Hello,

I'm trying to decide between the following 2 bikes. Any thoughts on which is a better bike?

1) Louis Garneau Women's Urbania 2.0 (2010)
https://www.louisgarneau.com/ca-en/pr...7S_URBANIA_2.0

2) Specialized Ariel Sport Women's Hybrid (2012)
https://www.sportinglife.ca/sportingl...ike-%5B2012%5D

Thanks,
Paula

never heard of Garneau, while Specialized is one of the biggest brands in North America. that doesn't mean that much...

the Garneau doesn't list much its component specifications, so its hard to compare on that. that particular Specialized has relatively fat tires (700x45) and a suspension fork, so its probably a bit better on dirt paths and such, but its not to be confused with a 'real' mountain bike that you could huck off jumps etc. The Garneau has a carbon fork, and likely has considerably skinnier tires, more suitable for pure road riding. The specialized has OK quality parts on it (Acera, M390, which are typical for a midrange hybrid)

I would say the most important factor is, which bike fits you better, which do you like better on a test ride ?

Two completely different bikes;what kind of riding are you looking to do? For smooth roads the LG will be better,for trails the Specialized will be better. Specs aren't that far apart on the two,it's not like one is of significantly higher quality than the other.

That 'Symbiosis carbon fork' is pure marketing BS,however.
"carbon and a thin wall aluminum core are combined together to lower weight while still maintaining good ride characteristics"
IAW,it's an alloy fork wrapped with CF to strengthen it,so it's an aluminum fork,not CF. That means that it's going to ride just as bad as any other alloy fork. If your roads are smooth,it won't be an issue. If your roads are crap and/or you want to ride unpaved trails and/or you have any carpal tunnel issues,you'll want to look at something else.

Thanks! I didn't realize that the tires on the Specialized were large for a hybrid.

And the "carbon" fork on the LG was a selling feature so it's good to know that this one is not any better than the aluminum which makes up most of the fork. Good point about carpal tunnel though. That is a concern for me. I'll have to think about how much trail riding I'll be doing.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to this post!

aren't most all carbon bike parts wrapped on an aluminum form ?

Many seatposts are,but forks usually aren't. On racing machines,everything is pure CF. On lower end bikes,it's not unusual to 'carbon wrap' something to add bling factor without spending real money.

YMMV on this. When I got my first commuter bike,I got it with front suspension because I was worried about my CT. I've since learned that as long as I have a good fork(CF,steel,or very beefy curved alloy) and/or fat low pressure tires,I'm good. Straight blade alloy forks with narrow tires kill me;I've had to get rid of three bikes because they rode too rough.

A happy medium between the two bikes you posted would be a Kona Dew or Jamis Coda. Both are sporty,but still comfortable and will do light trail use. The Dews are a bit more MTB-ish,the Codas more road-ish,but not as big of a difference as there is between the Urbania and Ariel.

Specialized

Do they even make any better bikes ?

You do know that Giant makes most of the bike frames out there? So there's a good chance your Spec's are actually Giants.

I Knew they made a lot of Trek's frames, but I like Giant also. Probably get more bike for your money also.

Giant is one of the larger frame builders, for sure, but by no means the only one.

I read somewhere that Specialized uses a half dozen different frame builders, and a given line of bikes that share the same frame design, they'll have 4-5 different builders make them, the builder that makes the best ones will be kitted as 'comp', then the next best maker will build the 'elites', then 'sports', etc. all these frames are built to the same spec and design, but the quality and consistency will vary accordingly.

"They" send designs and write spec list contracts..

Giant and Marida are both large contract factories, making multiple models, for multiple brands .
there are others doing similar, for importing distributors around the Globe,

I like the look of the LG, but I like the disc brake on the Specialized.

Are you open to other brands?

These two are nice for not so much $$.

https://www.rei.com/product/837487/novara-buzz-bike-2013

https://www.rei.com/product/848624/ra...o-20-bike-2013

From the links,I'm pretty sure the OP is in Canada. REI doesn't sell there. They do however have MEC.

Thanks everyone! This has been helpful! The thing is that I'm looking to buy this bike 2nd hand, so I'm limited by the options available given that I'd like one by May 1st. It will mainly be a commuter bike, but I prefer to commute through the city trails instead of on the road and I'll be biking about 1.5 hours/day (half on city trail, half on road).

It looks like the Specialized Ariel (the one I like best) is out because it's too far away for me to pick up the bike (btw this one had V-brakes, not disc). So in this case I'm looking at 2 much more comprable bikes.

Women's Specialized Vita Hybrid:
https://www.sportinglife.ca/sportingl...ike-%5B2012%5D

And the Louis Garneau Urbania 2.0, which unfortunately doesn't list many specs (photo of brake attached):
https://www.louisgarneau.com/ca-en/pr...NIA_2.0#second


I'm finding it difficult to compare specs on these bikes (especially not knowing anything about bikes). Is there a significant difference between these bikes? Or do you like one more than the other for any reason?

Thanks for your help!
Paula

Live test rides and talking to the Dealer's employees encouraged..

The Vita and Urbania are almost the same in specs. The Vita's steel fork will weigh more,but ride better. The Urbania's shifters are SRAM which use two thumb levers(Shimano uses one thumb and one finger) that are easier to shift with thick gloves or mittens. Otherwise,the only real differences are in the riding position,which you can't know unless you test ride them both.

Thanks for breaking all this down! I went with the Specialized Vita given the steel fork and what you'd said earlier re: CT. The other shifters would have been nicer but the ride is more important.

I didn't consider that the riding positions would be different. Just out of curiosity, how could you tell?

I wasn't able to test ride both before purchasing as they were each 1+ hours away and I would be getting a ride to pick the bike up (few good bikes come up for sale where I live). I had tried the LG at a bike shop a while back, but had to guess with the Vita. It seems decent though a bit different from my old mountain bike, but I expect to adjust to it quickly once I start commuting.

Thanks. The 2nd bike looks good but it's true that I live in Canada and while I'm close to the border, there isn't an REI anywhere nearby. The US tends to have better prices for bikes in general it seems. I did buy 2nd hand though, so I paid 50% of the MSRP.

Haha well said. Yes, indeed. Being able to test drive would have made the decision much simpler, but the bikes were too far away and I couldn't find the Vita (or other Spec) for sale in any bike shops nearby (smallish town).

You will also be happier with the solid seatpost of the Specialized. I'm not a big fan of suspension seatposts, as they wear and move around. The Specialized will also hold it's value better.

You can look at the frame geometry and see that the Garneau has a more relaxed seat position, where the specialized is more upright over the pedals. Specialized is more aggressive, so it's easier to go faster.

Ride both and compare. When you've owned/ridden enough bikes you can compare the geo charts and have a good understanding of how they'll behave on the road,but until you've logged the miles you need to actually try the different bikes out.