Having read old threads till my eyeballs hurt (thanks for all the wonderful info, btw), I have to resort to asking you guys for questions.
My old bike (28" 7-gear Nexus Nishiki) has been retired to winter bike status with required changes for riding in snow, slush, on ice and sub-zero temps (centigrades).
So, while I don't 100% *need* a new bike, I'm in the market for one.
My commute is short c. 7.5 miles, but I have no car so I drive practically everywhere where I don't have to take a train or a plane. I'm 183cm (6') and 63kg (140lbs).
The bike needs to transport me in the city, on some non-paved forest roads (not off road) and do it cleanly. No mountains here, but this isn't the Netherlands either, so enough of hills for me to appreciate gears.
For simplicity and hassle-free system I've liked IGH systems a lot. Good maintenance once a year, otherwise just basic cleaning and that's it.
I prefer a more relaxed riding position and ability to stand a bumpy ride. So drop bars and road bikes are out of the question for me. Doesn't have to be 100% dutch style upright either. Plenty of wind here, sometimes it's nice to crouch even if only a little.
So I need basic city/commute bike with a full set of fenders, rack and hopefully a fully enclosed chainguard. Belt drive is an possibility. 700cc/28" tires preferred. As hassle-free as possible and reliable. Hopefully built to last.
With that said, I've narrowed myself down to these, which I can order within EU easily:
Cube Hooper 2010
http://www.cube-bikes.de/xist4c/web/..._id_36155_.htm
+ Alfine IGH, Alfine hydraulic disc brakes (KS5012, 160 mm), ALU frame, plain-old chain, internal cable routing
Norco Ceres 2010
http://www.norco.com/bikes/urban/belt-drive/ceres/
+ Alfine IGH, Shimano mechanical disc brakes (BR-M416, 160mm), ChroMo frame, gates belt drive
Giant Seek 0 2010
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/....0/4864/38991/
+ Alfine IGH, Giant hydraylic disc brakes (Giant Root, gold ed.), ALU frame, chain
I also looked at Kona Dr Fine, Felt X-city 1, but ruled them out. Also looked at the Trek Soho, but the Nexus (non-premium) hub and somewhat weakish roller brakes left me wondering. I like the bikes hassle-free setup otherwise.
Smaller US/CAN brands are out, GBP is too expensive now, so UK brands are out as well. All of the above are roughly the same price (c. 1000EUR + fenders/rack/lamp).
All have disc brakes, Alfine IGH and can be fitted with basic fenders / rack. Not sure I can find a compatible
hebie chainglider for the gates belt drive and not sure I really need one on it or not.
Not being able to test any of these, so I must buy based on images/specs. The local shops pretty much all sell the cheapest possible Chinese nexus-7 or expensive MTBs, which I don't want. Can't test any of the Alfine bikes anywhere. I can *order* them at several LBSs, but they don't have them in stock for testing.
With all that said, I'm confused about the following:
- how important are the geometry differences between the abovebikes - if any?
- mechanical or hydraulic disc brakes - does it make much of a difference?
- CroMo vs Alu? I'd prefer something softer for my aging wrists than hard alu, but corrosion is an issue at my latitudes with plenty of water/salt on the roads, although I do have a dedicated winter beater bike now
- internal cable routing? does it turn out to be a bad idea in the end, even if it looks clean?
- maximum tire size (width) - how can I tell? Was planning on testing something floatier, perhaps even Big Apple type tires, and definitely not the 22 that come standard on the Cube Hooper
- if I decided to upgrade at some point to another hub, maybe even Alfine 11 (when it comes out), I wonder which frame would be most versatile for different options?
I'd really appreciate any help, pointers and "not to do"s. As you may notice, I'm not that much of a guru on bike tech, but I do like to ride and would like to make a decent purchase.