Ready to buy help.
10-10-18 | 07:38 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Ready to buy help.
Looking for a light touring bike for GAP trail and rails to trails. A couple of over nighters on the trail from time to time. Credit card travel no tents or such.
i want an upright riding relaxed position. Coming from a flat bar large cannondale quick. 5’10’ish. 230. 30ish inseam.
looked at a Salsa Vaya. Size 55. Liked the brand and such. Had a full length fork on it as well. Rode well. 2018 $1300 tiagra.
Looked at a Breezer Radar expert orange size 51 was fittted to me from shop. Liked the ride on the bumpy stuff. 2017 $700 Deore rear and Sora front. Mechanical trp brakes. Not sure if I can deal with color. If I order one 2019 HyRd hydro assist brakes and Sora Sora $1000
I’m looking at Breezer Radar pro since I liked the expert but is the gx and tubeless able wheels and such worth $1500?
so need some help with choosing as I’m not certain on if certain specs are worth that much more money.
I want to be sure size seems correct as well as their seems to be a difference but the geometry between vaya and Radar seem close in relax positon.
I dont mind paying more if More is actually worth it.
I’m 51 years old so I’m. It looking for speed or such. Just some rails to trails Payment and crushed limestone riding. But I want to make sure this is the correct bike for me so pay once cry once. Lol
please advise and thanks in advance.
i want an upright riding relaxed position. Coming from a flat bar large cannondale quick. 5’10’ish. 230. 30ish inseam.
looked at a Salsa Vaya. Size 55. Liked the brand and such. Had a full length fork on it as well. Rode well. 2018 $1300 tiagra.
Looked at a Breezer Radar expert orange size 51 was fittted to me from shop. Liked the ride on the bumpy stuff. 2017 $700 Deore rear and Sora front. Mechanical trp brakes. Not sure if I can deal with color. If I order one 2019 HyRd hydro assist brakes and Sora Sora $1000
I’m looking at Breezer Radar pro since I liked the expert but is the gx and tubeless able wheels and such worth $1500?
so need some help with choosing as I’m not certain on if certain specs are worth that much more money.
I want to be sure size seems correct as well as their seems to be a difference but the geometry between vaya and Radar seem close in relax positon.
I dont mind paying more if More is actually worth it.
I’m 51 years old so I’m. It looking for speed or such. Just some rails to trails Payment and crushed limestone riding. But I want to make sure this is the correct bike for me so pay once cry once. Lol
please advise and thanks in advance.
10-10-18 | 07:55 AM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,114
Likes: 239
From: Mid Atlantic / USA
Bikes: 2017 Specialized Crosstrail / 2013 Trek Crossrip Elite
Only you can decide if you're comfortable riding the bike.
But as far is if paying more buys you more....yes. But how much you'll notice depends on your experience. If you're totally new to biking, you won't notice the difference between a $600 bike and a $2000 bike. What's different is the drive train and wheel quality. The more expensive drive train will shift smoother and easier. The more expensive wheels will be lighter and roll better.
If you're new to biking but are committed to doing it a lot for several years, spend the money. You might not appreciate the better drive train today, but a year or two from now when you're more experienced you'll be glad you have it.
If you've been biking fro years, it's a no brainer. Get the more expensive bike if you can afford it. You'll understand the first time you test ride. Go to the store and test ride a $500 bike (Look for Shimano Claris components). Make sure to do a lot of shifting on the test ride. Then test a $2000 bike with Shimano 105 components. You'll see the difference instantly. The low end components work and work reliably. The high end components work better.
The $2000 bike will likely be much lighter than the $600 bike, but for the type of riding you're talking about weight isn't a huge factor. Railtrails don't tend to have big hills. Lower weight is a bigger issue when you want to accelerate fast uphills. That's where you notice a bike that's 10 - 15 pounds lighter. For cruising along at a steady pace on a flat trail....weight is almost a non issue. (Almost)
But as far is if paying more buys you more....yes. But how much you'll notice depends on your experience. If you're totally new to biking, you won't notice the difference between a $600 bike and a $2000 bike. What's different is the drive train and wheel quality. The more expensive drive train will shift smoother and easier. The more expensive wheels will be lighter and roll better.
If you're new to biking but are committed to doing it a lot for several years, spend the money. You might not appreciate the better drive train today, but a year or two from now when you're more experienced you'll be glad you have it.
If you've been biking fro years, it's a no brainer. Get the more expensive bike if you can afford it. You'll understand the first time you test ride. Go to the store and test ride a $500 bike (Look for Shimano Claris components). Make sure to do a lot of shifting on the test ride. Then test a $2000 bike with Shimano 105 components. You'll see the difference instantly. The low end components work and work reliably. The high end components work better.
The $2000 bike will likely be much lighter than the $600 bike, but for the type of riding you're talking about weight isn't a huge factor. Railtrails don't tend to have big hills. Lower weight is a bigger issue when you want to accelerate fast uphills. That's where you notice a bike that's 10 - 15 pounds lighter. For cruising along at a steady pace on a flat trail....weight is almost a non issue. (Almost)
10-10-18 | 08:10 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Does it make sense that one shop put me in a vaya 55 and the other in a Radar 51? Seems very different in sizing to me? Or maybe I cannot read the geometry charts properly.
two different shops so could not ride back to back.
two different shops so could not ride back to back.
10-10-18 | 08:23 AM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 2,114
Likes: 239
From: Mid Atlantic / USA
Bikes: 2017 Specialized Crosstrail / 2013 Trek Crossrip Elite
No idea about those 2 bikes. But yes there is variance between brands.
And the sizing charts are a guide.
On my Specialized bike the sizing chart says I should just barely be in a size 'large'. It's SLIGHTLY big for me but the 'medium' was tiny and cramped by comparison.
On my Trek bike the sizing chart says I should be on a 58cm frame. That bike felt massive while the 56cm frame that the chart said I was clearly out of range for fits me like a glove.
So the sizing charts are a guide, not a rule.
And geometry charts are a whole different thing entirely. If the sizing is in centimeters it's usually measuring the length of the seat tube. But 2 different bikes that have the same wheel base could have massively different seat tube lengths depending on the angle of the top tube. So the numeric size doesn't represent a standard for all bikes. It's the size of THAT model (not even that brand!)
Here's more info...
https://www.bikeexchange.com/blog/bike-geometry-charts
And the sizing charts are a guide.
On my Specialized bike the sizing chart says I should just barely be in a size 'large'. It's SLIGHTLY big for me but the 'medium' was tiny and cramped by comparison.
On my Trek bike the sizing chart says I should be on a 58cm frame. That bike felt massive while the 56cm frame that the chart said I was clearly out of range for fits me like a glove.
So the sizing charts are a guide, not a rule.
And geometry charts are a whole different thing entirely. If the sizing is in centimeters it's usually measuring the length of the seat tube. But 2 different bikes that have the same wheel base could have massively different seat tube lengths depending on the angle of the top tube. So the numeric size doesn't represent a standard for all bikes. It's the size of THAT model (not even that brand!)
Here's more info...
https://www.bikeexchange.com/blog/bike-geometry-charts
10-10-18 | 09:40 AM
#5
Zip tie Karen
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 7,005
Likes: 1,546
From: Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Bikes: '13 Motobecane Fantom29 HT, '16 Motobecane Turino Pro Disc, '18 Velobuild VB-R-022, '21 Tsunami SNM-100
I can't help you decide...
but you should consider what loads you intend to carry, how you'll mount them, and how the geometry and stiffness of each bike will contribute to your intended use. Some dead feeling bikes come alive once under load (think Surly LHT) and some lively touring bikes can become noodly with imbalanced loads. Just an input for you...
10-10-18 | 10:15 AM
#6
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
but you should consider what loads you intend to carry, how you'll mount them, and how the geometry and stiffness of each bike will contribute to your intended use. Some dead feeling bikes come alive once under load (think Surly LHT) and some lively touring bikes can become noodly with imbalanced loads. Just an input for you...
10-10-18 | 10:24 AM
#7
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,900
Likes: 2
From: San Leandro
Bikes: Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Basso Loto, Pinarello Stelvio, Redline Cyclocross
10-10-18 | 02:35 PM
#8
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 66
Likes: 2
From: Bay Area CA
Bikes: 2011 Rivendell Sam Hillborne, 2016 Brompton M6R, 2017 Ritchey Timberwolf
john
10-17-18 | 03:57 AM
#11
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 66
Likes: 2
From: Bay Area CA
Bikes: 2011 Rivendell Sam Hillborne, 2016 Brompton M6R, 2017 Ritchey Timberwolf
Have fun!
john
10-17-18 | 05:53 PM
#12
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 472
Likes: 45
From: Mars Hotel
Bikes: Giant Talon 29 - Specialized Diverge E5 Comp
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Urbanop
General Cycling Discussion
5
05-12-18 04:19 PM
Scorer75
Road Cycling
16
10-04-12 07:33 PM
