Help choosing new bikes
 

Hello, new to the forum.
I'm an out-of-shape Army Vet looking to get some exercise. I'm in the market for two bikes. I've got it narrowed down to Cannondale Treadwell 2 for me and Adventure 1 for the wife. Option #2 would be Specialized Roll Elite for me, Roll Elite Low Entry for the wife. I emailed Specialized and got the specs for the Elite as their website says "specs coming soon".
Both bikes seem comparable. I have a Cannondale dealer near me and can possibly test ride both bikes. Specialized on the other hand, at least these models/colors are about 100 miles from me. I have been wanting a Cannondale since I was a teen. I'm 47 now. I know Specialized makes a good bike as well.
Bikes will be used mostly on pavement, some grassy trails. Neither bike derailleurs come with a clutch but I can always tackle that issue down the road if needed. My main concern, after reading reviews, is that the tires on the Cannondale Treadwell seem to be prone to flats, and possibly hard to come by.
Cannondale Treadwell 2 tire size is 650b x 47c.
Cannondale Adventure 1 tire size is 27.5 x 2.0"
Specialized Customer Support informed me the Roll Elite and Roll Elite Low Entry have 650b x 2.3".
First, can anyone recommend one bike over another?
Second, can I put just about any width tire on a 650b/27.5 rim?
Thanks in advance.

650b and 27.5" are the same wheel size. 650b is just the "French" sizing standard.
47c is just the tyre width in mm. So again much the same as 2.0" wide tyres. You could run any tyres from about 35 to 50+ mm wide on these wheels depending on your preference. If you are riding mainly on pavement, then you might lean toward slightly narrower tyres.

As for the bikes, there isn't going to be much in it at all between these brands. Having a local Cannondale dealer would probably swing it for me.

I'd go with some thing you can get locally too. Especially since you aren't sure what you want. Especially if you aren't very experienced with bike DIY.

If you think most of your riding will be on roads and paved trails, then get something good for that and just accept that the few times you'll be off road you'll just have to suck it up.

If paved I'd go for a road bike. If some gravel roads too then a cross or gravel bike which to me is a road bike that can go more places than a pure road bike.

Not sure where you are in the country. But Sports Basement is having a Juneteenth sale on Treadwell and Topstone for members.
Might be worth a look and they'll usually let you join up on the spot.

Barry

Thanks for your service and welcome to the forum. It doesn't really make any difference which ones you get. Having a good dealer is bonus. If you buy two bikes, you might be able to get the dealer to hook you up on some more puncture resistant tires than the stock ones. If not, that kind of tire in one with serious puncture protection is very inexpensive.

Just get them, get on them and ride for the fun of it!

If you want to minimize flats I can heartily recommend anything with a kevlar belt in the tire. Not totally flat PROOF but I'd say that the kevlar belted tires I used back when commuting probably had 1/10 the flat frequency of the non kevlar tires.

Note that this is kevlar BELTED. Not kevlar BEADED. Two totally different things. Beaded refers to folding tires. Some kevlar BELTED tires might also have kevlar beads. But it's the belted you want for increased resistance to flats.

The Canondale options you mentioned both look pretty nice. But why the Adventure instead of the Treadwell 2 Remixte? A few more inches of step over for sure. But it should be a stiffer frame which will aid with maximizing the power to the wheel. Or is there enough of a position to the bars difference to prefer the Adventure?

I'm also not sure what you mean by the line below from your post. Both bikes will be able to freewheel. And I've never heard of a "clutch" for a derailleur.
Are you thinking of electric conversion by any chance? Or something else?

I'm in South Florida. It will be a few months before I purchase...still saving up so I can buy both at the same time. I definitely will inquire about better tires. The only recommendation I've come across are for the Schwalbe Marathon E-Plus in 650b x 50c (2"), but I'll speak with my LBS and see what they recommend. I have limited experience with DIY. I grew up riding BMX and did build my first 10 speed in my 20's. I heard getting the stock tires off these rims is a pain, so I'll probably let the shop order my tires and install. Didn't even know Kevlar is used in tires nowadays. Thanks for the heads up. I know when I did ride I heavily preferred a snakeskin tread. Good traction, even in loose sand and good wear resistance.
The wife said she liked the low-entry, but honestly I'd rather get her the Treadwell 2 Remixte. Since I'm doing the buying I very well might go that route. I agree the Adventure looks like a weaker frame for sure.
The wife didn't really need the bar/stem adjustment as much as I did. I may end up with a stem extender if my hands go numb from low bars which used to happen on my Giant Revel 1. I tried swapping out the handlebars with Deity high rise bars but it didn't help much. I was unaware of stem risers at the time and sold the bikes.
As far as the clutch, I've seen a few videos that explain it as a chain tensioner that keeps the lower portion of the chain from slapping the frame. Seems the newer microSHIFT Advent, 9-speed's actually DO have this feature so probably a non-issue. I know I'll end up off road exploring my local trails.

As a guy that has been married 40+ years, I highly recommend letting your wife pick the bike she wants. Feel free to tell her why you think that x bike is better, but at the end of the day, you'll be much better off letting her choose.

Lol wise advice. I've already shown her the Treadwell EQ Remixte & she thought it was cute. I think she'll be fine with either the Remixte or the Adventure. Albeit she hasn't seen the Cool Mint (Ice Blue) color of the Adventure 1 yet.:lol: Like I mentioned we both had the Giant Revel 1's and she was fine with it. I don't think she really cares as much as I do what I get. I I get bonus points for a cute color though. I showed her the EQ DLX and she was disappointed it was only available in black.

That's right. They are now pretty much standard issue on mountain bike rear derailleurs and have more recently started appearing on road bikes too. But not something to worry about either way for the kind of riding you are talking about.

I am older than you and was out of shape when my wife and I bought bikes in 2020. I bought the Roll Elite. I liked it and rode it a lot. I put clipless pedals on it, got on Strava, bought a Garmin, and got fitter quick. I then bought an endurance bike and never looked back. I still have the Roll Elite but don't ride it. I am glad i bought it but in hindsight I probably should have went directly to an endurance or road bike because I know I am competitive, And love speed.

Mike

In any case buy a bike that you can afford. More money ONLY gets you a better bike up to a point. Mid grade of most everything give you the most bang for the buck. Above that you are pretty much buying a name and snobbery.