Haha...I think it is the suddenness that gets me, oh, and the occasional torn rotator cuff....

Some here may complain about same questions over and over but theres only so many things you can discuss about a bicycle. Im sure same on a parrot also. Every question is important to individual asking so important to me also. Bike Forums would soon end if we looked at it otherwise.

Instead of suspension, find a bike that takes 40-50c tires and ride them at minimum inflation.

Can I get your guys oppinon on the Alight 2 Vs the Rove 3?

I think those two are my favorite contenders.
What do you think about the brakes/shifting difference on these two?
I know those two things seem to be pretty important for obvious reasons.

Not sure if you'd be able to, but try to find a place to test ride to see which you prefer. The shifting will essentially be the same between the two. Both the padded and disc brakes will work just fine. I like that the Rove has a thicker tire to help with the ride, and you can lock out the fork, but the bikes are similar enough otherwise that you should ride and see which you like better.

Wish everyone could see it that way.

The Roam can handle any kind of MUP (multi use path) dirt track, gravel road, etc that you likely want to ride it on in an urban or semi-rural environment. The kind of stuff in the video that ColonelSanders posted is no issue.

It is NOT intended for hardcore high-speed steep-grade downhill mountain biking, nor is it intended for jumping.

At the end of the day, I would not classify the suspension fork on these as "lower quality" that will lead to problems as you asked. More correctly, I would classify the Suntour NEX/NCX fork as "fit for their intended purpose". If you try to ride them on hardcore downhill mountain bike trails with jumps and 2-6' drops, yes, they will bottom out, wear and break. But then they are NOT intended for that use case, so you couldn't fault them for that.

If you ride them on bumpy, rocky dirt trails like in Colonel's video, you will have no issue. That's the kind of stuff I ride my 14 year old Sedona on and it's still going strong on its original fork without ever being disassembled or repaired. The newer forks on the Roam are even better than the 14 year old ones.

Cheers
TRJB

Which Rove?

Rove 3 (basic, with rim-brakes):

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-ca.../29179/100848/

or

Rove 3 Disc:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-ca.../29179/100847/

Both the Roves are one grade better in rear derailleur than the Alight 2, Acera vs Altus, but it's not really that significant at these levels. Otherwise the rest of the components are pretty much a wash across the board.

Obviously the Disc brakes on the disc version of the Rove are a step up from rim-brakes. None of the Alight's have disc brakes available, so if you want those, your decision is more limited.

Again, it pretty much comes down to what you want.

Now the we've beat the suspension vs. not to death, we could start a similar 3 page debate on disc brakes vs not if you'd like...

Cheers
TRJB

Look like two great bikes figure out how rough the roads you will be going down. Bumpy pavement truly blows to ride on if you want to go any distance or speed without shocks. Like if there's a lot of driveways or other crossings that make for bumps. As someone mentioned try to ride them on similar terrain of what you want to do. Also shouldn't limit your self to one brand name you do get good bang for buck with giant but different bikes will fit and ride a little differently. Also fit is exertemly important!

Managing to do it three times within fifty feet and not breaking anything!

Visit several shops - even if you have to do a fifty mile radius. Find folks you feel comfortable trusting and then follow their advice. Especially on "sizing" your fit. That choice is more important than what brand you wind up with. And a good shop will offer you several test rides (or even a used loaner). The difference in feel of two bikes that look nearly identical can be amazing.
And skip the fancy suspension for a year or two.

That's really helpful. I know my husband won't be doing anything hard core, what you described as the intension is exactly what he wants. He said he's set on that one, I shared what you guys all said. I know he really would love a full on mountain bike just because it's cool but he knows this is more practical and he still gets that feel.

I'm not set yet, we are going to do some searching other shops to ride them. I peeked at the Trek's comps too...

Definitely going to do some test rides now. We're really exited, I'm glad we decided to go the new routine instead of just getting cheepo bikes. I'm really looking forward to customizing it and loving it for a long time.
In Las Vegas I'm sure we have more bike shops than I could even visit...

I thought the one they showed me in the catalog at the shop had disc brakes but looking at the links I think it's the rim brakes in my price range.
I mean, we could afford more but you know how it is there's always other priorities to consider.

It's this one: I don't why the price is different on your link..?
https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/rove-3

Is the step through as strong a design? I don't know if that even matters in my case for my size. I'm guessing it's fine

This is the Treck I was eyeing..No suspension
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/city-bikes/recreation-bikes/verve/verve-1-womens/p/1310001-2017/

Or this one:
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/mountain-bikes/cross-country-mountain-bikes/skye-womens/skye-womens/p/1010601-2017/

TheRealJoeBlow's link is from the Canadian website and the prices that show are in Canadian dollars.


If you are in the USA, then use this link --> https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/rove-3

That verve looks like a good option for all arounder. Wide tires for cushioning and steel fork more forgiving then aluminum. If you want all that, its gonna be heavier and more unwieldy on smooth roads. but the trek version of the alight would be the fx model. Lighter faster on smooth pavement more of a hybrid road bike.

Canada versus US storefront, different market and different currency.

Step-through frames aren't as well-triangulated as a standard double-diamond, so those frames typically end up weighing a bit more. Hardly a huge difference in the overall bike, though.

Verve has slightly better drivetrain components, fork is a bit more versatile in terms of attachments (will nicely accept fenders, and is drilled for lowrider racks), slightly lighter than the Skye.
Somewhat heavier than I would have expected. Probably mostly due to the use of a cheap hi-ten fork and threaded headset, although they should still work just fine. I'm also not a fan of bombproof tires like the H5, which are each half a pound heavier than the MTB tires on the Skye, and aren't exactly supple; but that's the cost of bombproofness, and you can always switch them out in the future.

whats a low rider rack?

Do you have to permentatly affix a bike rack to your car and will it be evident later if you remove it? Would it hurt them to lay them down in the back of my SUV?

Sorry i hope these dont seem like dumb questions....

I'd personally go for the Verve. Better rear derailleur, and wider gearing.

Low rider racks are metal attachments that bolt onto the front fork, to carry front panniers. Not likely something you need, but the attachment points are nice to have if you ever do want to put them on. If you look halfway up the fork, there is a little round circle, that is actually a threaded hole to screw into.

I prefer to lay my bikes down in the back of my car. Bike racks can either be semi-permanent (you can take it on/off, but unlikely to do so everytime you use it), for the roof, or removable (for each use), for anything that hangs off the back. I have a roof rack for when I have more than one bike, and for when I take my bike that is hard to remove the front wheel. If you have an SUV with a trailer hitch, you can also buy racks that fit right into that.

If you lay your bikes down make sure they are derailleur-side up.

what does that mean, like where the chain is?

Thats the only problem I had when I bought my first bike. There is only one bike shop that's not at least an hour drive or more from my house, so I didn't have much of a choice in shopping around

Good call. That is how I should describe it from now on.