Igo

Saturday morning I adjusted the ergonomics then I installed a buch of gear then I did a 24 mile ride and was doing adjustments as I was going. Today I put the bike up on the Parks Tools rack, got out the parks book and did a fine tune on derailers and brakes. Oddly enough, the 3 ring setup tuned easier than my 2 ring Tiagra. The bike is in excellent tune and ergos. Just need the rack and I ride in to work on my new sled.
You guys are going to love this bike. I thought it looked kinda simple until I outfitted it. Now it has a real sharp and serious duty look about it without being overkill. For what it is, its not a real heavy bike and for 60 psi tires it is very nimble. I'm on vacation the fist week of April. I'm backpacking 4 days and riding the River Mountain Trail and Northshore roads at Lake Mead the other 4 days. I can't wait.

fez_

Igo, I agree with you. The Escape is a beast. I am surprised a lot of people don't even consider it when looking to buy a new hybrid. I have a large size and it weighs in at approx. 26lbs i think. Might be a tad bit heavy for some people, but this felt more rugged to me than the trek fx or specialized sirrus series.

What kind of rack are you getting for the bike?

Igo

I just installed the Topeak Explorer rack. I have several different trunks fir it.
Yeah, I don't know why we aren't seeing the Escape around here either. I have to admit I never looked at another makers Hybrid bike before I chose the Giant. The Giant Escape did what I needed it to do and I knew the moment I went through my first peddle that it was what I was looking for. I fully expect the Trek or Specialized or any number of other bikes would have impressed me just as much. I've only been back on bicycles for a couple years now. I think I just have an appreciation for anything machined well and will probably end up collecting and/or custom assembling bikes. Anyway, I wasn't looking for a sexy over-acheiver of a hybrid. I was just looking for a duty bike that would take away the burdon of commuter for my road bike, which will now be my sports car bike. (The Escape is my pick-up truck kinda' bike.)
I should have the GPS mounts by the weekend. I have the rack on. I'll update pictures of the finished product this weekend. Where are your pictures anyway? : )

Vivi

I finally found a bike store to test some bikes. However they were 2011.

The Giant Escape 1 was pretty nice except the people at the store said it hadn't been touched for a year and it need not feel too responsive. The brakes squealed a lot and didn't feel too responsive. It was not a real representation of the bike in my opinion. I'm about 5'11- 6'0. The guy said how with a Large that I tried my position would be more aggressive than if I was to try a medium?

I also tried the Escape 2 city which I actually liked very much. However it had features which I would never make use of such as the racks and fenders. It was much smoother of a ride and I enjoyed the bike . I'm wondering if it had to do with the way the 2 bikes were kept..

Igo

HMMMM. The Escape 1 is not an unusual bike but even here the Escape 2 seems to be much more popular.
It would probably take the LBS 10 minutes to tune up the Escape 1 if you asked.
I think in Giant sizing you are a Large. 5-11 is max for the medium. Some Giant bikes come in Medium/Large.

mbbiker

Thats BS a TREK frame at this price point was built by GIANT in Taiwan. Yes the frame designs/ geometry are different but they came out of the same factory and are the same quality.

Igo

Vivi, you never said what you ended up doing?

Here's the finished bike. After several hundred miles now I have to say this simple bike is one of the most enjoyable bike rides I've ever had. For commuting, it is more enjoyable than my road bike.
Giant Escape 1 fully outfitted for commuting and weekend city exploration.

fez_

Looking good Igo. what bar-ends do you have?

Igo

Profile Design. Simple. Light weight. Strong. Uncluttered. $20 at REI.

fez_

are you using stock grips with it? if so, how did you get that to work?

Igo

Take a rubber mallet and smack the end of the bar with it. It will cut out the grip using the bar as a template. If you are careful you can just cut out the end of the grip with a razor knife. Loosen the control mounting screws and slide everything in 3/4 inch. My grips/controls were too wide anyway.

cs1

Giant may have made the frame but I'm sure it was to Trek's specifications. Giant might just have made their frame more heavy duty. Personally, the Raleigh Misceo is built even more heavy duty than the Giant.

Zerg

What saddle/seat bag are you using?