Opinions on Breezer bikes?
 

Going to be living on an very lightly trafficked 30 mile gravel loop(extending to 50 with a couple out&back spurs) for the next 5 months in the middle of nowhere that I'm sure is delightful riding. But I know my 25mm road bike tires won't cut it.

I'm eyeing the breezer doppler pretty hard(Breezer Bikes - DOPPLER PRO - Bike Details). I'm not a component snob, so the tiagra is fine. And it's pretty! The road plus is super appealing, especially since it's already got a nice tire. That, and the fact that it comes with fenders at such a reasonable price is a bit part of why I'm interested in it.

But it's heavy. But not a huge deal, since the road is flat and I'm fat anyway. The spec sheet has some obvious inaccuracies(700c tires). The stack/reach and standover is n/a on the geometry chart. When you send an email to the contact email, it bounces. They didn't respond to a facebook message.

These are not good impressions. Should I take these signs as a red flag and to look elsewhere? Or are the bikes solid and it's only the website that is lacking.

I should add that when you're 6'5, live 4 hours from a major metro area, 'go test ride and buy your favorite' is not really helpful. And when you're going to be riding primarily on badly maintained rural roads, a meaningful test ride isn't really possible anyway.

I ride a Breezer, think Joe Breeze is a great designer and American cycling icon, love my Venturi, and have had good contacts with the company, so as someone who watches their website fairly regularly, I'm guessing that the recent web site modifications-- I think Doppler was only added in the past 2 weeks-- bungled some things.

Going back through my communications with the company, try this addy: info@advancedsports.com. I've gotten production info, like volume, from them, so they're both timely and open. I'm betting they'll have, or get, the complete geometry info for you.

But yeah, man, I'd get another Breezer, and would recommend them.

Opinions-

- Breezer is owned by the company that also owns Fuji, Kestrel, the Oval component name, Nashbar, and Performance. Point is- The people that spec Breezer branded bikes are well established in the industry.
- Breezer has some really interesting steel frame gravel/adventure options.
- hyRD brakes are neat to see on this bike.
- The other Breezer bikes Ive seen online this year were also heavy.
- 650 wheelse are...meh. Its a trend and ASI(the parent company) is going to offer whats popular, even after its run its trend course.
- Gearing setup is excellent as stock. The adventure crank paired with a wide range 10sp cassette is really neat to see and that is a trend that needs to roll into road cycling more.

When you guys are calling these bikes heavy, what are you comparing them to? As steel bikes, they do not seem heavy to me.

Breezer lists Inversion Team at $2.5k and 21.39lbs.

Compared to other steel adventure bikes:

Raleigh's Stuntman is $2.3k and 26.9lbs. Their $2k Tamland 2 weighs in at 23.5lbs.

Kona's Rove ST is $1.7k and 25.6lbs (56cm)

Jamis Renegade Exploit is $2.1k and 23.75lbs

Niner's RLT 9 2-Star is $2.5k and 23lbs.

It would certainly appear that if Breezer Inversion may the lightest steel adventure bike, but if not, it is clearly among the lightest, but if y'all are benchmarking off other comparable steel adventure bikes, do let us know.

Joe Breeze used to be a frame builder in the 70's, now his name is a division of a holding company that gets them built ..
by OEM contract factories, to Spec. He may be retired to Hawaii from that sale of his brand.

they are going for the transportation bike sector, now several others are too, after watching the Breezer sales figures

you have a dealer for that brand?, take a test ride..





....

Joe Breeze is still very much the designer and developer of Breezer bikes, flavoring everything from the construction materials, constuction methods, and geometry.

Here’s a piece from the launch of the Inversion last year:

https://www.cxmagazine.com/breezer-i...bike-sea-otter

The Product manager can do all that online with the contract factory, these days.. If Joe is still managing that , OK..


:popcorn

I think you mean THE Breezer aka the best bike ever.

Tire spec seems to have been corrected:

Tires WTB Horizon, 650x47mm wire bead

It is a brilliant performer, but I’m not given to hyperbole so I wouldn’t call it the best ever, no.

THE BREEZER with MEILENSTEIN LIGHTWEIGHT WHEELS!

The particular Breezer in question, is listed at 29.5lbs. Which is handily more than all you've listed. Whether Breezers are heavy in general or not, near-as-makes-no-difference to 30lbs is porky.

There was a comment which referred to all ‘16 Breezers being heavy, which I guess we can agree is misleading if not totally inaccurate.

The Doppler is also the cheapest of the comps I listed by $700, and has over a 1lb worth of stainless steel fenders. I agree 30lbs is heavy, but I’d like to know what comparable bikes weigh in order to give it context. I mean, conversely, 17lbs is pretty light, but if the bike costs $10k and all the comps are 14lbs, it becomes comparatively heavy.

Since I am one of the posters you questioned-
- I find the Breezer models I have seen to be heavy compared to similar level steel bikes with general spec and/or pricing.
- I find the Breezer models I have seen to be heavier than my steel road bikes.

I absolutely havent seen the entire Breezer lineup, which is why I specified that my opinion was limited to what ive seen.

Your list of steel bikes that are 70-150% more expensive than the bike in question shows that other steel bikes can be lighter than the bike in question. Strong research there.

Yeah, that's what I'm asking you about; are you going to answer the question? Since you seemed to miss the question, let me re-put it to you: Which bikes are you comparing to which Breezers?

I compared similar level bikes by spec and pricing, and showed the Breezer to be the lightest. What've you got?

At the risk of going down your rabbit hole, ill respond.

Radar Expert and Doppler Pro for sure.
For thr prices, the Radar Pro and Dopplar Team could be included too, thlugh not as egrigious.

They all use different tubing than the bike you listed.

I have no interest in arguing while missing the forest for the trees.
I like the Breezer lineup, i pointed out many neat things about the OP's bike specifically, and arguing over such a trivial thing as this is a waste. Its just an opinion based on perception.

If the weight of a Breezer is an issue for your road bike, you need to be in better shape. Fit means more, including the bike and how fit you are.

That being said, I'd get a Wraith before I'd get a Breezer.

The Wraith Paycheck could be a comp for the Inversion, although it is not in the adventure category and lacks the the rack and fender mount options, and is considerably shorter, steeper, and lower than you’d want for loaded riding. It also does not offer thru-axle solidity.

That aside, the Paycheck frameset at $1.5k is $500 more than Inversion frameset, and undoubtedly lighter, though I can’t find exact numbers. I’d guess about a pound-and-a-quarter; CXMag built up a 19.6lb Paycheck with Rival and cable discs, while the Ultegra hydro disc Inversion is 21.something. I’m assuming the Inversion build-kit is heavier.

Sure, and I agree with you. Especially since(judge away) my daily rides in winter are probably going to be pretty much completely flat. And once winter is over, my most common climb is probably only going to be ~1500 ft in 12 miles. And I'll probably have 10+lbs of stuff in a pannier or trunk bag anyway. Unless you're racing, being 10 seconds slower up a climb just doesn't matter. I don't care if my 30 mile ride takes another 5 minutes.

It's not that I'm going to shun a 30lb bike. My other bike is about that, after putting 6 lbs on in full commuting regalia and I never minded the weight, even in hilly rides. If it had better tire clearance, I'd just ride it. But my daily ride in 20 miles of poorly maintained wet gravel and little sections of snow a few inches deep is going to be a common occurrence. 25c doesn't cut it.

But I feel that weight is, in general, a rough indicator of quality. If one bike is 18 lbs, and the other is 25 lbs with comparable components, I'm going to wonder why there is such a discrepancy.

The $800 jamis renegade is listed at 24 lbs. The $1200(800 with the corporate discount) raleigh willard is listed at 23.3 lbs. $1350 Specialized Sequoia is 25lbs? $1300 fuji jari is 23 lbs. The $1000 one is 27.5 lbs. the $1200 diamondback haanjo is 22.5. No, not all of those are steel. None of them are fenders. But I don't think aluminum and fenders bump the weight up to 30 lbs.

WHAT makes the doppler 30 lbs, and is it something that will adversely effect my usage of the bike? That's such an outlier of a number it concerns me. Even if it is otherwise a very attractive bike that tics pretty much all my boxes. Although now that I reread the description, the website says it's a touring bike. Which does make the weight a bit less of a yellow flag, I guess.

Dealers don't generally carry bikes to fit 6'5" people on the floor and I'm a 4-5 hour drive to a major metro area. Test drives aren't really an option for me. Most LBS'es aren't next to wet, poorly maintained gravel roads either. Or logging/forest service roads. So I see limited value in them for this particular purchase.

Wheel size says 700c on the spec sheet. That's the sort of thing that has me skeptical. Lack of attention to detail and poor proofreading turns me off.

Eh, maybe. But I do know that I was often a bit uncomfortable riding this same route last year on 40mm tires, and would've liked something wider. Anything that supports 45mm 700c tires with fenders seems to be more MTB oriented than I'd prefer-fundamentally I'm still riding things resembling roads, I don't need a MTB. 650b 47mm seems to be more targeted towards roads of questionable quality, which is more what I'm looking to explore.

So for me specifically, 650bx47mm seems really attractive.

I am fully willing to admit that improving my mediocre bike handling may make more of a difference than going from 40mm to 47mm. I'm also going from tubed to tubeless from last winter to this winter, which will probably make a difference?

OP, you need to look at comparable bikes before we can say the 29.5lbs Doppler is such an outlier. None of the bikes you listed are even steel.

How about a Surly Disc Trucker; steel, designed for loads, mechanical disc, $1.5k, 28.1lbs.

Add SS fenders from Velo Orange, 800gm (1.75lbs) and let's say .25lb for the hydro disk upgrade to the mechanical BB7s on the Straggler (caliper variance alone is 85gm, so plus levers at say 20gm ea?) and that puts Disc Trucker at 30.1lbs, more than 1lb heavier and more than $500 more expensive.

Again, when looking at comparable bikes, the Breezer doesn’t seem like a heavyweight outlier. Hang around with the rando/brevet guys, and it’s not uncommon to see 30 - 35lbs rigs, so context is important.

Whether you want or need a bike with lots of trail that’s dead confident bombing down a curvy fire road in the wet while carrying 30lbs of stuff is another matter which may recommend for or against a Doppler, but given Breeze’s decades of acclaimed bike design, wondering if one of his bikes will adversely affect your riding is a waste of time. It’s far more likely it will set a new high bar for your bike handling expectations.

Oh, down on the geometry chart. I see. Even the wheelset on the actual component sheet says 650B:

Wheelset 650Bx32H Alex DP21 disc, tubeless compatible, sealed bearing hubs, 14gSS spokes

My salsa vaya weighs eleven billion pounds. I have no idea why.

Adding mass is a time-honored method for increasing load-carrying stability and durability.

WTF are you talking about with this 'time-honored' jibberish? I can assure you not even Joe Breeze would approach spec'ing a Taiwanese OEM frame by saying, "First, we'll add some mass to the frame because a heavier bike will ride better." If you think adding more material to something will automagically make it stronger, you don't understand how any of this works.