Hi all,

I am looking to purchase a new bike to replace a cheap road bike that lost the battle with the front end of a car. I want something that I can easily commute with, run some errands like grocery shopping, and do some fun fitness rides on the weekends. I've narrowed it down to four choices, and want your help deciding which would be best. I'm going for speed, comfort, cost, in that order. I'd like to keep cost below $1000 as the bike will be parked outside of work and used on a college campus in the near future, so I dont want to be out anything substantial when it disappears.

A bit about me: I live in MN, and want to commute as much as possible throughout the year. I am a cross country runner, in good shape. I commute to school every morning (less than half a mile), Run after school, and bike to work after the run (about a 4 mile ride). I generally have about 45 minutes between the end of my run and start of my shift, so timing/ speed is crucial. I'd also like a bike that I can take out on the weekends and have some fun with, regardless if its on paved or dirt trails.

Here are the four bikes I'm looking at now, but am open to suggestions:

Specialized Allez- Specialized 2016 Allez Base Road Race Bike
-Amazing frame
-low end components
-rim brakes- bad for winter riding

Giant Defy 5- Giant Defy 5 - The Hub Bike Co-op - Your Twin Cities Bike Shop 55406 612-729-0437
-Same as specialized, with lower quality frame
-Cheapest acceptable road bike I could find
-Still has rim brakes

Giant Roam 2- Giant Roam 2 - The Hub Bike Co-op - Your Twin Cities Bike Shop 55406 612-729-0437
-Heavier than a road bike, but not a true mountain bike
-Good front fork shocks, and hydraulic disk brakes- huge pluses for all weather riding, fun trail riding
-Cheapest set up on the list w/ mid high range components
-Flat bar

Jamis Nova Sport- Jamis Nova Sport - The Hub Bike Co-op - Your Twin Cities Bike Shop 55406 612-729-0437
-Cyclocross, best of all worlds
-Disk brakes, not hydraulic, but better than rim
-Same components as Defy 5/ Specialized
-Likely the most expensive option

(I linked to the lbs I intend to buy from)

The Allez and the Defy are road bikes. They will suck in winter because they won't accept wide, winter tires. Most road bikes also lack mounting hardware for fender and/or rack/pannier. The mountain bike will have low gearing and accept wide tires, but I'm not sure that a suspension fork in winter weather is a good choice. The Jamis has 32c tires, which is probably a good choice for winter riding. How secure/safe is the parking area at work? A cyclocross or touring bike seems like it might be a decent choice here.

Parking area isn't great, I have the option of a very busy street corner, just outside the doors of the building, or a long the street/sidewalk by a pedestrian entry to the building. All are wide open in public, but the area is so heavily traveled I'm not sure anyone would notice someone trying to rip a bike off.

Winter riding isn't the be all end all for me, just a nice to have when the streets are decently plowed.

If you're not going to do any riding but 4 miles to/from work, get the mtn bike, but if you might do recreational rides (on roads) go for the Jamis.

That said, try them both out on 30-60 minute test rides, if you can, and the one you like to ride more is the one you will ride more.

MN Winter will return ... Studded tires need a wider tire capacity than road bikes make possible..
so a Hybrid/ Cross/ MTB category of bike will help, disc or drum brakes work in foul weather..

MY best bike when the roads are black Ice is an Old MTB I built drum Brake wheels for
and use Finland Made studded tires.

Thats kinda what I figured. I think I'll be pulling the trigger on the Jamis soon. If I ran somewhere between 30c-35c studded tires would that be thick enough for most winter riding? I'd like to save myself the cost of having to get a second set of wheels on top of the tires..

Just a question -- is your disaffection with rim brakes based on personal experience or received wisdom? My winter beater has v brakes and I've never had a problem with them in Massachusetts winters. For that matter, my touring bike has v brakes, and I haven't found them a problem in wet conditions, either. FWIW

Personal experience.. I find they get to be abnoxiously noisy very quick, and don't provide nearly the stopping power needed should a situation turn dire (I once rolled into an intersection because my brakes would not hold well enough going downhill). On the other hand, maybe a set of quality rim brakes and some TLC will change my mind

Those frames are incredibly similar, neither one would be considered "amazing". Good? Absolutely. Giant likely makes both frames, and they are both entry level, so I wouldn't expect any magical tubing.

As others have mentioned though, both would be a poor choice as a year round commuter rig. A hybrid/fitness bike or cyclocross bike will be a better bet. The Surly Cross Check deserves a mention here as it is the king of the "do it all" commuters. There are lighter/faster/fancier bikes out there for sure, but the CrossCheck is more than adequate for most.

I like my allez, but racks and tires are definitely limited for it. It is also pretty aggressive.

I built up a set of 26" drum brake wheels .. they are great, functionally ,
Smooth modulation, so the braking on ice wont loose traction
(like hitting disc brakes too hard, may. ) in 1990.. they're on an old rim brake MTB frame..

I would look for a bike with eyelets for full fenders that can accommodate 32mm tires.

You can commute less than 10 miles on pretty much anything. If I had your budget, I would try to find a light touring or hybrid bike with drop bars and mudguard eyelets. I'd also try to buy steel. If it doesn't support less than 32mm tyres with fenders, then I wouldn't bother with it. I'm quite happy with my 700c x 40mm, disc brakes, flat bars, aluminium frame, and rear rack but I commute in all weather, ride further, and had about half of your budget.

99% of the time they worked well for me through winter. Each winter I'd have two or three incidents where they wouldn't due to cable freeze, mechanical elements frozen, or ice on brake pad. Only had one frozen cable but that convinced me of the value of coaster brakes (besides other advantages).

Coaster are near 100% reliable in all conditions, roller near 100% reliable in all conditions unless cable freeze. Coaster rear and roller front is my strong recommendation for people in winter environments.

I also live in the Twin Cities and commute year round. My main reaction is that you're better off avoiding Erik's and getting something they sell at the Hub. I've bought lots of stuff, including bikes, from both. The advice, service, and workmanship you get at the Hub is night-and-day better.

I also agree with the other posters who've said that properly working rim brakes work fine in even the worst conditions. I've used cantilevers and v-brakes through the winters and I've never had trouble with either. I don't think the Hub sells the Jamis Aurora, which I've always thought looked like a perfect commuter. They also have a location where they sell refurbished used bikes; you can get a LOT more bike for the money going that route.

You need a bike that fits at least 32mm studded tires for the winter. You'll need fenders, and it's a lot easier if your bike has mount points. You'll probably want a rack, but it's easy to get around a lack of mount points for that using p-clamps. Don't get a suspension fork unless you plan to use the bike for recreational mountain biking in addition to commuting.

See you out there!