Fairfax22032

After 3 months, visits to 6 LBS, road tests on 25 (plus or minus 3 or so) I have narrowed my choice down to the Specialized Crosstrail Sport and the Giant Roam 1. The Specialized is a bit more expensive, but the locking fork is a nice feature and I have a few friends who ride that bike and really like it. The Giant seems to have slightly better components, but for the amount of riding I expect to do - probably 30-40 miles on average per week - may make this point moot.

tom d

Hi i own a Crosstrail, I bought it four months ago. I used to only do mountain biking. In my 40's now and wanted to do some road and easy off road stuff now. I do a lot more road than trail with this bike. I love the bike but:

The tires are awful, the fork is a waste of weight for the road. And I dont like the upriser handlebars.
I have changed the tires to 28's, put on a straight bar, flipped the neck and lost the suspention fork for a rigid one. Now I LOVE the bike for 500 bucks I got a decent bike for the road withour dropping a lot more cash.
Great bike. good luck with your decision.

Nikiddawg

I considered several different hybrids before I decided. I tested Treks (7.3, DS, Kaitai) as well as the Specialized Crosstrail and Sirrus. I picked up the 2012 Giant Roam 1 about 3 weeks ago and couldn't be happier with my decision. It handles NYC streets like a dream - the adjustable suspension forks with lockout are perfect; the geometry fits me well; the seat is comfortable; all 27 gears have proven useful depending on terrain (through central park); the tires have maintained great traction on various surfaces; and the disc brakes stop me on a dime when needed. Not to mention it is a damn sweet looking bike (matte black with red/white detailing).

macca_pacca

I was torn between the Roam 1 and Trek Montare and I almost went for the Trek but at the last minute went for the Cube Nature. Not sure if they are available in the US...dont quote me on that!

I've only done probably around 100 miles or so on it but I'm loving it.

Well worth a look IMO if you can source them where you are.

olds442

I would love to have a cube nature pro. I would love to nhave someone find it and I would pay with card and have someone ship it to me and I would pay 100 for them setting it up

Shanej

MSRP for the specialized is $770 and $815 for the Giant according to their websites.

I am biased because I own one but I say go for the Roam 1. It's all Deore components and it also has the Suntour NEX hydraulic lockout fork. Once I fixed my LBS' horrible bike setup it has been a great bike for me.

trainchaser

...guess there will always be a debate over the value of front shocks, but for me they've been a very valuable feature on my Crosstrail Sport Disc as I deal with some carpal tunnel syndrome, and I'm really sold on the value of disc brakes as well, these suckers STOP you now! As far as tires go, if you're mainly riding on pavement you may wish to have them change the tires over to something a bit narrower but I've found the stock tires, the Specialized Trigger Sport 700x38, to be just fine for what I do. I ride about 60% paved and 40% trails and the stock tires along with the front shocks have proven their worth on our local trails. You have to examine where you're planning on riding, if you're going to do a mix of paved and trails or you have poor quality road surfaces to deal with the Crosstrail or the Roam are both proven choices for that, but if you're going to be mainly on paved roads then maybe you should be looking at something like the Specialized Sirrus or the Giant Escape. Both Giant and Specialized are in the same league quality wise, as many have pointed out in these forums, sometimes it should be based on which bike shop you prefer the staff at as opposed to which brand of shiny new bikes they sell. Another important thing is how they each fit you, you have to be able to ride each of them and see how well they fit you. The geometry measurements of each of your choices are very similar but there can be slight differences that are noticeable when you're on the bike...
...when I bought my Crosstrail I'd looked at equivalent bikes from Giant, Norco, Marin and Trek, ultimately it was the helpful staff and a comfortable fit that made my decision an easy one...