Originally Posted by winston63

Hi Fred,

I tried sending you a private message, but the forum software won't permit that until I get more posts! So, I'll add to my post count and try to answer your questions here.

I don't know if the ride differences are huge between the AWOL and the AWOL Comp. Originally I rode the stock AWOL and I liked it enough to buy it. However, in thinking about it, I decided to splurge and I ordered the Comp even though my dealer didn't have one in stock. So it was a couple of weeks from riding the original AWOL to me picking up the Comp and I didn't have a chance to do a side-by-side comparison.

The Comp does have some frame differences and uses SRAM Apex with a dual chain ring whereas the AWOL goes with a triple and Shimano Sora. But I found the Shimano just fine really. If I'd never heard of the Comp I'd be happily riding a stock AWOL instead.

The bike is wonderful to ride on the road, but you'll never mistake it for a speedy road bike! That's partly due the relatively heavy steel frame, the big tires (700 x 42) and the long wheel base. But the bike handles nicely under load - yesterday I had to pick up groceries and beer on the the way home from work and I found the ride was stable and balanced. It was hard to tell that I had the extra weight, well, except when climbing some steep hills, but all I noticed was my legs getting a greater workout.

I think the base AWOL is a wonderfully versatile bike and I would have happily bought it. The frame and the tires make for a really nice ride and do a great job of absorbing bumps in the road - I have a couple of rickety wooden bridges I cross and riding over those on my Kona is a bone-shaking experience! Not the case with the AWOL where it seems to smooth out a lot of that.

My one complaint (and this goes for both the AWOL and the AWOL Comp) is the saddle. It really didn't work for me, but replacing that has made the Comp such an incredibly pleasant ride.

Good luck!