Thank you so much ! This is exactly the kind of calculation I had been looking for. The lady in the store said it in a more qualitative way but didn't explain it very well. Of all the differences between the two bikes, the difference in gears was the only one that concerned me, and maybe the adjustable stem. I found the handling of the one without suspension great. They didn't have the shift 2 in store. Actually I have noticed this year that they seem to have less bike inventory in the stores than previous year. I am trying to fine tune my options but in the end I am very happy to have found a bike I really like.
Diana
Originally Posted by
VegasTriker
The MSRP for the Trek Shift 1 woman's version is $440 and for the Trek Shift 2 woman's version is $550. I would agree with one of the previous posts in that front suspension on one of these bikes doesn't make them much more comfortable and does add some additional weight. Here's a comparison for the two when it comes to drive train. The Trek Shift 1 has 7 speeds and a gear range of 14 to 76.5 gear inches. The Trek Shift 2 has 21 speeds and a gear range of 21 to 94 gear inches. The idea behind "Gear Inches" is to be able to compare gears on vastly different bikes that may have different sized wheels. In this case the two bikes are similar with the same wheel size so it just shows you the Trek Shift 2 has a wider gear range compared to the Trek Shift 1 However, the lowest gear on the Shift 2 is 50% higher than the lowest gear on the Shift 1. The lowest gear on either bike should be OK
Lots of us got by with far fewer gears when we had our first bikes years ago but having more gears makes it easier for you to find the sweet spot for ease of pedaling. Only you can decide whether or not paying $100 more for the second model is worth it. Ride both for a mile or two with varying terrain and see which one works best for you.
Modifying either bike with a 3-speed internal rear hub (which with the 7 speed cassette gives you 21 speeds) is probably out of the question. The SRAM dual-drive which is what was described above will cost you half again what the cost of the Trek Shift 2 costs. I have bought just a rear wheel with SRAM dual-drive and it cost me $300. It was a good quality wheel but even rebuilding the existing wheel with Dual-Drive will be more than $200 plus labor.