I was looking for a new bicycle that will replace my current hybrid Giant that has lasted me for close to 20 years (been riding it since middle school). I have been looking around for a minimalistic bike to replace it (since less stuff on it means less stuff can break on it). I ended up with these two bikes:

Trek 7.2 FX (also available in the disc brake version)
The Trek seems to get good reviews on the internet.

Giant Escape 1
As I've already had good experiences with Giant, I looked at their bikes as well. This one seems to get good reviews as well.


My question: both bikes have an aluminium frame, but how do I know which one is the best? Both companies claim to use some sort of high-tech aluminium that's amazing. Which one is more likely to last me another 20 years? Bonus question: With the Trek bike, I am also looking at the slightly more expensive disc brake version, as I heard that disc brakes put less stress on your wheels. Is this true?

Zero Difference the dealer will stand behind the new bike warrantee ... I only have a Trek dealer in my town lifetime of original owner, 1 year on components

These days Trek has Giant make their bikes under contract , following Trek's designs /parts picks.

FWIW, that was going on long before Giant started setting up their own Dealer distributor Chain around the Globe.

By now, They really are Huge.. Merida ia another Biggie , in contract bike Manufacturing..

Get the giant . I love my escape 3 but if I had it at the time would have gotten a escape 1 . Giant makes trek frames so either 1 is good . But I just feel like a company would make their own stuff just a little bit better than others . That's why I chose the giant over the trek FX which was my 2 choices also .

Oh and the giant frame looks sexier ...it just does .. trek looks run of the mil.

It's all a matter of what the best service is in your area. Anymore it would have to be one specific feature on a particular model of bike to get me to buy it. I don't pay a lot of attention to the decals.

Yea Pick the Dealer first.

Thanks for the advice guys, I did not know they have the same frames. As for warranty, that's not really a selling point for me. I expect to use my bike for a long time after the warranty expires, which is why the frame is so important to me. Everything else is easily replaceable, but replacing the frame basically means getting a new bicycle.
I have lots of good dealers in my area (I live in the Netherlands, we love our bikes), so that's not really an issue either.

I'm leaning more towards the Trek then, as it looks worse. That way, there's a slightly smaller chance of it being stolen.
Do you guys have any opinions on disc brakes vs rim brakes for durability?

If you crash, that frame, new or old, could end up in the recycle bin, so do keep that in mind!

- Andy

To the OP, it's all about trade-offs. Disc brakes are terrific especially in the wet, and they make you agnostic to a slightly wobbly rim. But, you'll need to become proficient in adjusting them, truing rotors when they occasionally get knocked, and dealing with how some of them squeel. I don't use them on my road bikes, but wouldn't hesitate if I had the opportunity. I'd pay the upcharge for them.

Since Trek has done the safety recall, pay attention to your front skewer locking. Watch for rotor interference. Why not flip the lever to the drive side in the front and be done with the problem?

The warranty (at least in the US) on the frame is lifetime (either yours or the company's, whichever come first).

Both rim and disc brakes should be durable, but rim brakes do eventually wear out the rim's braking surface - especially if you do lots of riding in the rain with grit from the road getting on the rims. Much easier to replace a disc than a rim. And rim brakes lose some effectiveness when wet.

The frames will probably last the same length of time. But as a forever bike, I would be looking for a nice steel frame. Having had an AL roadbike, I am not interested in owning another Al frame...except for mountain biking ventures. For whatever reason I don't mind an alloy mtb.

Aluminum should be fine. It may or may not last 20 + years, or perhaps you'll be ready for an upgrade before that time. I'd rather have a non-rusting frame for commuting.

Some brands of aluminum frames are susceptible to corrosion and salt damage though. Just ask your vendor about the warranty if you are purchasing it new. And, of course, it depends on your environment.

Also consider the used market (without warranty). You can often get a better bike for the same price, or the same bike for much less. Of course, a lot of used bikes need a good tune-up depending on the seller.

If you're riding longer than say 10 mile rides, also consider drop-bar bikes.

I would go for the Giant as it has a carbon fork. Alittle more money, but I feel it's worth it.

I don't know if you can really predict which will last the longest. Durability is important to me too, however, I think it's better to spend 10 years riding a bike you love than 20 years riding one you don't.

Test ride each one and buy the one you like riding the most.

I've just went through a brake battle in my head. I had Avid Shorty 6 in front and 4 in the rear (cantilever). I was thinking new fork and the rim vs. disc dilemma struck---hard. I decided to keep the steel fork and go to wider tires. That would erase the carbon ride advantage.

Since the current fork has canti brakes and I was tired of goofing with them (whenever they needed anything) I got rid of them and went to a V/linear Avid 5 set up. Getting front and rear complete off of eBarf for twenty bucks settled the deal. Kool Stop salmon pads were a natural. They set up and adjusted in seconds.....done.

The V/Kool Stop set up will skid either tire (Schwalbe Marathon Racer) wet or dry and is very easy to modulate to prevent that possible skid. No brake can stop the bike any faster. I don't care the system.

YMMV and FWIW:
I AM aware of how stupid I was.......all of the opposing arguments were taken into account in my bad decision.

May be you could inject the alu frame with a binary resin impregnated with glass fibres. then after letting it cure for a week or so, you could then ride your new "super-dura-forev-amaza-bike-a-ma-jig?

- Andy

Get discs. Rim brakes are a PITA.

- Andy

What is the problem with your 20 year old bike? If it is comfortable, keep it.

I have two commuters, one is a 1982 Schwinn World Tourist (made by Giant), and the other is a 1992 Schwinn Paramount Design Group (PDG) 70 series (made in Japan). Both are lugged steel. I would not trade either for any new bike I have seen.

That's news to me, but I've only been using rim brakes for 45 years or so...

Uh huh, but do you LOVE rim brakes, or do they piss you off as much as hey do me? I am DONE with rim brakes after the experience with my uptown. LOVE the bike, DISLIKE the brakes. I dislike it SO much, that when it comes time to replace the front rim, i'm going to get a dyno hub with integrated drum brake so i don't have to use the rim brakes unless i need to stop fast. My next 2 bikes will have coaster and disc respectively. I cannot WAIT!

Had the same rims for 12 years on my old bike.... rear rim will maybe last another year on this year old bike. NOT HAPPY. I'm not made of money!!

- Andy

Its also the primary reason I got a Gazelle with rollerbrakes rather than the Uptown with rim brakes. Daily use in the wet climate of the PNW eats up brake shoes and rims at an alarming rate.

Disc breaks are more reliable in wet/slushy/icy/snowy weather so I have them on my winter bike. They can also squeal like banshees if some crap gets on the rotors. Pad alignment can be a pain. Removing a wheel to change a tire can throw it off unless you get the wheel on exactly the same way, - quick release tightened the same amount, etc.

On the positive side, they aren't affected by wheel trueness. After reading for years about how great they were I was a little disappointed, but my expectations had been set pretty high.

I had a roller brake on a rear wheel for awhile. Probably didn't have the most stopping power and it weighed a ton. It also got draggy in cold weather because of the grease. But it was super easy to adjust (easier than any other type of brake I've used), worked decent in all weather, and was quiet. I like things that are quiet.

I can understand you being unhappy with a two year life span on your rims.

I probably should point out that I ride road brakes, SRAM Force to be specific, and yes I do love them. They are firm, easy to adjust, have plenty of stopping power and require very little attention. They look great, too.

I have also had them and the same rims for about 8 years now.

Doesn't the inside braking surface of a drum brake also wear..?

Well, on my old cruiser, the coaster brakes got used at 45 mph down a 27 percent grade in the park a few hundred times over the years especially early on. I don't know why i had a death wish, but i do know i could trust my single coaster brake. Towards the end it could stick a bit if i really jammed the pedal back, but that's to be expected after 12 years. As much as i love the rims i have, i think i'm going to stick to a soft pad/thick brake track rim policy. The rims that came with the bike are excellent. Sadly i used the brakes wrong and the pads i had on there were a bit hard and could pick up shards off the rim and then use it like a record cutting needle wearing grooves in. The new pads seem soft enough to not do that, and i'm happy to pay for a few sets of pads (12 dollars a pop vs 60 for a rim, plus new spokes, plus labor) and not worry as much about the rims. I'll get it figured out eventually

- Andy

I love rim brakes! The only discs I have are on my modern MTB, and they are mechanical not hydraulic. They are ok, I don't see them as some great improvement. I do like only changing the rotor and pad instead of lacing a new rim, but I have some old old rims that seem perfectly fine.