pizzalord

I'm looking to buy my first quality bike. I'm a college student and will be using it to commute to campus 5-6 miles daily. I'll be commuting along a path along a river to campus and also want to keep my options fairly open for recreational riding on light trails.

I've been reading a lot of forums about the best hybrid/dual sport/etc. bike that fits this criteria the past few months and I've narrowed my choices down to the Giant Roam 2 and the Raleigh Misceo Trail 1.0. I'm a stranger when it comes to bike components so I was wondering if someone with more knowledge about bikes would have anything to say about them. I've test ridden the Giant and plan to ride the Raleigh soon. Any opinions would be great. Thanks

Giant
Roam 2 (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Raleigh
Raleigh Bicycles - Misceo Trail 1.0

no1mad 

Welcome to the Forums .

As your primary intended purpose for your future bike is commuting to college classes, I would suggest that you chat up the Campus Security/Police about the theft rate before buying. College campuses tend to attract bike thieves and you might want to get a beater instead of a new bike depending on what info you find out.

That being said, the Roam 2 is better than the Misceo Trail 1.0, but the Misceo Trail 2.0 has a slight edge over the Roam 2.

Wanderer

Also check the Giant offerings with included rack and fenders............... a worthwhile look!

MRT2

The Giant looks like the better bike on paper. 9 speed vs. 7 speed, for starters. Also worth considering is Trek DS series. If, of course, you are committed to an aluminum bike with suspension fork.

If I were looking for a do anything commuter/light trail/tourer, I would consider the Surly Ogre or maybe the Salsa Fargo or Vaya, though those bikes might be out of your price range. But I am partial to the ride of steel bikes.

no1mad 

Even if the OP could afford the Surly/Salsa offerings, I'd be leery of locking up on campus.

The consensus in the Commuting forum whenever someone asks about what bike for commuting to classes is two bikes- a beater for the commute and a nicer one for the weekend/joyrides. Seems that universities attract their fair share of bike thieves .

MRT2

A new Giant will attract thieves just as readily. Maybe OP should consider the ugliest functional bike he can find.

pizzalord

Thanks for the feedback. Bike crime isn't a very big issue here. Every person and LBS I've talked to said they wouldn't even recommend a U-lock unless my bike would be parked downtown or something overnight, and I plan to keep my bike indoors at all times at my apartment. I'll be getting a U-lock for lock ups outside of class too, despite their advice. So MRT2, my understanding is that the 9 speed would be faster than the 7? And the other components are better on the Roam?

MRT2

Ok. Giant uses Shimano Acera Shifters and derailleurs, which is two steps up the Shimano hierarchy. Raleigh uses Tourney level shifters and front derailleur, while using an Altus rear derailleur. Tourney is Shimano's entry level. Altus is one step up from entry level. So the Giant gives you two steps up from entry level across the board, where as the Raleigh is pretty much entry level. It is worth paying a few bucks extra for better components on the Giant if you can swing it.

pizzalord

Oh alright cool I think I'm leaning towards the Giant now that I know it's an all around better bike, but I'm still going to test ride the Raleigh before making a decision. Thanks I really appreciate the help, and I'll post again when I get the bike. Thanks again.

MRT2

Fit is important, too. The best spec bike will be miserable if it is too big, or too small. And as noted earlier, if you like Raleigh, the Misceo Trail 2 is nicely spec'd if you want to spring for that.

pizzalord

Yes I know the Giant fit well when I rode it, but I'll still test ride the Misceo too. Yeah I looked at the Misceo Trail 2, but I think it's a little out of my price range. Are hydraulic disc breaks favored over mechanical ones?

MRT2

I have no personal experience with them, but I think so.

Gerryattrick

Looking at those bikes both would do the job for you, but I agree with those who have said that the Giant has slightly better components.

In response to your understanding that 9 speed is faster than 7 speed, the number of gears does not affect speed, just the availability of more gear ratios with the 9 speed, giving you a greater level of flexibility in your pedalling effort.

MRT2

Also more upgrade options down the road, though frankly, 9 speeds offers plenty of gear options for just about any terrain. If you bought the Raleigh and wanted to upgrade any part of the Misceo Trail 1.0, you would have to upgrade everything from shifters, to wheels, to freewheel/freehub, etc...If you wanted to upgrade, say, the shifters (or derailleurs) on the Giant, since the whole system is already 9 speed, you have a lot more options without having to replace the back wheel, freehub, and cassette.

I have nothing against 7 speed freewheel type drivetrains on older bikes, but it does bug me that quality manufacturers like Trek and Raleigh offer entry level, but not cheap bikes with 7 speed freewheels. I had a chance to upgrade my old hybrid last year from 7 speed to 8 speed, but had to decline because it made no sense financially, and my son doesn't seem to care and he is the one riding it these days. And depending on the kind of riding you do, it may not even matter. IMO, they should consider leaving the 7 speed systems to department stores and focus on 8 speed and up. On geared bikes anyway. If Giant can do it, so can Raleigh and Trek.

pizzalord

I'm sure it won't make much of a difference to me since I'm new to cycling. I've actually been doing some more reading and now I'm rethinking the lockout suspension fork. Do you have any experience with them? I don't think I'd end up using the suspension all that much and might just be extra weight, that being said, I was looking into the Misceo 2 and wondering if the components on that model are as good as the Roam 2. I guess the main thing for me is which model will give the most bang for the buck. (Provided both fit right)

MRT2

Are you saying you would prefer a solid fork, or that you want a suspension fork but don't think you want a lockout fork?

pizzalord

Oh yeah sorry I mean not have a suspension fork at all just a solid fork.

MRT2

I am absolutely not a fan of cheap suspension forks. The best I can say about them is, the ones I have ridden lately aren't as bad as the ones from 10 or 15 years ago. But I didn't want to insert my values into this discussion because I thought you wanted something suitable for riding trails on the weekends. That is why I suggested something like the Surly Troll at the beginning of this discussion.

If you want a solid fork flat bar commuter and not necessarily one purpose built for trails, gravel, cyclocross, or touring, there are more than a dozen brands that make something between $500 and $600. Giant makes the Escape 1 and Escape 2, Trek the FX7.2, and Specialized makes the Sirrus. Kona Dew, Jamis Coda (nice bike, btw), etc. .

mjrLV

So far, I've ridden to Roam 2, Specialized Crosstrail and today, the Trek 8.3

The Trek (19.5") felt best to me, maybe because of the longer top-tube length. I'm 5' 11" (longer torso).

You should check out the Trek bikes, the prices in the LBS are lower than what's posted on the Trek website.

I think I'm going with the DS 8.4, which is $899 on the website, but $820 at my LBS. It's more than the Roam 2, but better components.

I had originally thought I would settle on the Roam 2, because of price.

Hauptmann6

If you like the Roam, check out the Escape 2. Same price but a solid fork and a slightly longer top tube IIRC.

WestPablo

A rigid fork is more efficient than a suspended fork. Look to get dropped by other cyclists!

That said, I do prefer the Escape, but I also like that Giant Roam a lot!

Hauptmann6

The regular Misceo has a solid fork so if the trail fits you well. The Misceo 2 has disk brakes if you care for them.

pizzalord

I test rode a lot of bikes the past few days and I finally decided on the Raleigh Misceo 2.0 after re-thinking the whole front suspension thing. It pretty much has the same components as the Giant Roam 2 and it's 100 bucks cheaper after the rebate which Raleigh includes if you buy the bike in April. I'm not picking it up until after finals week though because I don't trust myself enough to not ride it non-stop. Thanks for all the input and advice everyone!

Maclin1

Not sure thread is still active but I hope this is helpful. I started to ride an Electra Townie 3 years ago as a way to get into cycling as an out of shape senior. Put about 4,000 km on it and found my back was giving me problems due to extreme upright riding position; also had outgrown the comfort bike thing. I purchased a Roam 0 in the spring of 2014 and after 2200 km can say I love the bike except for the mushy front suspension fork that I don't really need for urban cycling. I switched out the fork for a rigid Gusset Jury fork and absolutely love how the bike rides and handles. In terms of overall bang for the buck I think the Giant Roam series is outstanding.

ColonelSanders

Was the front suspension fork on your Roam mushy even when locked out?