Specialized Expedition..any1 make a better version?
 

I was interested in the specialized expedition model. It's a kind of all around bike with high handlebars, a shock absorbing fork and a sprung seat post and seat. But it's a cheap bike, and i don't mind paying more to get better quality. But i know it's not the type of bike thats likely to be available in a high quality version like racing and mountain bikes have. However, if anyone knows of a brand that does make a better quality version of this type of bike i'd like to know about it. (must have the features i mentioned:sprung post, shock forks, high bars)I have seen the trek version, but it looks to be the same quality except the forks, which do seem better. But otherwise about the same at 50 bucks more.

So any suggestions? i don't mind paying more as i said, tho i would like to keep it under about $600 if possible.

The Specialized Expedition Comp Disc, if properly maintained, would still be working when you die, even if you put 10,000+ miles on it a year. Giant also makes a good comfort bike that would take you through hundreds of thousands of miles.

I commute on a 2002 Specialized Expedition Elite. The later years Expeditions seem to be much more comfort bikes than mine, which seems much closer to an MTB. In any case, I put about 2500 miles on it last year, and it has never given me any trouble.

Hmm...ok...point taken. I just figured it would be nice to find a very high quality such ride. I did have a similar bike about 2-3 years ago....the Trek verion called the navigator, which was an older model of the trek i mentioned above but very different, especially the lack of a front suspention. I seem to notice every few years when i look at new bike they seem to really upgrade each model quite a bit over the course of a year or 3.

Anyway, i'll probably go with the expedition once i sell my stumpjumper. I'm getting to old for mountain biking and for the last year of the 2 i've owned it i've been riding it on the street !
Thanks...

or why not just a couple new comfort parts for the stumpie????

the older steel ones are great frames....

or at least find some aspiring mtber to give that frame too! the semi-horizontal dropouts on the older frames make them ideal singlespeed conversion frames!

I really liked my Giant Sedona DX.

Because it would cost me...new higher handlebars, new cables, new seat, plus i don't need or want the discs due to the maintenance hassle. Add to that i can sell it for enough to get the new bike and have $500 left over. Keep the stumpie and i'll have a ride thats no better for street and lose the money over time. It's almost like new and only 2 years old, but will be worth barely enough to get a new comfort bike in a couple years.



I just looked at the giant site last nice as a matter of fact. I'm totally in love with this one called the Suede. Beatiful bike, but the one big put off is the lack of front suspention. I'm fine with the rear seat post spring, but i really don't want a hard front end. I do like the 7 speed single chain ring gears instead of multiple chain rings which are unnecassary on the street. However, i will look at one if i can find a dealer round here. Looks to be thier own design while the trek and specialized look like generic bikes that are almost the same and probably bought from the same manufacturer without any input from trek or specialized.

http://www.giant-bicycle.com/images/...Suede-mens.jpg

I'm not sure I'd get too bent out of shape over whether your bike has front suspension or not. If your commute is largely on pavement, front suspension has been known to actually slow you down (plus its heavier that conventional suspension). I was in a similar dilemma - a Specialized Expedition or a Trek 7000FX - in the end I went with the Trek because 90% of my commuting miles would be on paved roads. I love both of those bikes, however!

Thats what i've been thinking. I like front suspention but i can live w/o it. And I just love the frame geometry on this giant not to mention the look. But no one in my area stocks it. And i won't buy a bike w/o seeing it and riding it. So i'll probably end up with the specialized since i even found them in the ma and pa shop down the street from me, unless i can find a dealer that stocks the giant suede.

well, i found out that rubber boot at the bottom of the steering head is indeed a shock. Plus i found a local dealer that has it. So this weekend i'm checking it out. Anyone have any thoughts on this type of shock? Seems rather unusual and i'm wondering how reliable it is. I'm sure if it broke the bike would basically have to be trashed, as i don't think you could get parts for a low end bike like this.

This is what i want for my commuting bike


http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...a97semc.j27011


I also like the Bianchi Milano...Nexus 7 sp on those babies...

Check out the "Original" Specialized Expedition, Mine is a 1984 model: Double butted, chrome moly, lugged steel Touring bike. I have seen a few retrofitted with straight or the more upright, touring type bars (like a 3 speed but alloy instead of steel). Don

Ooops, here's the picture for the previous post.

Has anyone seen the commuter bikes by Burley? They are made in the Pacific Northwest where the commutes often invole lots of weather? Check out this link:
http://www.burley.com/products/commu...s/default.aspx

The web site lists "N/A" for shock. I'd think a strong spring around that section would work fairly well.

I know, and thats why i thought it didn't have any suspension. But i looked at some places selling it and that boot at the bottom of the head is a suspension. I think the giant site says N/A in regards to the FORK not having suspension.

Actually, now that I've looked at the bike again, it seems that Giant is trying to make a bike along the lines of the Electra Townie. You might find when the seat height is adjusted for you that you can put your feet on the ground while sitting on the seat. That bottom bracket is moved forward like the Electra bikes. My local shop has Trek comfort bikes, and they now make a quick release rear rack for them. Bikes are evolving quickly here. I see full fenders next.

Well, i had one similar to that specialized you posted but by trek a few years ago, and i used to take it on up to 40 mile rides on a regular basis. i actually find them much more comfortable, and for me thats the biggest issue as far as distance.

As to the "feet on the ground" frame geometry, thats what i like so much about the Giant. That along with the 7 speed single chain ring gears and the great look make it impossible for me to ignore. It's #1 on my gotta try list. The only thing i'm worried about is how high the highest gear is. If it's not at least as high as the high gear on my stumpjumper, who's highest gear is barely fast enough for my tastes, i'll be disappointed.

This is very interesting. I put the pic of the giant and of the crossroads above in photoshop. then i made them approximatly the same size, plus cropped them so that the wheels were about the same distance from the bottom edge of the jpg. This was done so i could compare the 2 bikes in the windows picture viewer bu going back and fourth quickly. I put them both in a folder with no other picss and opened one in the pic viewer. Using the back or forward mouse button you can quickly go back and fourth between them and really see where the differences in frame geometry lie. Very interesting !

Huge differences, and some tho obvious weren't noticed by my eye till i did this. For example, i didn't realize that the pedal crank/chainring was set forward instead of being right at the bottom of the frame that extends to become the seat stem. Also the much longer wheelbase, which i really really like ! This stuff may seem obvious to you guys, but while i've ridden for years i've never really gotten into the design aspects of bikes at all. In any case, this really makes it apparent how different the giant suede is from other bikes. I like it tho ! I'm getting more and more excited about trying this bike.

Xlnt ! thanks BeeTl.....i'll check that out. Also, i found that site you mentioned. (brown) I then used the calculator to get the MPH for giant and my current bike using the specs for cassette and chainring teeth and wheel size on thier sites. I wasn't able to enter crank length or internal hub, (so i used the same for both) so i don't know if this is accurate, but it showed 19 MPH for my bike and 15 for the giant. Not too encouraging, but again i'm not sure i did everything right or if leaving the crank length factor out would matter. (obviously would unless they're different for each bike. but as you said a new chain ring and chain would do it, tho it would also increase the cost of the bike probabably what, $60-80? I would have to do this or pass on the bike.

Crank length won't matter when checking for a top speed. You only need the two tooth counts on the gears, and the rpm you spin at.

Hmmm.........bummer. Well, i'll be checking one out this weekend anyway, so that should give me a realistic idea of whether i can live with it's gearing oor not. Maybe that townie mentioned in the thread you linked may be better in thios respect, tho i know of no shops that carry those around here.

I think its funny that like a year and a half ago, you were all hard core into getting hayes discs or something like that for your new stumpjumper...I think you started like 50 threads about what discs to get...and now you're getting a comfort bike. wheres your pride man? get on those trails! haha

Things change. People change. I'm 51, probably a decade or 2 older than you if you're the average age of the members here. I was very much into it, but i found my endurance declining rather quickly and just couldn't do it anymore while retaining any kind of enjoyment. It became all hard work and no fun. i began riding on the street as i always had before i got the the SJ, but obviously that bike isn't made for that. So i decided to sell it and get a street bike.

I wanted something extremely comfortable that i could enjoy riding with absolute minimal discomfort. I have no need or desire to race or any of that...i just want to get some exersize and enjoy doing so. This type of bike seems to fit the bill perfectly.

I was never *into* bikes the way many here are. But a frend who rides trails a lot and is 10 years younger conviced me to get the SJ and ride with him. Listening to him was a big mistake ! It was somewhat fun at first, but trust me, at my age a year older can mean a lot less energy. The discs i bought for it were for one purpose only.......to relieve the pain in my hands from hard braking down a very, and i mean VERY steep fireroad that was my main ride due to it's close proximity to me. I later realized that was only maybe 25% of the problem, and that it was mostly due to may body weight on my hands when braking on steep roads. The SJ was simply a mistake due to the buying frenzy my buddy whipped me into with all his tech talk and such. The SJ was a bike i should have bought, yes......but not at this point, but 10 or 20 years ago !

In any case, i have plenty of pride because to me riding a bike is exersize and the enjoyment of getting outside. What i ride, why i ride, or how hard i ride have nothing to do with pride. Pride is something i get from doing something well that to me requires talent. I'm a musician of 32 years and i feel a pretty good one, and THAT is something i do take pride in. Taking pride in what kind of bike i ride to me makes as much sense as what kind of toaster i own.

What exersizing and the gear involved has to do with talent is beyond me. I think you have me mixed up with someone who races or something. Thats not why i ride, and if that means i'm not a cyclist, i'm fine with that ! I truly don't care. Biking to me is just exersize, and exersize is something i do to remain healthy so that i can do the things i DO take pride in well. ;)

Thats a nice looking ride..i like it. Problem is, i'm pretty sure i won't find one around here. Giant is a much more common brand in the shops in my area, yet i had to call most every one to find a giant suede. But i'll check electra's site and see if they have any dealers round here. But the dealers that carry giant said they don't carry those models because they aren't that popular. So i think if it's the same with the townie it may be impossible to find considering there are probably far fewer electra dealers here than giant. By the way, the giant is $120 cheaper.

Do it ! I'll be your 1st customer ! :D

Now check this out. I was amazed to find the electra dealer list not only includes the shop down the street where i've bought all my bikes, (tho i think they may not stock them since i never noticed them) but it includes the dealer that i found who has the giant in stock ! If they have the townies in stock i will be able to do a A/B on them ! Thats something i was hoping for but figured it was all but impossible. I will have to see if they have em in stock when i go to check out the giant this weekend.

By the way, the one i'd be interested in is the next one down from the 24 you posted...the townie 21. It doesn't have the all black thing going on, which looks nice but gets very old looking quick. (black gears! not 4 me) It's a 21 speed which is fine. It'll get me up to the speed i want i'm sure. And it comes in my favorite color like the giant.....silver. I still love the look of the giant a hell of a lot tho. but considering the gear ratio being much lower than i want i'd probably opt for the townie. But we shall see. I'll certainly post my findings after i go vheck them out this weekend.

Well, seems i wasn't feeling to well today and had to take the day off. Oddly i felt a lot better around 10 am when the bike shops open. :D But seriously, i did go and try 3 bikes...the giant suede, the townie 21, and the specialized expedition. I tried the exp. to see how i felt about a comfort bike with regular geometry compared to the flat foot geometry of the townie and suede. (by the way, the boot at the bottom of the suede's head IS indeed a shock)

I really liked the townie best, tho i do have a question. I tried it at 2 shops, one of which had last years model and one the 05'. One shop owner told me the sram gears are smoother and better in the low $ range, and i tend to agree. the giant had sram and the older townie did too. The newer townie had shimano. Having driven the townies an hour or 2 apart i wan't sure if the older sram equipped one was better, but i think it was. I rode the giant and the newer townie at the same shop. The giant i wasn't impressed with, but it's sram gears were easily better than the townies shimano. The older townie with the sram.....well, i wish i had been able to ride it right after the newer one to be sure, but again the giant's sram was easily better and i *think* the older townie's sram was too.

What do you all think about the low $ sram gears compared to the shimano low $ stuff? And yes, i did make sure it wasn't only the shifters that were of a given brand on each bike, but also the derailers.

Aside from all that, the townie was unbelieveably comfortable. I feel like i could ride any distance i'm capable of w/o the slightest butt pain. It's as comfortable as sitting in a recliner ! and as for the notion that you can't stand up on them, i didn't find that to be true. Yes, not as good for that as with a regular geometry bike, but doable for sure. The one and only thing i find thats possibly negitive is that sitting in that position doesn't allow as much leverage as a regular bike. It's kinda like your leg muscles do all the work instead of allowing the weight of your body to contribute. But this isn't a big issue when considering the many other advantages. I rode an expedition after the townie and it was very uncomfortable compared to the townie geometry.

So the townie is probably gonna be in the stable as soon as i sell the stumpie. I still have reservations tho. Not because the bike wasn't all i hoped it would be, but because being so very different i can't help but worry that even tho i absolutly loved riding it, i fear in a few weeks time the thrill may wear off and i may wish i'd bought a regular geometry comfort bike. I doubt it, but stilll you never know.
Oh, and one thing about the older one in silver that i absolutly hated.....red seat and grips ! One question electra....WHHHHYYYYYYYY!!!!???? damn ! If i want the older one to get the sram i have to deal with a red seat and grips.....geez......fire the guy who made that decision will ya !! :mad:

well, i found a townie with black set and grips and bought it. But here's a rather odd thing i found. If you look at the silver townie 21 on the electra site it shows a bike that has a black set and grips, shimano derailer, and a rear brake cable that runs thru the inside of the top frame tube. Thats the bike i bought. However, i had to call a load of bikes shops to find it because every other shop has the silver with red grips and seat, sram derailer and the cable running outside of the frame.

Before i found this "unique" one i called electra to ask why the picture on thier site was different from the bikes all the dealers had. I had seen 2 and called 5 other dealers that all had the silver 21 with red and the outside cable and sram. He said and i quote, "every townie 21 in silver we ship has black seat and shimano derailer ! he said he knows of none with red seats ! I also asked the dealers if thier bikes were 04's or 05's and they all told me 05'. And the kicker is that the dealer i bought this black/shimano one from told me he's sold a load of them and has never seen one with a red seat !!

i swear, this is like the friggin twilight zone ! Anyway, just thought this was interesting.....gotta go take my 1st ride. I love the way this thing feels :D

About the Suede (we have several built in our store)...

It looks like a bike for occasional users. The bottom bracket is low to the point the pedals drag into the most mild of turning efforts, and the bottom bracket doesn't clear most curbs. The front DOES have suspension, though its a very poor version of Cannondale's Headshok apparently, and not very functional. The bike IS a blast to ride, but the parts seem extremely sub-par and not very durable for the sticker price. Its somewhere between a Recumbent and a Comfort Bike. Handling is very poor, and I wouldn't use one for commuting because of it. Would be a SWEET bike for just cruising the local path or very slow pace casual rides.

Jon

Ahhh ! how'd you find that?! I couldn't seem to find any info on previous years. But isn't it amazing that the electra rep didn't even know that ! Geez......where do they recruit thier employees from !!! Also odd is that of 7 dealers that had them, none had the 05 except the 8th one i called. And even more bizzare is that he (who i bought it from) said he's sold a ton of them and every silver he's had came with black ! Still seems like the twilight zone to me...Just amazing....

I rode it today and it's really unbelievably comfortable. Words fail me in that regard...just fantastic. The only drawback is that going uphill is tougher, but in think i can handle it considering the whole point for me is exersize...FUN exersize specifically. However, after i rode i adjusted the seat as far forward as it goes, which is about another inch. then adjusted the bars and seat angle. I'll see how that feels tomorrow.

But the one thing that floors me about this bike is this. Ever since i've been riding i have always had this vision of a bike that was comfortable as sitting in a chair and somehow was so easy to pedal on flat roads that you were oblivious to the fact you're powering it yourself. Almost like you were riding a motorcycle and just enjoying the ride and the scenery. this bike is exactly that ! i thought that wasn't a possibility, but it is and it's just friggin awesome !

I was just about to rebut you post in almost every respect till i realized you were talking about the suede ! But i can now agree with you at least to some extent. I rode the suede and i agree it's not as well made as i had hoped for. That and the fact that the townie just hands down beat it during my test rides is why i bought the townie. The quality of the townie is also considerably better. In fact, this new model (which it must be) is nicer than the one pictured above. A lot of nice details, and sitting next to my 02 stumpjumper it actually looks comparable in quality. I do realize the SJ is made with better materials and such. But it really does look quite close in build quality in most respects. Actually suprising compared to other bikes in the same range that i've looked at and owned. as to your thoughts on the ride of the suede, i can assure you they don't apply to the townie with a couple exceptions.For one the slow speed handling is a bit shakey due to the long wheel base. But i'm talking walking speed only. Anything more and the handling actually feels better than a regular bike. And hills are tougher. but these things are trade-offs for advantages that are much more numerous. No problems going off curbs either. The biggest disadvantage is going uphill. Yes, it's tougher. But i'm in it for the exersize anyway ! and the comfort is so far advanced from even a regular comfort bike i could see going much further distances because i've always had a problem with distance as far as butt wrist and back fatigue. This this eliminates all that completely.