jetsfaneh

Hey all! I have decided to retire the mountain bike and go for my first hybrid. Looking in the $500 and have narrowed it down to the Cannondale Quick 6, Kona Dew, Trek 8.1 DS or Giant Roam 3. These all being in the same price range.

So far I am finding the following between them all:

- The Kona Dew feels like it is more of a commuter bike that wouldn't do so well with rougher terrain.
- The Giant Roam 3 with it's suspension fork seems to lean more towards a mtb and has quite a bit of weight to it.
- The Cannondale Quick 6 and Trek 8.1 DS (or one of the FX series in this price range) seem to fall somewhere in-between these other two bikes.

I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on any of these bikes or the differences between them. Right now I am leaning towards the Cannondale. The Trek fits me well but my last mtb was a Trek and it wasn't the best experience which makes me hesitant on going back to that brand. Lots to like about the Dew and Roam though which is why they are on my short list even though I seem to be in-between sizes of Giant bikes.

Any opinions or recommendations or advice is very much appreciated. I thank any contributors to this thread in advance!

NormanF

Basically performance hybrid bikes come in two versions:

One are Dual Sport bikes which are meant to be ridden on and off road.

The other are flat bar road bikes which are meant for fast riding on the road.

Which bike you need depends on where you live and the kind of riding you're doing.

ColonelSanders

Interesting that you feel the Roam is more mountain bikish than the Trek DS.

I haven't ridden either, but I would have thought the Trek DS would be fairly mountain bikish too.

The Roam has better specs than the Trek 8.1 DS.

jetsfaneh

It's the suspension fork on the Roam that makes it a little bulkier than the rigid fork of the DS.

What specs do you think are better on the Roam? Just the overall components?

jetsfaneh

I live in the mainly flat prairies. Mostly concrete riding but want some off road capabilities. Not going to do much straight commuting although that may change. Mostly this is for recreation and fitness.

NormanF

Sounds like you might want a DS bike. A flat bar road bike can also handle mild dirt and non-technical single track riding. It depends on what you want to do with the bike.

WestPablo

On a $500 budget, you're not going to purchase a bicycle with great componentry by shopping at a regular brick & mortar bicycle shop. The best bang for your buck will be found online.

Currently you have today only to cash in on the 30% sale being held at Performance. There you will find hybrids that are much better equipped than any of the bicycles that you currently have listed:

Find Bikes, Cycling Clothing, Bike Parts & Bike Shoes Or Your Local Bike Store at Performance.

Call customer service for sizing suggestions

Checkout the following "Racing Bikes":

1) Fuji Absolute 2.0 LE * $420
2) Fuji Absolute 3.0 LE * $315
3) GT Attack 3 * $420
4) Diamondback Haanjo Flat Bar CX Bike * $560
5) Fuji Sportif 2.0 LE * $560
6) Diamondback Century 1 Road Bike * $490

* Indicates 30% discount already deducted

Otherwise, just go to Amazon and get the Marin Muirwoods 29er @ $450

The Muirwoods seems to have the greatest off road capability than most of the others listed above. If I were you, living in the Prairies, I'd stick with a MTB and just get a 29er with lockout...Something like the GT Karakoram at * $525

ColonelSanders

The shifters, the brakes, the front derailer, the rear derailer, the crankset, the cassette.

Also the Fork on the Roam has lock out on the suspension, which the DS 8.2 lacks.

I should add that the Roam 3 is better spec'd than both the Trek DS 8.1 & 8.2

jetsfaneh

Bump!

mwl001

I just bought a Giant Roam 2, but was seriously considering the Roam 3. In the end I really wanted the disc brakes, but the Roam 3 is a fantastic value, one of the best out there if you want a lockout fork and center-pull brakes. I also cross-shopped other bikes and really did like them all -- Trek DS, Cannondale Quick, Specialized Crosstrail. I think just based on specs the Giant beats them all, either on features, price or both. It's not such a huge gap though that if one of those bikes fits you better, you should strongly consider them; they're all high quality.

Wanderer

If you are looking at the FX line, you should also consider the Giant Escape - more bang for your buck IMHO.