If you don't want to do it yourself, go to the LBS.

On the other hand, I just went through the bike buying process as well. After 20 years of riding aluminum I test drove a steel bike and absolutely loved the ride. I now have about 300 miles still think it feels great.

009jim

I like the look of this bike i.e. the way the seat tube is low and the top tube slopes significantly. I would like to get a bike such as this in a 60+ size and then I would have the seat relatively low compared to the handle bars and thus I would have a comfortable ride position I think.

DVC45

You want a Townie bike?

Cfiber

I dunno why, but for some reason, that's just funny!

DVC45

I have ridden one. Definitely not for long distance riding, but for around town or around the block riding, it is really comfortable.

The biggest feature is, one can put both feet down on the ground, at a stop, without getting off the saddle. Great for stop and go commute, I guess.

jyl

It sounds like your existing bike is too small in "top tube length", which largely determines the distance from center of the saddle to the center of the handlebars. If that distance is too short, your "cockpit" feels too tight and cramped. You can also adjust that distance with a longer or shorter stem, a flatter or more angled stem, by adding bar ends or substituting swept-back bars, and by moving your saddle forward and backwards.

Your bike may be too small in other dimensions too, such as the traditional "frame size" which is distance along the seat tube from center of bottom bracket to top tube, but we don't know that. It is possible that you have a longer torso and arms but shorter legs, so that a bike that fits you in "frame size" doesn't fit you in "top tube".

That is my situation (5' 11" but a 32" bike inseam) and I have some trouble getting bikes to fit right. My ideal road bike would be a 56 cm as far as my legs are concerned, but a 60 cm as far as my torso and arms go.

Buying another bike won't necessarily fix your fit problem. The M300 is a pretty typical '90s mountain bike and has a pretty typical top tube length for a given frame size. I think most hybrid bikes today won't have much longer of a top tube than the M300 (at the same "frame size" i.e. seat tube length), and some will have a shorter one.

I suggest you measure the top tube of your Cannondale (from center of seat tube to center of head tube) and compare that to the top tube of any bike you are looking at - sounds like you did that with the Coda. You should also measure the distance from center of saddle to center of handlebars of your Cannondale, and compare that as well. That will help you see the effect of stem and seatpost.

You should also read up on bike fit generally and make sure you are looking at frames that are the correct size, in seat tube length. Many people are riding too-small bikes.

You might want to start by putting a longer and flatter stem on your M300, or bar-ends, and adjust the seat backwards. Idea being, try different fits cheaply on the old bike, to make sure you know just what you want before spending $700 on a new bike. Anyway, even after you buy the new bike, you may want to keep the M300 as a beater, a bike you're willing to lock up in sketchy places, a spare bike, etc.

mbiker

Jyl and others, i really appreciate all the good advice. You've helped me make some adjustments which have already helped. I have the bars with a slight rise, and by rotating I was able to gain some room in the cockpit. I actually think as I've bike more, I've simply wanted to lean over more for speed etc. maybe I try some end bars to give me a bit more lean as an option.

PatrickGSR94

Wait, you want the saddle low compared to the handle bars, but you want to lean over more? Lowering the saddle puts you more upright. Raising it will get you lower as you will have to lean forward to get your hands on the bars. My KHS bike frame is technically too small (it's about a 17" and I need more like a 18.5" - I ride a 56 road frame), but for years I was using a seat post that was way too short, and thus too low. I bought a new seat post and got the saddle up higher and now the bike is much better.

mbiker

Wasn't me who wanted a low saddle. I like the saddle high.