calliebear9

Hi All,

I am new to biking and this forum. After spending a couple weekends renting bikes, I have decided to get my own because I had so much fun. I haven't ridden a bike regularly in well over a decade. I take spin class- which I know is not like a real bike, but it does build up the "bum calluses". I want something comfortable, to do mostly bike paths and paved roads, not trails. I want to be pretty upright. I am a bigger girl so at this point I can't crouch over like you would on a road bike. On the rentals I took them out for 60-75 minutes and did just fine.

Through research and talking to bike shops in the area, based on availability, I have narrowed it down to the Jamis Citizen 2 and Trek Verve 2. They are comparable in price. The Jamis at the LBS has a trigger shift while the Verve has the rotating shift. Other than that I am so uneducated I don't what the differences would be. I haven't ridden either yet, so that is the next big deciding factor. But I was hoping I could get some educated bike feedback from users of this forum.

Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Planemaker

Can't speak to the Jamis Citizen.

If you are not going to ride trails I don't believe there is any need for front suspension and seat suspension which add weight and expense. I would look at the Trek Fitness or the Trek DS, both of which will get you in a upright position and give you a nice comfortable ride.

FYI - If you are leaning towards to Verve because of the seat you can get the LBS to swap out the seat for more of a comfort seat

no1mad 

They are virtually identical, IMO. My own bias against cheap suspension forks would make me consider 'downgrading' to the Citizen 1 for the rigid fork.

BTW, not to dissuade you from this purchase, but your comment about the 'crouching over' positioning on a road bike, may well be an uneducated one. One does not have to have serious saddle to bar drop; in fact, plenty of people seek out 'relaxed geometry' road frames and adjust their bars to be as nearly upright as a comfort bike when their hands are on the tops/flats.

MRT2

Spot on. If you can handle the riding position of a spinning bike, you can handle a performance hybrid or relaxed geometry road bike. If you are looking at Jamis, consider the Coda Sport (or Coda Comp), and Trek, the 7.2 FX (or 7.4). You can handle it, and you won't outgrow it in a couple of months.

calliebear9

Thanks for the vote of confidence

I am not sure I can though. I don't "tuck" for very long in class and I definitely still get wrist pain from being too forward leaning. I have to sit up and pull my hands off the bars every 5-10 minutes or so in class- and I can't do that on a moving bike. I rented a Sun cruiser/hybrid (not sure the name of the bike). It was super relaxed. I liked the position of my arms and hands relative to my seat. I just didn't like the fact that my pedals were too far out in front of me. It made the hills really tough and I felt I couldn't stand up. I also wanted the thinner tires, not the thick ones (is it 26 in?). And a comfy seat is REQUIRED. Is the only difference between the Verve/Citizen and the FX/Coda you are recommending the lack of shocks? Won't that make the ride more bumpy and thus uncomfortable? Or does it not matter as much because potholes are potholes and they will hurt no matter what? Will the FX allow me to sit more upright?

Sorry for the all the questions. This is just a big investment for me, so I want to make a good decision.

Thanks!

MRT2

The most comfortable saddle isn't necessarily the softest or the widest. It might seem so, but a wide saddle can cause irritation and chafing worse than a narrow saddle. You need a saddle that fits the width of your sit bones, not a squishy seat.

Second, the Coda series is a steel bike, which will offer somewhat more comfort than an aluminum bike. But, even on the FX, think of the tires, and your knees as your suspension. As for bumps and potholes, part of riding is learning to ride around, or lightly over bumps, potholes, and debris.

Third, road hybrids like the Coda or FX (and many others) are slightly more aggressive than the comfort hybrids, but not radically so. You should be able to set it up with the handlebars level or slightly above the height of the saddle, then lower it as you get stronger. When I first started riding a hybrid many years ago, it was set up with bars very high. After, maybe a couple of weeks, I brought it back to the bike shop and had them lower the stem and change out the handlebars so I could ride longer distances. Several years later, I replaced the stock 38 mm tires with a more aggressive 32 mm tire, which offered better performance on the road, but was still comfortable.

Fourth. You will absolutely hate riding a cruiser style hybrid up hills. So if you ride in a hilly area, that is another thing to consider.

calliebear9

Well I ordered my bike today. I settled on the Jamis Coda Sport. I ended up testing a 17" men's Coda Comp version but ordered the 16" women's Sport version. The 7.2 I rode was also a 17" so I figure apples to apples. I felt more grounded in the Coda. On the Trek I felt like I was balancing on top of the bike more. So I went with the Coda and saved a whopping $9. I really hope I like it when it comes in.

Thanks for all advice everyone provided. I have no doubt once I get out riding I will even more questIons.

calliebear9

Thank you everyone for your advise. I just picked up my Jamis Coda Sport this afternoon. Can't wait to take it out. Bad time for a major heat wave in Cali. But if I head out early enough in the morning tomorrow I should be okay for a bit.