Hi all, I'm a newbie to these forums. Looking to get some advice on hybrid bikes, I've test ridden a few and have narrowed it down but wanted to get some expert advice. I'm sure you get questions like this all the time, hoping you can give me some insight! I won't be commuting, just weekend riding on rail trails and around town, and out and about to do errands and stuff. From talking to the bike store guys they say I don't need disc brakes or a suspension fork.

The 3 I've narrowed it down to are:
Kona Dew, $475 https://www.konaworld.com/asphalt_com...fm?content=dew
Giant Escape 2, $450 https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/....2/8910/48614/
Trek 7.2, $599 https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...ess/fx/7_2_fx#

Any advice?

Test ride all plus other bikes and get what you like best. I'll say the following about each though:
Kona: Never ridden one, but I've heard good things. Assuming you like the ride of all of them, I'd probably pick this.
Giant: I hate Sram trigger shifters, and I know I'm not the only one who does. I'd pass on it for that alone, though I don't know how you feel about them.
Trek: They feel different from other hybrids, and it's kind of hard to say why. I am not that impressed with how they feel, but things like Trek's warranty and rack mounts on the fork really make me want to like them.

I have a Kona Smoke. I dig it. I've also thought about getting a Giant Escape City or Via 2. Trek offers decent products, but they also tend to charge a premium- what some have come to refer to as the "Trek Tax". Try them all and go with the one you like the best.

Welcome To Bike Forums, Nak!

IMHO, Treks are all nice bikes, but tend to be overpriced. Konas are fine, but their prices are somewhat inflated too, unless there's a sale. Therefore, your from your list, I choose the Giant Escape by default.

However you really do need to expand your list. On your list should be the following:


The Jamis Coda Sport ~ $560
www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/12_codasport_bk.html


The Raleigh Misceo ~ $530
www.raleighusa.com/bikes/hybrid/misceo-12/


The KHS Urban Express ~ $570
www.khsbicycles.com/06_urban_xpress_m_12.htm


The Schwinn Sporterra Sport ~ $495
www.schwinnbikes.com/bikes/hybrid/2012-sporterra-sport-mens-14586

* The KHS Xpress is most probably the best deal here, due to the fact that it is a 9 speed. All the others are 8 speeds. Plus the Schwinn has an aluminum alloy fork. All the other forks are chromoly!

The Coda Comp is better than them all!

The Jamis Coda Comp ~ $775
www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/12_codacomp_bk.html

Those three bikes are all very similar and your decision should be based on fit first followed by personal preference. Some of the things people notice between bikes: shifters. Take a test ride and do a lot of shifting. Do your hands prefer one over the others? I also recommend a long enough test ride so that you can try the entire range of gears. The Kona has an 11-34 cassette in the back and I hate mine. The gear spacing, compared to my 12-25, is very large. The difference will be very noticeable on the large front ring, but may not be too bad on the middle ring. The other two bikes have 11-32 cassettes. The tire sizes are similar: 32 or 35 so not much difference there. The Trek has a higher price tag than the other two, but I don't think you get more bike than the Kona or Giant. All three bikes are popular choices and you won't go wrong with either of them.

I know you asked about these three bikes, but I've been seeing so many posts in the last few weeks where people love their Jamis Coda Sport. You might want to look around for one of those and try it out. It's a steel frame bike, which might give a smoother ride.

I just bought a 2011 Kona Dew Plus from my LBS for $529) and I love it. I have rode the trek 7.2, Jamis Coda Sport and several others. The kona felt very solid, fit me perfectly, and seemed to have the most "bang for the buck". Like I was told on this website....pick your pricerange, ride alot of bikes, and pick the bike you had the best experience on and ride it again. I am fairly new to the website, so I cant give specific advice on bikes. However I have read hundreds of threads and feel comfortable with this advice. Also a good LBS you are comfortable with is priceless. Most will go out of their way to make sure you have the right bike and the right set up. Mine did.

I would imagine the Giant Rapid series is more in line with the Trek 7.x series. I would say that the Trek 7.x falls in between the Escape and Rapid, so it depends if you want something on the sportier side, like a flat-bar road bike, or the cushier/relaxed side. Can't say I know much about the Kona.

I have a Giant FCR3, which is, I think, what Giant used to call the Escape. I use it for commuting. I have about 7000 miles on the bike with no complaints and no repairs other than routine maintenance. FWIW, I heard that Giant and Trek are built in the same factory. In planning your budget, keep in mind that you will most likely be changing out the pedals and saddle early on, nomatter what bike you buy.

Okay, I'll either enlighten you or prove myself a fool...

-The FCR line is now called 'Rapid' for guys and and 'Dash' for the ladies.
-The Escape is the new name for what used to be called the TranSend.
-Giant started out making frames under contract before launching their own brand. Trek outsourced production ages ago (save for the very uber pricey full CF). So it's possible they are produced side by side.

Side note: Giant used to provide Specialized with frames, but lost the contract to Meridia.

Thanks no1mad. That's good information.