Glazanis

I don't know how to decide which way to go with my new bike. I m buying a bike in the next 10 days and after testing a bunch and reading/watching a number of reviews I'm just as confused and undecided now as when I started researching a few weeks ago.

I've researched and test rode:

Specialized Diverge Sport A1
Specialized Sirrus Elite
Specialized Crosstrail Sport Disc
Kona Jake
Trek DS 8.4
Trek FX 7.4
Trek FX 7.3

Yeah, I've done my due diligence. My issues are these:

1) Being new to riding I know what type of riding I plan on doing now (towpath, light packed dirt, occasional roads 3x per week, 15-20 miles per trip) but I don't know "if" my needs will change in the future.
2) I don't want lower end components but I don't want to overspend and not get any real benefit from better components because the type of riding I'm doing doesn't take full advantage of their capabilities.
3) I have no idea how I'd feel about drops over a long ride

There are a TON of LBS in my area. I am very fortunate in that regard. Within an hour drive I can go to an LBS and get a Giant, a Trek, Bianchi, Fuji, Kona, Specialized or Cannondale. But I have trust issues with sales people because when I discuss with them what I've posted above they all take me to the most expensive option. It's sales so I get it.

Bottom line is I have about $1200 to spend on the bike by itself. I'm not opposed to spending it all but only if I'm actually gonna get a benefit.

Thoughts?? Direction??? Help working through my indecision?

quick addition: I want to be able to add fenders and a rack. I intend on my rides gradually getting longer over time.

ColdCase

IMHO, you are over thinking. Who knows what next month or year brings, buy what you like now. Sell it later or upgrade.

Many here love the $1200 list Crosstrail Comp Disk. It has a light frame, excellent components, a delight to ride. It has all the provisions for fender mounting. Just go buy one and be done with it, if you can find one. I tried all the bikes you mention except the Kona, and the Comp Disk is a better bike than them all IMHO. If it fits well go for it and don't look back.

Better components in this price range just means a nicer bike to ride, not so much that they allow you to push the envelope further. The brakes are smoother, easier to modulate, the shifting is crisp and smooth, the shock locks out remotely when you don't need it... there is much less maintenance and fewer adjustments means more time to ride. Something useful from the get go. The general rule of thumb is to buy as much as you are comfortable spending, and you won't have any second thoughts.

Glazanis

"IMHO, you are over thinking. Who knows what next month or year brings, buy what you like now."

You have no idea how right you are. That's always kinda been my way unfortunately. You should have seen me testing new golf clubs. Ugh what a fiasco!

I think I've narrowed it down to a "Final 3" so to speak;

Spesh Diverge A1
Spesh Crosstrail Comp Disc
Spesh Sirrus Comp Disc

Everytime I did a test ride I liked the look, feel and comfort level of Specialized over Trek, Giant and Kona

Doctor Morbius

I believe they meant to say, " the shock locks out when you don't need it."

Glazanis

Shop smart, shop S-Mart

RickGr4

I can only tell you how I bought my new bike. It may apply to you... it may not.

I started looking in January. We have something called winter in Minnesota and I was more focused on my snowmobile. But I started casually looking at new bikes. I had already decided I wanted a flat bar bike that was more focused on road riding and less on trail riding. I had a fairly good idea of the features I wanted.

I hit a few stores to make sure I was on the right track. I was.

I searched the internet and narrowed my search to three bikes.

One of the three was not available (Fuji) so that narrowed my search down to two bikes.

In April I went to dealers and rode my two remaining bikes.

Both bikes were great (Giant Fastroad SLR1 and Specialized Sirrus Comp Disc) and both dealers (Erik's in Eagan, MN and Bike King in Inver Grove Heights, MN) were great.

One bike stood out at that point so I bought it.

Everyone is entitled to shop however they want to shop. I happen to think that many people over think their shopping. I guess in the grand scheme of things some people are comfortable making decisions and some aren't. Making decisions has never been a problem for me.

I love my new bike and I happen to think the process I used to buy it worked PERFECTLY.

Hope this helps.

Glazanis

I definitely appreciate the input. Living in Northeast Ohio I am also familiar with that season called winter.

I suppose the hesitation comes from not being 100% sure if I'll want to explore road riding. If I was sure it would be the Diverge no doubt. And truth be told it's the one I favor the most. Sirrus Comp Disc a close second

I should take the consensus advice and just go with my gut. And my gut says Specialized Diverge Sport A1

RickGr4

Specialized makes a good and competitive bike in almost every category. I can't see how you would go wrong with that decision. HOWEVER if you have a dealer nearby that has a Giant AnyRoad 1 on hand you may want to check it out.

Glazanis

There are 3 Giant dealers near me. The Giant Anyroad 1 AND 2 looked great, however, I resisted riding them because I knew that none of the shops had a size "L" available because the 2016 models were coming in but weren't there yet. So I figured no sense getting attached to something I couldn't get.

If the 2016's are in before I make my purchase next Friday I'll definitely try it out.

RickGr4

I just looked at the specs and the Giant AnyRoad 1 is a step up in shift gear...

I recommend that people don't focus on models years. It is too unpredictable. Buy when you are ready to buy.

Glazanis

I definitely agree with that point. I guess I wasn't so much caught up on the model year just the fact that the demo models they had on the floor weren't available in my size and weren't available at their distributor because of the model year change.

Im traveling for business for another week but as soon as I'm back home I'm pulling the trigger. I think Ive reached what my dad used to call "paralysis from analysis".

Side question. My LBS (all of them) offer a real, proper fitting, average price of $99. This is on top of the basic "this is the right size for you" fitting you get on the sales floor. I'm wondering if you think it's beneficial. This service includes:

Little Darwin

If you were buying a $400 bike, I would say skip it. But for a more expensive bike, I would do it, to get the best out of the bike. However, one caveat... I would never assume that once things are fitted that they shouldn't be adjusted... The best fitting is still only a good approximation, as you get used to riding the bike and/or increase flexibility, or just develop your own preferences, you can tweak a little bit to tune it in. If you are racing, and doing the whole wind tunnel/power meter series of events you can get things dialed in for perfect performance, but otherwise, don't be afraid to tweak slightly after riding the bike for a while.

prj71

I wouldn't pay $99 for that. You can do it all yourself for free when you get the bike home. Matter of fact it should be a free service when you buy the bike. A similar service was done for my wife and her bike at the local Trek dealer back in March for no charge.

If you turn into a serious biker, consider the fact that you will have more than one bike. I have a 2 right now...A Specialized Fatboy for winter riding (although I have been using it on the mountain bike trails this summer) and a Specialized Crosstrail for my road riding and occasional light off road riding. My next purchase will be a full suspension mountain bike. Then I should be set for my riding needs.

I see a Specialized Crosstrail in your future.

Glazanis

I appreciate the honesty and the input. I'll admit that Crosstrail is an amazing bike. My only question is if I decide to head out for a few hours how will the comfort hold up over the longer rides?

ShortLegCyclist

In the $1200 range I would buy a bike that will have some resale value in your local market just in case you do decide to change later on.

That means a recognizable name brand, like Specialized or Trek, and features that other riders in your area would covet, like nice components and fenders.

Then take care of the bike, don't store it outside all winter, keep all the parts clean and lubed.

You buy a $250 X Mart bike, you are sort of stuck with it. But get a nice $1200 bike and you should be able to recoup a lot of that investment if you do change your mind later.

Lastly, see if any of the bikes you are considering would be easy to convert to drop bars if you should want to try that out at some point.

Glazanis

That's solid advice regarding potential resale. Also I hadn't considered adding drop bars later on to a flat bar hybrid.

I'm leaning more and more towards the Specialized Diverge Sport A1. I do wanna try the Giant Anyroad as well because I hear they're similar

Ryanmcord1

Glazanis, I've been in the same boat that you've been describing for a while and narrowed my choices down to the Specialized Diverge Sport A1 and the Giant Anyroad 1 and I came across this thread. It's been over a year since you posted and I was just curious which bike you went with and your thoughts on it?

I would've just PM'd but I'm a new member and PM's are restricted.

travbikeman

Comfort will depend on how well you fit the bike. I've ridden my Crosstrail for many hours at a time, with breaks of course on rails to trails. So far I've only ridden at most 51 miles in one ride.

BUT, I've replaced the seat, grips and handlebar stem to make it more comfortable for me.

Will also admit, I'm looking at buying a gravel bike early next year to replace the Crosstrail since I have a deep desire to ride even longer distances with something a bit speedier. Diverge along with a few others are on my shopping list.

BUTTTTT....the Sequoia from Specialized looks like it could be a better touring bike than the Diverge.....and it comes with a steel frame.

riceowls

I've heard/seen this argument many times before and want to offer the opposite perspective. I bought $250 bike (close-out Motobecane hybrid at Performance), rode it for 5 years without being aftaid to leave it locked outside of bar/seupermarket etc. Started to ride my bike to work, started riding on 15-20mile rides and eventually realized i liked biking enough to upgrade. i sold it for $125 (total loss of just $125, more then you would loose just by taking your shiny $1200 bike out of the store. My next (current) bike is FX7.2 I figured that gives me best bang for the bike. I've put a trecking bar (from nashbar) on it and changed the tires to 28mm slicks (swiped back to original once for a 30mile gravel trail and now back to slicks). I ride is with a group 1-2 times a week on a 20+ mile rides with 18+mph (almost everyone is on a shiny road carbons) and I feel like I am getting better work-out for the same amount of time spent. Yes, I am not able to go with A-group (racers, that ride 25mph+) but this is not the goal. I took trek on 70-mile trip a few weeks ago and it was still sufficient but perhaps now I am considering to get a second road bike for rides over 50miles. I paid $450 for FX 7.2 (on sale) and perhaps can resell it for over $300+ any time. My choice of the road bike would follow the same logic -- not the latest and greatest with the biggest name brand but something that I can find a good deal on and not overspend. Overall, cycling is a fitness sport, equipment matters but you are getting even fitter riding a heavier bike. What you should care about is whether the bike is enjoyable to ride and a good fit...

ShortLegCyclist

I'd completely agree with this poster, if you are shopping in the $250 price range.

My comments were based on the OP looking in the $1200 range.

Any bike that gets you out there pedaling is a good thing.

If you buy a $250 bike from a big box store, might not be a bad idea to ask a friend who knows a bit about wrenching to look it over though before you ride it. The folks that build those bikes are not necessarily the most qualified people to be putting together bicycles. They might be well qualified, but not necessarily.

I've seen bikes in those stores with the forks installed backwards.