2012 Giant Roam
 

Hey guys,

I posted earlier today. I'm in the market for a new bike. Please read my op here to get an idea of what I'm looking for:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...for-a-new-bike

I wanted to start this thread to get your opinions on this bike:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/....1/9024/48881/

Does anybody own it? Do guys know of any problems with the Giant brand? I did notice it said it was made in china which made me cringe a little, but alas, this bike fits my budget and my needs well, so yeah. Plus, I'll be saving up for another bike too, so when I'm out a bike again, I'm not scrambling to buy a new bike overnight. :P Thanks for your input looking forward to reading it. Also, I'll be making another thread about my issue with my first bike, which you are free to follow to make suggestions, please. :) I'll post it as soon as I make the thread. Thanks again.

Happy riding.

I hoped it'd be close! I love my seek and sometimes dream of a suspension fork, but who am I kidding. I want to be able to catch at least 1 hipster off guard and embarrass them on my nerdy bike. So solid fork and 700x32 dual compounds it is.

Offer $550, the shop I got my bike at had cost written in the books, and there is a bit of wiggle room, especially when Giant's site states ~$620 for the price. What you can also do is aim for a package deal if you need accessories (look up prices before you go) as my LBS was DOUBLE amazon prices on accessories. They gave me 25% off accessories (pump for presta which i didn't have, lock, and light kit) and $60 off the bike when I got to the register and haggled a bit. Even with the 25% off the light kit from Giant's site was still over what's stated on the mfr site. A bit ridiculous. (and I do realize you're probably all set since you've been riding a while but it neer hurts to ask or cover a new base like a toolkit or water bottles)

Thanks for the tip. I don't really need accessories, but you're right, it doesn't hurt to try to bring down the price a little more.

While I am proud to be an American, I am equally proud to own two Giant "Made in China" bikes. Giant is one of the largest bike companies in the world. Go ahead with a Giant and have fun riding it.:thumb:

China or Taiwan? Big difference.

Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (捷安特) is a Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer which bills itself as the world's largest bicycle manufacturer.[1] Giant has manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, Netherlands, and Mainland China.

I distinctly remember made in china

Cooling looking bike though.

Giant is in fact Huge, they also are a contract manufacturer that are the source
of several other Importing companies brand name's bicycles .

then the differences are based on the specifics of the Contract
design requirements of that contract, and the CAD drawings submitted .

I see you are also considering getting a Jamis Coda. I test rode one of those and that is a sweet steel bike. I'm not a fan of the Elite/Comp carbon fork because I cant fit fat tires on it, but all around a very good bike.

For commuting, the Jamis is the better bike. If I didn't drool so much over a Surly Long Haul Trucker, I would have bought the Jamis a long time ago.

The Giant bike would depend on what you are going through on your commute. If its mainly tarmac, get the Coda Sport or Comp which are a lot cheaper than the Elite. The Giant is a great option if you have a lot of opportunities to go off road and need the front shock, otherwise if you need a smooth ride get wider tires and ditch the suspension. I'd also avoid disc brakes. the cheaper varieties are a pain to adjust and not squeal.

Giant is a very good brand. If you are looking for US made bikes, you are going to very limited on selection and they are going to be very expensive. It seems like most bikes are built in China or Taiwan these days.

Not so much anymore. It all depends on what the brand doing the sub-contracting requires. There are some fabulous bikes coming out of China, and then there are Nexts and Mongooses (Mongeese?) and other assorted, rebranded lowball junk. Since one rides the bike, not the country, there's no reason to rule out a Chinese bike out-of-hand.

I feel what you're saying CXT. I don't remember seeing this bike when I went window shopping, but seeing as I like the bike, I'll probably buy this bike too. I figure since I did see the giant and I like it, I'll buy that so I have something to ride, and then start looking for back up. N+1 The Coda is definitely in the running though.

I almost bought the roam 1 but did'nt need the disc brakes so I got the Roam 2. I ride it all the time on hardpack semi rough trails and the street.I love that bike so much you could'nt pry it from my dead hands ! Both Roam models have a great combo of 40c tires to get you thru light trails easily and speed for street riding along with lockout forks with just a flick of the switch. If you do purchase one I believe you'll enjoy it and the better gearing vs. the mtn bike. By the way- for my entire bike riding life thats all I rode were mtn bikes for fun and commuting. Bikes like the Roam models are a blast to ride in my opinion. Test ride one one and you be the judge.

I have the Roam and love it. Love the disc brakes too!