hi all,
sorry if another category exists, I did not know where to post it else;
i want to buy a new bike to commute work work but also do some nice raids on the weekends.

I am hesitating between following :

trek zketor 3
Cube SL road pro
canyon roadlite al 5.0

is there one that has def. better specs ? os something that sould be avoided ?

thanks again for you help

The specs are pretty much the same with all three bikes. Trek has 48/32 chainrings vs the standard compact 50/34 on the other two. If you ride on hill terrain that might make a difference with the same 11-32 cassette,

I like the Canyon, if for no reason other than the fact that it weighs almost a pound less than the Cube, and more than a pound less than the Trek.

If it's a commuter, you would likely want a bike with fenders. Even if you don't ride in the rain, sometimes the streets can be wet for hours after it stops, leaving a dirty stripe down your back.

You might also want to look at bikes that can have a rear rack installed. If you are commuting and need to carry anything, the last place you want it is on your back. The difference moving the weight from you to your bike makes is huge.

To me, none of these look to be good "commuter" options. If you really want to do these two different things, you may wish to consider two different bikes.

All three bikes have mounts for fenders and racks.

These are made for commuters. Did you even read any of the information on the bikes? They are exactly what the OP wants--something light and quick for riding to work and be a good fitness bike on the weekend. Any one of those bikes would be perfect for it.

Kind of amusing that OP asks about a dual-purpose bike and you tell him to buy two bikes.

The Canyon is the best looking bike of the three. They all look like they would satisfy your needs. Have you test ridden a drop bar bike?

[MENTION=381746]mcours2006[/MENTION]
thanks for the help, the weight was the only difference I saw , but since I am not an expert on the parts quality I just wanted this opinion. helps a lot

[MENTION=193121]harshbarj[/MENTION]
I have been commuting for couple of years now ( my previous bike got stolen so just looking to replace an old bike i was using ever since). My rides are mainly outside of the city so i dont want an "urban city bike" my idea here is to have rather sport and light bike that would be practical enough for commuting

[MENTION=147742]blackieoneshot[/MENTION]
thanks it starts to look like canyon may be the best option the only drawback i have is that not quite possible to try out

Why do you say that? I commute frequently with a small Camelbak Blowfish back pack on. It doesn't weigh me down, doesn't hinder my vision, and allows me to carry a few things. Plus, my blinky taillight clips nicely to the bottom front of the bag, putting my taillight more in line with a driver's line of sight. Granted, I have a short commute and do not have a bike with rack or fender mounts. I have no plans to buy myself a new bike any time soon, especially since i just bought my son a new bike.

If you have a long commute, like over an hour, that backpack against your back is going to be one sticky mess of sweat on you backside. On my 50-60 minute commute I begin to feel the sweat on my back at about the 30 minute mark if I'm wearing a backpack, but without the backpack I can make it all the way without much sweat on the back. That the difference.

I do have a bike with rack and panniers, but I find it to be too much of an aerodynamic drag. I'll only use it when I have loads to carry, and even then I'll still wear my backpack.

I don't know how long the OP's commute is. Mine is under 3 miles each way, and takes about 15 minutes each way. I don't assume most bike commuters are riding 50-60 minutes each way, but I could be wrong. I tend to drop off stuff i need at the office (a few days office attire, lunch and breakfast items for my office fridge and desk "pantry.") That way I can ride with very few items in my pack, but it's where I put my wallet, keys, office lanyard, phone, tire pump, bike multi-tool...

Those bikes look pretty indistinguishable if it weren't for the brand decal.

Anyone can ride with a pannier, or top bag, or bar bag, or saddlebag, or fanny pack, or messenger bag, or backpack, if they want to. A backpack is easy for starters because you probably already have one. I don't like the sweat either but I often do it anyhow because it's easy to switch bikes.

I think all of those bikes will work, but depending on how long/far you plan to ride, I would also suggest looking into a drop-bar style bike. I only have a 7 mile commute to work, but when I ride for fun, I tend to ride much further. Having the variety of hand positions (which also changes my seating posture/height), has been greatly appreciated.

I have to echo a few comments.

Look for a bike that can add a rack and/or fender. You may not need it, but if you find that you do want one later on, it's much easier to add one to a bike that has the mounts for it. Although I have a short commute, I do not care for the amount of sweat buildup on my back on the way to work. Additionally, I had a lower back injury a while ago. Since then, I have noticed that my back sometimes gets irritated if my backpack is full. So I just ordered a rear rack that I will strap my backpack to. It is very easy for me to add and remove a rack to my bike (just 4 screws) since it was rack-ready.

Also, if you have some steep hills along your route, definitely look at the gearing. 11-34 on the Trek & Canyon will give you a slight edge over the 11-32 cassette on the cube. Between the 48/32 on the Trek and the 50/34 on the Canyon, I'm not sure there is much difference except that the Trek might handle up-hills slightly better but the Canyon will go faster down them. Either way, the shift points will be similar (and you will do a lot of shifting with these wide cassettes...which I don't mind now that I have gotten used to them).

One final thing...If you have crappy roads or paths, then make sure the bike you find can accept a decently wide tire. Mine came with 700x30's but could accept up to 40's. I ended up throwing on some 35's that are not knobby or heavy (made by Compass Bicycles), and it greatly improved my comfort more than any other upgrade I have tried.

thanks all for your advice,
my commute is pretty short indeed , around 5 miles I would say and since i have everything in my office, i m not considering a heavy back pack, I already use small bags for the small stuff

i think the fitness bikes are usually ready for racks?
i havent seen similar bikes with with a drop bar(i may have mistaken them for more expensive road bikes though) it does sound like a good idea

my roads are mainly very good conditions, not even red lights since i work outside of the city but i think just to be safe i would put at least 32 tires .

Trek is at my LBS, just not that one, currently.. they all disc brake hybrids?

test ride them all , in person.. web surfing bikes you cannot test ride is not so good..

like the dealer for the service after the sale? commuting means upkeep of your transportation.







....

What is your ride experience? How long have you been riding? What type of rides are you wanting to do on the weekends?

I commute to work on a Trek Emonda, my ride was 15 miles one way until about a month ago. Now it is 8 miles one way. I use a backpack some days but most days I will ride with a cycling jersey to put my keys, phone and wallet in. I have clothes and everything else at the office.

Like others have suggested having a drop bar bike gives you a few more hand positions and depending on which bike the seating position can be a bit relaxed as well, which is why I purchased my bike.

Keep us updated on what you get and good luck!

thanks all for your replies...makes me think a lot ...
my riding experience is - today every day rain , snow, sun i ride my bike for couple of years now , i plan road rides.. how far ? as long as i can in one probably

I have been looking around for bikes with dropped bar as you guy suggested .. and since i rather have disc brakes , git stuck with a different choice
i have abandoned trek zektor idea and canyon (i think crossrip from trek could be a better choice )
but cube seem to offer quite a nice range of bikes that i may like .... they are a bit more sportive from what i originally planned but i do not mind, and i change at work anyway so does not make that much difference...

obviously the more i look the higher my budget goes )) so now im checking this:

cube CROSS Race

Most major manufactures have at least one drop-bar bikes that aren't just road racers (aka, have disc brakes and can accept bigger tires). Sometimes you need to look under the adventure, cyclocross, commuting, or touring/trekking sub-categories. What makes it confusing is that the sub-category might be under road bikes (most common), hybrids, or even off-road categories.

I have a Felt "Adventure" bike (under the road bike section) with drop-bars, hydraulic disk breaks (a must for the hills I commute on), rear rack mounts, and a can fit up to 40mm tires (although they came with 30's which I upgraded to 35's). Unfortunately, it seems that they only have the most expensive version still listed on their website...which is a little more than what you were originally looking at. Looks like they still have a good selection of cyclocross bikes tho (you would just want to switch their stock tires with slick tires).

My Felt is very similar to the Specialized Diverge which I also really liked. I didn't get the Diverge because I was able to get much better components than I could on a similarly priced Specialized at that time.

You can also look at Trek, Giant, Salsa, Raleigh, Scott, etc...there is quite the selection and this segment is only growing since disc brakes are gaining in popularity.

Jamis Renegade is the correct answer.

Of course what if he aint got a Jamis dealer?, can he have yours?

I high recommend CUBE bikes. They're the best bang for the buck and usually designed/assembled in Germany rather than Asia, which is nice.

When I lived in Frankfurt, everyone rode CUBE.

I don't have a renegade, but yes, the dealer is less than 2 miles away... he is welcome to use them - joyride bikes.

indeed , no jamis dealer where i live, its a shame they look really good.
but i feel like i found the model i want now(and fits best my needs too ) - cube cross race !
good to hear cube bike have positive opinions!! thanks a lot for your help

#1, because it's true.

#2, because that places more weight on the rider and will cause you to exert yourself more.

#3, it creates a hot spot giving you a wet back.

Simply, if you can use a rack there is no good reason to use a backpack.