Tom Bombadil

I've been snooping around for a bike that would be light and fast enough to have some performance, and yet rugged enough to ride on graveled bike paths and light off-road trails. Would also be good for handling city streets with potholes & bouncing over trolley tracks. I found a few candidates on-line and checked a couple out over lunch. I found this one particularly interesting:

Gary Fisher Mendota

This is from the GF "Fast City" line. These bikes have a lot of Trek in them, and are named after lakes found right here in Madison: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra. I ride around these lakes on lunch time rec rides.

The Mendota has a rugged, larger tube aluminum frame, the top tube is wider than most. The features that lean toward trail use include: Mountain bike crank gearing (48/38/28), SRAM X.7 rear derailleur (popular on MTBs), flat handlebar (but with more sweep than many) and Avid BB5 ball bearing disc brakes.

Features that focus on more performance include: Carbon fork, road bike rear cassette gearing (11-26), no suspension, general light materials and sleek profile.

Then the tires are a nice tweener, 700x32 with a bit of bite to the tread.

Overall it struck me as a Bike Path Assault Vehicle. Bounce over ruts, blow through gravel, kick it into high on pavement, and then zip off on a street and hop a curb.

I'm not in a buying mood right now, as I'm having a lot of fun dialing in the FOUR bikes that I am switching back and forth between from day to day. But if I were, this one would be getting strong consideration. Didn't have time to take it for a spin, but may go back and do that soon. List is $930, which seemed reasonable to me for the overall quality.

Perhaps it's allure will draw me in and I will soon be writing a DG-like post about my new bike.

Digital Gee

Just buy it!

BluesDawg

Stop shopping and go ride the bikes you have.

Tom Bombadil

When there are 3 bike shops within 2 blocks of where I park, and a 4th that is within a half-mile (a 5th is 1 mile away and a 6th is 3 miles), it is very easy (and tempting) to browse the new bikes. The fact that this was my first time through one in about 2 months is a testament of my willpower to resist.

Today I went out to grab a taco and that walk took me right beside a bike shop, so I just stuck my head in to look around.

Digital Gee

Tom, you're the only reason I have left to cruise through Craigslist. I still hope to find you a bike.

Tom Bombadil

I truly appreciate your efforts. They have been of great assistance to me in my search!

Tom Bombadil

I should also add that I'm not buying for a second that you are finished buying bikes!!

Tom Bombadil

Oops, I forgot about another LBS that is 1 mile away in a different direction. That makes 6 within 1 mile of my office. It is difficult for me to go to lunch and not pass within one block of a bike shop.

BluesDawg

Oh, I get it. I suppose you could stop at any time you wanted to.

BTW, the Mendota looks like a great bike for terrorizing little old ladies on MUPs obliviously walking yappy Mexican hairless rats on long leashes while listening to Lawrence Welk through i-pod headphones.

Artkansas 

A likely story.

Tom Bombadil

I think I could run over the Mexican hairless, check the old lady into a ditch, and ride away laughing on the Mendota.

It's a more wicked looking bike from the front, the wide flat top tube & dark color with black accents makes it look very aggressive. Perhaps they infuse it with a demonic spirit before shipping.

It's got an Oakland Raiders look.

Tom Bombadil

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Just because my 60 minutes was split 45 minutes at the bike shop and 15 minutes woofing down a couple of tacos, doesn't prove that the bike shop was my primary destination.

bcoppola

Seriously: I think if I'd bought that instead of the hybrid for my first bike, I might have enjoyed it more.

But this won't be your first bike, so get a grip, man!

Tom Bombadil

I appreciate the feedback, but you assume that I am on the path to ending up with a road bike. I don't think that is true. Well, unless I pick up something cheap at a yard sale or something.

When one doesn't like riding on roads, and isn't comfortable on & doesn't enjoy riding a road bike, then odds are, they won't be getting a road bike. That was my conclusion after trying out a number of $750-$1000 road bikes. I have no desire to buy one.

But a bike like the Gary Fisher Mendota or Specialized Sirrus Comp or Jamis Coda Comp or other bikes of this ilk, may become attractive should I begin to realize shortcomings in my riding experience on the Trek 7600 hybrid.

Since I only dropped $300 on the Trek, and could probably sell it for that amount, I could move on quickly if I decided that was the right thing to do. And the primary factor would be my physical condition - if I work myself into better shape, then these bikes are going to become more appealing. If I don't, then the Trek is a very nice bike for recreational riding - and was a very good choice as a bike that would be comfortable and thus entice me into riding more.

Now that you've put in a lot of time on your OCR2, I doubt you have much desire to ride your 7200.

Tom Bombadil

I've found out that a number of companies are making similar bikes to the GF Mendota. This type of bike is referred to as a high performance "Urban" bike - designed for commuting over a rougher surface than one might on a road bike. They have a lot of similar features, such as using mountain bike frames, flat handlebars, rigid forks (many of them using carbon forks), 700x28 to 700x32 tires (although some use up to 700x42) that usually have a kevlar belt, the gearing can be all mountain-bike, or a mixture of mountain & road, and several have disc brakes. There are several in the $800-$1000 range with pretty good components. And they usually come in black or gray/silver colors.

Bikes having most or some of these features include the Gary Fisher Mendota, Cannondale Bad Boy, Marin Point Reyes, Trek Soho, and Specialized - which plays at the edges with their Crosstrail Pro & Globe Expert models.

Compare this pics of the Cannondale Bad Boy Disc and Marin Point Reyes with the Mendota above:

https://www.marinbikes.com/bicycles_2...int_reyes.html

Cannondale below

stapfam

There is only one Bike Path Assault vehicle and it is any bike with a battereing ram fitted to the front of it- to move the peds that stray out of the way. I have to admit that an upright position is better than a road bike for paths that may not have the best surface to them. Still reckon that I would use an MTB though as the wheels are stronger and it has a further use in that it can go on real rides.

Tom Bombadil

When I was scouting around for information on these, I found a guy in the Commuting Forum that owns 4 of the 8 bikes that I found that were very similar. He switches off between them.

jm01

very nice...I've gone with a Schwinn Sierra 700 GSX for too many years now, just replaced the drive train for the 3'rd time...this time I've gone with a 3 chain ring crank (48T biggie), a 12-30 cog set, 700x38 Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires, new Sram X7 RD, Simano something front...It's my #1 commuter but I use this bike for my 170km ride to the cottage every year as well

Tom Bombadil

They are largely mountain bikes at heart, but with thinner tires and several have higher gearing - as in the Mendota having a road bike rear cassette (11-26). That and they try to keep their weight down by using rigid carbon forks and seatposts.

I find them to be an interesting hybrid mix. Several pounds lighter than a typical hybrid. But more rugged than the "fitness hybrids" like the Giant FCR series. Consider the Giant FCR1, their $850 fitness, flat-bar road bike. It has low spoke count wheels, a compact double crank, v-brakes, and is much closer to being a road bike.

Tom Bombadil

Yes, this is close to where these bikes are. A few of them use the SRAM X.7, which I think is a very good choice for this type of bike. I love my X.9 group on my bent.

Terrierman

You forgot George's favorite and mine too, the Jamis Coda series of bikes.

Tom Bombadil

I didn't forget the Coda Elite (or Coda Comp), it's just a bit different type of bike. Close though. And its on my list to try to check out.

I think it is a bit more comfort & street oriented than the ones I list above. It has a suspension seat post, an adjustable stem, full road crankset (52/42/30), eggbeater pedals, has touring-type wheels, the tires are a little lighter and less rugged, and overall is a bit heavier with its steel tubing.

I see these bikes as being comfortable bikes for light trails and road touring. A rugged road bike that still has good manners. But not one that is meant to be ridden as aggressively as the others above. And I think this influences Jamis' selection of colors, going with much friendlier colors. I don't think the color makes it different, rather I think the color selected reflects some of the differences.

It can be tough determining the dividing lines between all of the hybrid designs, as different bikes incorporate different sets of features.

Tom Bombadil

Another one that is very close to the same kind of bike is the Kona Dr. Dew. They list it in their "Asphalt" line of bikes. There's one bike above it, the Kona PHD, but it moves closer to road bike specs.

A close cousin is the Fuji Absolute LX (it was Absolute 2.0 in 2006).

Kona went with an unusual green color for the 2007 Dr. Dew:

Tom Bombadil

So I've followed up on this thread by going out and riding a number of these bikes. I've found that despite their being targeted at the same market, and having very similar specs, that the feel and ride can be very different.

For example the Cannondale Bad Boy has a more aggressive forward-leaning riding position and a harsher ride. It took almost no time for me to realize that this was not a bike for me.

The Kona Dr. Dew was better, but felt heavier and more like a mountain bike.

The Marin Point Reyes was very nice. Rode it at the same place as the Cannondale, couldn't believe how the ride differed so much. The riding position was more upright and the ride much smoother. I took it over broken pavement, gravel, over (recessed) rail road tracks, and off a couple of curbs. The fatter tires on the Marin absorbed much more of the shocks. Very good handling. They said this series - Marin Muirwoods, Novata, Point Reyes - was the best selling line in the store, while the Cannondale Bad Boy was almost impossible to sell in Madison.

Then tonight I rode on the bike that I started this thread with - the Gary Fisher Mendota. Wasn't sure what to expect from it, but was very pleasantly surprised. It had a smoother ride than its aggressive stance portrayed. It was quick to accelerate, handled well (I wove back and forth several times around a large parking lot). Rode it over every bump in the pavement and concrete I could find.

When I got back to the shop, I commented that it had a smoother ride than it seemingly should have. The tires are 700x32, not too cushy, no suspension, aluminum frame & carbon fork. He took me on a little tour of the carbon fork. Rather than having a flattened, tapered fork, it uses carbon tubes - it looks a lot like small diameter metal tubes. These tubes have more flex than a typical carbon fork.

Next up - the Specialized Globe Pro or Expert - if I can find one in my size.

All of these bikes have been in the $800-$1000 price range. I'm not limited to that range. If I decide to buy yet another bike, I could go up to $2000-$2500. But almost no one makes flat bar bikes with mountain bike gearing that cost more than around $1200. As bikes get up over that price, they tend toward being much more road-bike oriented.

For example the Jamis Coda Elite is a nice looking steel bike at $1299, but they throw in a set of $75 Crank Bros pedals that I would want taken off (I hate paying extra for stuff I don't want) and they change the front crank to a road crank of 52/42/30. Then if you go up to the Coda Supreme, they add the Ultegra rd that I don't need, go to a compact double crankset - which I dislike, and go with very skinny 700x25 tires.

This makes sense, as there isn't much of a market for a higher-end gravel bike path bike.

BluesDawg

Tom, you have such specific requirements and such knowledge of components. Why not build up your own bike?