Originally Posted by
bubbagump
I am a newbie trying to make a decision between two bikes with about $600s price difference -- Giant Escape 3 vs. Giant Fastroad SLR 1 (formerly Escape RX composite). My reason for this bigger price range is that:
currently my kid is young, so I will spend more time biking with them, Escape 3 seems to be a good choice. Then I think 2-3 years later, I can spend more time on road bike myself. At that time I can sell my Escape 3 and then buy an entry level performance bike (e.g., defy 3). Then I found Fastroad SLR 1 (2015), which is a hybrid and leans toward more like a performance bike.
So my question is:
Should I buy a Giant Escape 3 now and then switch to a performance bike 2-3 years later; or
Should I simply purchase Giant Fastroad SLR 1 (which allows to do both sporty and performance) and stay with it for a few more years.
Thank you.
At a glance, the FastRoad looks like a road bike with flat bars instead of drops. Nice bike, and if you want the performance of a road bike but with flat bars (and in this case disc brakes) by all means, go with the Fast Road. On the other hand, if you think the bike you really want is a drop bar road bike, just buy the Defy3, or Defy 2 now. (full disclosure. I just test rode a 2014 Defy 3 at the lbs and really liked it.) There is no reason you can't ride around the neighborhood with the kids on a road bike. If you think you will be doing a lot of upright riding on the tops, just install a set of interrupter brake levers on the tops for an extra measure of safety. If you are really going that slow, you aren't likely to be doing a lot of shifting anyhow.
Now, if your plan is just to buy a cheaper bike now for riding around with kids, that is fine. Just don't plan on getting much for it in 2 or 3 years. Entry level hybrids don't really hold their value and you will do better just keeping it as an extra bike for around town use, or to lend to friends or out of town guests.