cycling705

Hello,

- I need to purchase a fitness bike in order to get into better shape.
- I'll be riding mainly smooth pavements (bike paths, neighborhood streets, and back country roads).
- I want something that is comfortable, yet still has some performance capabilities - but not a road bike.
- I'm 6'0", 250 lbs.

I've been looking, researching, and test-riding for a while now. I've narrowed down my search to three bikes:

a. $329 - Giant Escape 3 (aluminum frame / steel fork):
Link - Escape 3 (2015)

b. $429 - Giant Escape 2 (aluminum frame / aluminum fork):
Link - Escape 2 (2015)

c. $599 - Trek 7.3 FX (aluminum frame / aluminum fork):
Link - 7.3 FX - Trek Bicycle

I realize that the Trek has better components (based on the price), but...

1. Do the differences between the Giant 3 and the Trek 7.3 really warrant spending an extra $270?
2. Is a steel fork a plus or minus for what I need?
3. When comparing bike components at this price range, is there really that much of a difference?
4. Is there anything else I should be concerned about?

Thanks in advance for everyone's help / advice. I value your comments.

Little Darwin

Random thoughts... some may be helpful to your decision making process.

I bought a 2011 7.3 FX at the start of the year, and love it. However, I have always thought of Giants as a great value for the dollar. My previous bike was a Giant, and I mostly upgraded to a newer bike to get the 700c wheels I recently started to wish I had gotten when I bought my Giant 10 years ago.

You should test them and see if one speaks to you. The things that matter to one rider can be meaningless to the next.

As far as durability and function of the low end groups, I haven't been able to tell a significant difference over the past decade or so.

However, a rear cluster with more gears is slightly more likely to have a gear that matches your sweet spot for a given speed and riding conditions, so you should consider that. In the case of these bikes, they go from 7-9 speed as the price rises...

bmidd

I went back and forth for 3 weeks over a Giant Cypress DX and the Escape 1 and bought the Cypress DX yesterday. I pretty easily hit 20mph on flat ground and it is so comfortable! I will probably ditch the pillow seat on mine. I had the LBS swap out the suspension seat post and install a rigid and ordered a set of Shimano M324 pedals(they were out of stock at the store). It beats the snot out of the mtb I was riding.

jkrazy

I don't consider the 3 bikes listed as competitors. The price differential speaks to that.

With that said, I would spend the extra dollars on the Trek or similarly outfitted Giant. In particular, I find the 9 speed much more desirable. To me the 1 or 2 extra gears greatly increased the enjoyment of peddling and shifting. It is certainly easier and cheaper to buy what you want now than to upgrade later.

Good luck with the fitness. Biking is a great way to do it.

linnefaulk

That looks really nice. Enjoy!

a1penguin

Giant makes great bikes and generally offers more product for the money than the big three (Specialized, Trek, Cannondale) offer. The Escape 2 is quite popular and people don't seem to have complaints with that model. I think you'll the Escape 2 component level is worth the additional $. I don't think the Trek is worth that much more. Can you find a 2014 model at a discount? Ask the LBS what older model sale bikes they have :-)

Fit is the number one most important criteria. If the bike doesn't fit well, it will sit and gather dust.

Grey.

Everything on the Trek 7.3 is an upgrade over the Escape 2, which to me is worth the extra cost. The Escape 1 would be more comparable.

I would avoid the Escape 2 either way simply because it's an 8-speed.

mrodgers

Also, if you are contemplating the Trek 7.3 for $600, the Escape 1 has a carbon fork for $600, which takes you to the FX 7.4 at $800 comparison. At least it was when I was looking in the spring with the 2014's.

saeyedoc

I bought a 7.3FX in the spring, love it, but wish I spent a little more for the 7.4 to get the carbon fork. Talk to me in a few months and I'll probably be wishing I had a 7.7

dnett_tex

Just wondering if you have made your decision yet. I too am looking at some of these same bikes. I eliminated the Escape 3 as I didn't want a high tensile steel front fork, and I liked the drive train on the 2 better. On paper the 2 looks like the best bike for me from an LBS. I like the Treks but not sure either 7.2 or 7.3 are worth the extra cost over the Escape 2.

The other bike I'm now considering is the Motobecane Cafe Sprint.
Save up to 60% off new Hybrid Bikes Motobecane Cafe Sprint

Blows away everything on this page for components and just $70 more than the Escape 2. Carbon fiber fork, Deore RD, 9 speed cassette, Alloy pedals with toe clips and straps, etc. Also no Sales tax if you're not in FL or TX. (doesn't help me) I'm pretty mechanical so not afraid to put it together myself and learn to tune and maintain. I know many here recommend against BD, but I'm happy to take responsibility for ensuring my bike is safe to ride. I figure if I can't learn how to put it together so it's safe, then how am I going to mange to keep it safe?

Grey.

There's a difference between maintaining a bike you know was built properly the first time, and building and maintaining a bike from a box of parts. Many LBS's also offer extended/lifetime tuneups and service.

That said, I don't think i've heard anyone speak against BD, they're solid bikes for cheap prices. I rode all of the bikes mentioned here before choosing mine and i'd be wary of buying a bike online without a test ride

dnett_tex

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think BD sends you a box of parts and expects you to assemble the entire bike. Well, technically they do send you a box, and it does contain parts, but that's not the way I read what you wrote. It's my understanding from reading the website that the bike comes 90% assembled, and just needs a few parts re-attached and then would need to tune it up and ensure everything is in working order. To me this seems like a valuable learning experience for someone who wants to tune and maintain their bike them self. I also plan to purchase a bike specific tool kit and the Park blue book.

Grey.

Go for it, not saying you shouldn't. I wouldn't recommend BD to the average buyer, but if you've decided that you are capable of assembling and tuning it yourself then i'm sure you can save some money that way.

memebag

OP:

Look at the Giant Escape City. It's an Escape 2 with SRAM components, trunk rack and fenders. And a bell! I bought one last September and I love it. I ride it on streets, multi-use paths, some gravel, in the rain and mud, and when all the other riders have big brown stripes up their backs, my fenders keep me clean. It isn't quite as fast as my road bike, but it's close.

jkrazy

Nice bike. Great price, even for BD. But that particular model is on close out. There is only the 15" model left and who knows how many of those.

If Giant is a little cheaper than Trek, BD is a little cheaper than Giant. The hardest part is not knowing if a particular bike will fit you or not unless you are a pretty experienced biker--which is not most of us.

dnett_tex

Wow, that sucks. I hadn't gotten to the point of checking stock. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Or the LBS.

So here is another direction I have been thinking. How similar, or different is a cyclocross bike from a hybrid? I know they have drop bars. Is Tricross a type of cyclocross? Are these primarily special purpose bikes, or could they make a good general purpose bike? Here is one that I am looking at on CL, although I think the frame is too small for me. (I'm 5-10) This looks like a hell of a lot of bike for the money.

Sorry, forgot to paste in the link. Here it is:
https://houston.craigslist.org/bik/4658389114.html

Daddy Wags

I have the Giant Escape 0 and my wife the Trek FX 3. I liked both the Trek and Giant when I was looking. The Giant Escape 1 for $650 retail is a lot of bike for the money and comes with a carbon fiber fork. The Trek 7.4 is a real nice bike also with a carbon fork.....helps smooth out the chipseal. If not a carbon fiber fork, I prefer a steel fork over an aluminum one. By riding them all, you will naturally find yourself moving in favor of one bike over the others.

dynaryder

BD bikes are straight off the assembly line,they're just sent to you instead of an LBS. While it's good to learn to do your own wrenching,not everything can be done by a novice. Setting up derailleurs and brakes isn't a big deal,but machine built wheels need to be finished(properly tensioned) by a human,and to do that right takes experience and proper tools. If you're not an experienced mechanic,then you should at least have a shop go over the bike after you put it together to make sure the wheels and brakes are right.

I told a poster over in Commuting that he should get his BD bike's wheels checked by a shop. He responded by saying they were fine because they looked straight when he spun them. I'm expecting to see him post in the Mechanics forum wondering why he's breaking spokes.

dnett_tex

Thanks. I appreciate the info. BD's web site leads you to believe that THEY do some of the assembly prior to shipping.

I'm not a novice with a wrench, but I am with bikes. Will the Park blue book show me how to tension the spokes?

dynaryder

They tell you how it's done,but you need a truing stand and some experience to do it right. It's easy to make a wheel egg-shaped by just turning the nipples and tapping the spokes for sound.

If you want a really good book on wheel building,you need to check out The Art of Wheelbuilding.

mrodgers

I don't understand why? I bought a bike at Walmart to ride with the kids in 2005. It was left out in the rain a lot once the oldest outgrew her bike and wanted to try riding mine. It sat in the garage for a long time until then. It was left out in the yard buried under 2 feet of snow all winter. She rode it in the spring. I cleaned up and adjusted the derailleurs and brakes in the fall and started riding it daily 8 years later. I rode it for 580 miles until winter hit. All that 3-4 months I rode it, it sat out in the rain or shine all day on a trunk mount bike rack on the back of my car every day. Now I ride a new bike and my daughter rides now and then and not a single spoke has broken. I have never touched anything over cleaning the derailleurs, brakes, and breaking the completely rusted and frozen chain loose again so it would spin again. Why are BD bike or LBS bike wheels so much worse than Walmart bike wheels?

dynaryder

They're not. You and your daughter either don't weigh much,or you have enough spokes to compensate for a bad one,or you just got lucky. Also,do you know the spokes are all good? Have you actually had the tension checked? If you have high spoke count wheels,it's entirely possible to have a bad spoke or two and it be not readily noticeable,but a mechanic could put the wheel on a truing stand and find them easily. Lots of folks riding around with wheels that need work,I see them all the time at my clinic. I can put a bike in my stand,spin up the back wheel,and it will have enough of a hop in it that it almost shakes the stand apart. And all the time the owner didn't notice a thing.

Shanej

I asked the guy at the local trek dealer how long it would take to setup a bike if I ordered one and he said it would be ready the same day it came in. He said they come fully assembled and they don't do much at all to them. I would be shocked if they are checking and tensioning every new wheel that comes through their store.

The giant dealer (different LBS) I bought my Roam 1 from couldn't even be bothered to tighten the stem or make sure the calipers were tight and centered. They sure as hell didn't tension any spokes.

These two LBS's are the biggest in my city.

dnett_tex

Hmmm... Starting to sound like all that service you're supposed to get with the LBS bike may not always be what it's cracked up to be. BD bikes are starting to look better and better. All the more reason to learn to do my own maintenance. When I do go to the LBS, I'm going to ask for a detailed description of what all they do when they set up a new bike.

Astrozombie

Giant Escape 3 or a Diamondback Insight. Generally a steel fork is better.