JS41989

Any insight on this bike? My dad has been eyeing it as an upgrade to his hybrid with the intention to dive into road cycling. Local shop has the 2020 model in his size with disc brakes at $900. Just curious if it’s a good value purchase? Looking out for the man.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/contend-ar-3

surak

The AR 3 looks fine. The biggest thing that jumps out is the price. It is very hard to find much selection at that price point right now, with so many people buying bikes during the pandemic. If he's looking for a budget purchase, he could do a lot worse. The AR line has decent tire clearance, which is a plus as getting wider tires at lower pressure is one of the cheapest ways to make a bike both more comfortable and also can handle rougher surfaces.

If your dad plans to ride 1-2 hr tops over varying terrain but nothing with long uphill or downhill stretches, like most beginner cyclists, then almost any bike in good condition that fits him will work. A higher-end bike would have better brakes (full hydraulic like the AR 1) and better groupset, but those are just nice-to-haves if he's not going to be riding thousands of miles a year with hundreds of thousands of feet of elevation gain.

shelbyfv

That looks very nice for the price. One feature is the now standard 12mm thru axles front and rear. Some bikes in that range still come with QR or some kludge combo. I don't think you could go wrong with this.

eduskator

It's a Giant. You get a lot for the money even if you pay it full price. Best bang for the buck!

JS41989

Thank you! Should have mentioned, he rarely does rides that consist of climbing over 700-800 feet, and he rarely does rides longer than 20-25 miles. I'd guess his weekly mileage is 50-75 miles.

smashndash

I think it’s a good buy. The only two concerns I have are the brakes and seatpost clamp.

Mechanical disc brakes can be hit-or-miss. But these are tektro’s highest-end brakes besides TRP so hopefully they won’t be an issue. If the brakes feel too “squishy” and you end up bottoming out the lever before hitting max braking force, consider compressionless housing.

The seatpost clamp seems to be a wedge type. It shouldn’t be an issue if you know how to set it up. The wedge itself (usually) needs greasing to slide properly against the frame, and the contact between the wedge and the seatpost usually needs some sort of grit paste. It’s not going to be as simple as a collar-type.

The tires will be set up tubeless from the factory. Don’t let air out of the tires without putting the valve at the 12 o clock position first. Otherwise, sealant will clog it. Keep the tires well inflated, but do not over-inflate them. You can look up what an appropriate pressure is online.