Jamos

Hey folks,
I'm new here, but have been reading up for a while...
so much great info on this board!

Here's my dilemma, I am looking to buy a new bike that I'll use mostly for commuting on pavement. Occasionally I'd like to take it on a packed trail/fireroad but that's definitely not the priority. I've been riding a 20yo MTB frame with street tires for the last 5 years, but am looking at a variety of new bikes.

My only other thing is that I'm considering buying a kid-hauler trailer to bring my pup around in, so whatever I buy needs to atleast have that capability.

My price range is anywhere from $400-$900.

What I've looked at so far and first impressions:

Marin Muirwoods 29er - BIG. Heavy. Smooth...too big and too heavy I think
Giant Seek 2 - Nice size, very light, awesome hydraulic disk brakes
Jamis Allegro 1 - seems nice, haven't ridden it yet
Jamis Allegro 2 - seems nice, haven't ridden it yet, worth the step up in price?
Felt Speed 22 - Very sweet, very light, closest thing to a true road bike on my list, able to haul trailer?
Specialized Sirrus or Globe lineup - worth checking out?

I'd love to hear feedback from anyone who has experience with any of the above. Right now I'm leaning toward the Giant, since it has nice components, is setup for road riding, but is still closer to what I'm used to...but am still unsure about it.

Thanks!

FreddyV

I'd say the Felt. The Felt appears to have the best drivetrain parts from the lineup above.

Jamos

Yes I believe you're right that the Felt bike has the best parts...

Anyone else have an opinion on this???
thanks!

tjspiel

The two potential issues with the Felt are the tires and the gearing. It's geared lower than a typical road bike with a double and it might be fine. I just don't know what kind of hills your going to have to pull your pup up The bike shop should be able to swap the 11-25 cassette for a 12-26 or 12-27. I think 27 might be as big as you can go with that derailleur. Could be wrong though. It would be great if it had a triple.

The 25mm tires will probably be OK on a well packed trail or fire road but if the surface is a little loose in places things could get sketchy. It would be great to know how big a tire the Felt can take.

Andy_K 

I've got a Muirwoods 29er. You can see what I think of it and what I've done with it here: https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/482897-muirwoods-29er-evolution-many-pics.html

It is really heavy, and I've just put heavier tires on it (Schwalbe Marathon Supremes), but I find that for commuting my average speeds are nearly the same on it as on my Kona Jake (maybe 1 mph slower), though it's not as fun to ride.

Speaking of the Kona Jake, have you considered a cyclocross bike?

Sirrus Rider

The Sirrus or the Globe would be worth investigating if you don't mind an aluminum frame or in the case of the Globe you're looking for an IGH bike; however, seeing you mentioned Jamis one machine you just cannot ignore if you're looking at Jamis bikes is the Jamis Aurora/Aurora Elite. I have a an '07 Sirrus and it is a nice riding a bike for the money; however, compared to my steel framed bikes, it rides pretty harsh. If I had been aware of the Aurora I may have held off on my '07 Sirrus for one of those to get a steel frame.

mds0725

The most important thing is bike fit. One bike may have better components than another bike but if it doesn't position your body in the right way for you, then the components don't matter so much. I bought a Sirrus because it felt more like a road bike in its geometry (i.e., my positioning on the bike) than the other hybrids I test rode; the other bikes had me sitting more upright that I wanted. I'm very happy with my bike, but I say that with the understanding that you may not be as comfortable with its geometry as I am. I recommend that you test ride as many bikes as possible in your price range, make a list of the bikes you felt the most comfortable on, and then choose from that list based on stuff like components, price, and manufacturer. Good luck! Be sure to post what you decide!

Jamos

Thanks for all the replies and insight...
it's always great to get a variety of opinions take certain info from each.

Today I went and rode 5 bikes.

The Muirwoods 29er is a solid bike. It feels like it owns the road, which is nice while you are on it, but is just too big and heavy for me. I need to bring my bike on the train sometimes and carry it up and down stairs, and that would get old really fast with this bike. The handlebars are crazy wide to the point of being a little uncomfortable for me after a 15 minute ride, so cutting them down would def. be in order.

The Giant Seek 2 felt really nice overall. It was smooth riding and felt good, is fairly light (26 .lbs), and the brakes worked really well. It did feel a little harsh over bumps and cracks in the pavement though...and I wasn't really fond of the silver plain jane finish. I'm not fond of flashy bikes at all, but this finish looked almost "un"finished. Still, this was a nice bike at a good price.

The Jamis Allegro 1 is a nice bike. Felt decent, but still a little stiff. Components felt decent...
The Jamis Allegro 2 is the same frame as the 1, but with a carbon fork and some other carbon stuff I think. It definitely felt more comfortable, probably because of those things? Shifters were supposed to be far better, but I couldn't feel much difference.

I rod the Felt Speed 22 last, and was amazed at how much nicer it felt than any of the others. From my first pedal, it just felt faster and easier to pedal. I think it fit me well, and was a nice combination of upright and road bike. It's very light (21 .lbs), but looking at it, it seemed just about as beefy as the Giant.

The guys at the shop assured me that the Felt will fit a rear rack no problem, and that attaching a trailer wouldn't be an issue.
It was a close-out of sorts, and was way on sale...so this sort of sealed the deal for me.

I put a deposit down and will be back to pick it up tomorrow!
Very excited, as this is definitely the nicest bike I've owned...ever!

Might need to put wider & different tires on it eventually, but for now I'll leave it as-is.

Will post some pics soon!

thanks everyone!