nixter

I cannot decide what bike is the best, I am going to try them out for feel but is there anything else I should look for? What do you guys recommend? I personally like the looks of the Bowery the best with the Pista coming in second.

Links to the bikes....
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/...le/1274/29363/

https://www.bianchiusa.com/07_pista.html

https://www.bianchiusa.com/07_san_jose.html

Southernwayfare

Strictly based on looks, I'd go with the Pista for the classic track look. Don't really like the sloping top tube on the Bowery.

What about the Raleigh Rush Hour - Skott's looks pretty nice...

The Specialized Langsters are another option. Check out the different "city" models

And there's always IRO

Check out the selection at Harris Cycles

nixter

The Raleigh Rush Hour looks pretty nice. Is Raleigh still a good name?

I checked at my local dealer for Langsters. They are numbered and they don't have my size in any. The Langsters also have the drop compact frame. Once other thing about Specialized... they want $700+ for there bike. Too much $$ in my opinion.

I will know later today when I ride them but I like the look of the drop on some bikes...the class frame looks nice too. There is just something about the compact frame that draws me in....IT'S A TRAP! ...

NeilMonday

Out of the 3 you have listed I like the Pista best. I ride a fuji track '06. Bought brand new for $399. Hard to beat that price for a fully ready to ride brand new bike.

schnee

San Jose goes anywhere (fenders and fat tires), Pista goes there in style (track looks), Bowery will go there and beat the hell out of you (aluminum frame).

nixter

So you are saying that Aluminum frames are more of a rough ride.

The Pista is very nice looking...

bonechilling

The San Jose is probably one of the most practical single-speed bikes for sale today. It's really an incredible value.

nateintokyo

the Raleigh Rush Hours look really nice in person and the decals are easy to remove (or they used to be, I dont know about this year's).

that said, those three bikes are all pretty different. I'd try to check them all out in person and test ride, then see what suits you best. they should all be approx the same quality-wise

schnee

Yeah. I owned a Bowery, and it was a decent bike (and built like a tank), but I felt every little pebble in the road and my hands would be numb within a few miles. I sold it and traded up to a steel frame.

I'veGotABikeSyd

that had nothing to do with the frame material: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html (The title says it is about touring but it is about material)

Out of what the OP is looking at, as mentioned before, San Jose is more cyclocross and the Pista is all track. I have a Pista and love it.

134k

I actually had a chance to test ride a Bowery before settling on a Pista. I liked the Bowery, as it comes with the flip flop hub with a SS cog threaded on the other side. But there was a noticeable difference in feel between the two bikes. I'm new to the whole SSFG thing, though I came from a roadie bike, and well the Bowery just felt like another road bike to me.

schnee

Materials do not 100% dictate what a frame feels like, but you'd be an idiot to deny that they influence it strongly, especially at lower price points. Example... sure, a carbon frame can be made to be cushy, whippy, bone-jarring stiff, etc. but it has certain characteristics (muting of road noise) that are endemic to the material and have to be actively engineered around to change. That takes money, and drives up costs, and is the last thing to be considered on a dirt-cheap entry level bike.

cc700

the bowery is heavy. if you want that compact street-ready style get a langster.

out of those three i'd want the san jose.

lamalex

The bowery is all of the negatives about aluminum, with none of the positives. It's heavy as a steel frame, but rides like aluminum. If you want an aluminum frame wait for the 2008 Pista aluminum.

bonechilling

Didn't we figure out that the 2008 aluminum Pista was just the replacement for the concept? No exactly an entry level bike.. unless I'm wrong, and they're making a sub-$1000 aluminum track bike.

lamalex

I think we did figure that out. I don't think he /really/ wants an aluminum frame anway, I was just talking smack on the bowery, not really hyping up the pista alum.

streetlightpoet

I am on my second San Jose just because I missed the first one so much after selling it. If you do go after a san jose, look to make sure it has the flip/flop rear (they aren't originally spec'ed with them, but batches have come with the Pista wheelset)

nixter

Good news and bad... I bought the San Jose after riding all three, but after paying before leaving I took another ride on the Bowery. I like the small frame...but I don't like that I cannot add fenders or more knobby tires should I want to venture out in the dirt trail. They salesman, who was really a bike mechanic and rider, said I should stick with the San Jose because it would ride better for a bigger guy like me ( 6'2" 300lbs ) than the smaller aluminum frame. Plus I could put fenders on for winter if needed and I could still run the road tires I wanted.

I told them I would be back today or tomorrow to pick up the biker or exchange for the Bowery.

Thoughts now since it is between those two?

thanks for all the help so far, even thought according to 666pack I picked the most *****exual bike.

deathhare

It sounds like youve delegated your choices to only what your LBS has on the floor.

krash

hopefully 6'2" 300lb is not a long term plan.

You are going to break spokes, burn through hubs and bottom brackets, and bend pedal spindles many times over long before you break either of the frames. The steel (Bianchi) will flex more and generally feel a lot better on the road with high pressure tires once you drop some weight.

And btw PM me if you are interested in no-hype weight loss info that worked great for me (formerly 5'11.5" 265lb).

nixter

Well I have already lost 35lbs this summer just biking 3 times a week on an old steel centurion. It is too small and uncomfortable to do anything but sit up right. I wanted to get something that was more comfortable to ride.

nixter

What would any of you recommend for riding on a paved trail not very many hills for around 20 miles a pop and about 1-2 times a month on a flat dirt trail.

krash

Well once you get below about 220lb then I think you'll find the difference between an ultra-rigid alu frame like the Giant and a typical steel road frame to be night and day. So if you are going to hang onto the bike and stick with it long enough to get there, then I think I'd buy steel. Otherwise, well the alu may feel a lot stiffer and better given your current weight.

One thing I noticed as i dropped 85lb and rode MTBs all the time is that the more weight I lost, the more I felt like my bikes were too small. I don't really know why. My MTB I bought when I was 265lb was an 18" and I switched to a 19" when I got below 250 and then finally a 20" with a real long top tube after I got below 190. Now I ride that 18" and it feels like a toy. Either way you are going to fit differently on a bike when you are 100 lb lighter than you do now, and the bike is going to feel very different. What might feel spongy and flexy to someone 220 lb may translate to "energetic" to a 160 lb guy. Likewise what might feel "solid" to a 220 lb person could become "harsh" for someone 160 lb. So it's hard to really figure you're going to end up on something that's going to keep you happy for a long time. I say this from my own personal experience.

krash

I'm not the guy you are replying to but I'd recommend a Redline monocog 29er and a spare set of wheels with 28c tires.

cc700

surly crosscheck?