Originally Posted by
kivin
Not according to Giant's website, they don't. The Giant 3 has a Suntour NEX MLO, and the 1 has a NCX-D RL. Also, i don't know where you're from, but the Roam 1 is a $650 price difference from the Escape 3. In fact, it's close to 3x my budget.
If you read all the "same remarks," as you say, and still went with a suspension - you either knew what you wanted before you got peoples' opinions, or you were predisposed to a suspension in the first place. Since I'm not in the know, I have to weigh everybody's opinions equally and far, far too many people have told me to run the other way with shocks, the Roam specifically, etc.
In fact, the detractors have specifically made remarks about those shocks' unsuitability for city driving, as opposed to heavy off-roading, which I've specifically said in all of my threads is not part of my use-case.
Craigslist doesn't really get much use up here. We have a similar site called Kijiji, a.k.a. Ebay classifieds. But frankly, I don't have the time to stalk them for the right deal, and I don't have the expertise to know what I'm buying or screen it for value and buyer safety. Furthermore, people have told me that the Ontario second-hand market is particularly cut-throat and the best deals get snatched almost incredibly quickly by people "in the know."
As for crossing, it would be an option if there was something specific that I was looking for. But at this point, more options doesn't really increase my buying power; after all, I don't know enough to make a good cross-examination. Local bike stores up here habitually don't have websites, so I would be driving blind without knowing who's out there, and what products they sell. I was willing to drive to Ottawa to snag a good deal on Explore City models, but it turns out that store doesn't sell bikes- at all! They advertise bikes on their website even though only their chains in Toronto and elsewhere sell them...
All in all, it's not worth me driving hours out of my way to potentially find more models that I know nothing about.
Roam 1 (2015) (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States
SR Suntour NEX HLO w/ preload adjuster & lockout, 63mm travel
Roam 3 (2015) | Giant Bicycles | United States
SR Suntour NEX HLO w/ preload adjuster & lockout, 63mm travel
The price difference between the Roam 3 and the Escape 3 is $100 using the giant website pricing. I was comparing it to the bike you are looking at buying. I didn't see you were in Canada until your last post. Maybe the models they offer are different there. I spent a weekend working in Toronto once. The downtown area I was in was nice. Good food and great vibe. I'm in SE Wisconsin so our climate isn't much different.
My last bike was a mid 90's mountain bike that I "converted" into a hybrid. It has no suspension. I didn't know what I wanted and wasn't pre disposed to a suspended frame. I read all the comments and then test rode the actual bikes. The Roam and Specialized Crosstrail were the last bikes I test rode. All the internet experts had convinced me buying a bike with a suspension fork that doesn't cost more than the bike i was buying would self destruct and bounce me all over the road. Getting on them and seeing first hand how it rides is what convinced me. They were wrong. It was perfect for the type of riding I do, city driving on crappy roads and the occasional sidewalk, gravel and dirt trails and locked out on the smooth rail to trail paths we have around here.
You sound defensive but I am not trying to tell you what to buy. This hobby is filled with people who are convinced that if you don't spend 2 weeks salary on your bike it's going to fall apart underneath you and be a horrible ride. This just isn't the case and for the most part the lower priced bikes are all going to do just fine for a majority of users. That doesn't mean the people who spend a lot of money and ride a lot won't notice or enjoy the benefit their more expensive parts bring.
Have you tried one of the Roam's or a Crosstrail?