Comfort Bike Questions
 

Now that I've gotten a nice bike, my fiancee wants a bike. We went and looked this weekend, and she likes comfort bikes. We will do all our riding on paved surfaces, roads/trails. The three models she likes are the Giant Cypress W http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...ve/7339/44536/ and the Jamis Citizen 1 http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...tizen1_st.html and Citizen 2 http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...tizen2_st.html

Looking to stay around the $400 price point. My question is anyone have any specific experience with these models? And it seems like suspension comes on a lot of comfort bikes, is this necessary?

Thanks
Matt

From what I know, these are good brands, and thus she should just choose the one that suits her best. I don't have a lot of experience with suspension, but I imagine a lot of people appreciate anything that helps make a ride less jarring. They make a bike a bit heavier and potentially slower.

yeah suspection is the key is you want a comfortable ride. Trek has good modles in that price range that have suspection forks and seat posts. you can always buy a seat post or maybe change it out while still at the bike shop for free if it doesn't come with one. They are like 25 dollars but you def want a suspection fork if you want a comfy ride but if you wanna be able to ride on smooth road fast as well then just get one that has a lock out feature on it so you can make it rigid like on the trek Kaitai

You have a Jamis brand dealer nearby ? go ride them.
Giant has been making bikes for many other brands ,
as well as under their own brand label.
they may fill the contract for Jamis

you will find that type of bike under many brand's model assortment.

yea, Trek has one, Suspension fork adds to the price a bit.

suspension seatpost is a benefit.

My wife has a Giant Cypress & she absolutely loves it. It looks quite a bit different than the one in the pic, though. Hers is a comfort bike, but it looks a bit sportier. It's about 5-6 yrs old.

Heard back from the LBS, the citizen 2 doesn't have the lock out feature. Should this be a deal breaker? I really want her to pick based on what feels best to her, but she is coming from a crappy borrowed mountain bike, so any new comfort bike feels good. Just don't want the non-locking suspension to be an issue.

Matt

A causal rider should have no problem with a fork without a lockout. All it does is keep the bike from bobbing when pedaling hard (usually when standing up). On a comfort bike, a preload adjustment is all that's needed since these bikes aren't designed to be ridden hard and fast.

race MTB's have forks that cost more than that whole bike.

The Giant Cypress is an excellent bike with or without a suspension front end. Lockouts are practical on off road bikes that typically have longer travel suspension than is on the Cypress. You don`t need it.

A suspension seatpost is OK but some people find the movement and noise annoying and opt to change for a rigid post and sprung saddle. Again - not a big deal.

Personally I`d suggest a rigid frame and balloon style tires for absolute low maintenaince and minimal weight but thats just me. At the speeds most people drive their bikes on bike paths - weight really isn`t an issue. Even less so if you plan on sticking a rack and saddlebags on it.

Suspension is nice if you're going downhill on something bumpy, but it really sucks up a lot of energy when you pedal on a normal flat or uphill path--it'll feel like you have an under-inflated tire. The suspension lockouts on higher end hybrid/comfort bikes are there to give you the option for more efficiency when you don't need that suspension travel.

On a quick test ride, it'll feel super good and smooth with a suspension fork, but as you pile on the miles, it's harder to keep pace with something faster--e.g. you're riding a road or cyclo-x bike with her.

I'm with the idea that if you want something more cushy, get bigger tires and run them at lower pressures. If you want it to roll fast and easy on a smoother surface, just up the tire pressure. Weighs less than a suspension fork, and costs less too (usually). Of course, that may not be possible with those models, but you can ask the shop.

Sounds like suspension(with or without lock-out) vs no suspension is highly debatable. I guess I won't let that be a deciding factor.

Any other bicycle models to consider? She likes the comfort style due to the upright sitting position.

Matt

In another thread I told the OP to check out the Raleigh retroglide. In my opinion, a looker and you have a lot of gearing options. From a single speed coaster, 3 speed internal and up to a 7 spd derailleur.
It has fenders, chain guard, balloon tires and like I said, "a looker".
I believe it falls in the $350 to $500 price range. Try Googling it.

mattybGR. I have an '04 Cypress SX and just love it, but Giant makes many changes in that model every year. I think I would actually prefer the women's model in your link. In any case, it's pretty much common knowledge that Giant and Jamis both use relatively high quality components at just about every price point.

The Giant with front suspension is distinctly more comfortable on well maintained hard pack roads than my Novara Randonee without suspension. This kind of compares apples to oranges, but is worth mentioning. I think that unless the bike will be ridden entirely on paved roads I would go with front suspension. That's a personal preference, of course.