Felt Curbside vs Giant Bowery '72
 

Hello all. I have been doing much research and I have narrowed down to two bikes. As listed above they are the 2010 Felt Curbside or the 2010 Giant Bowery '72.

I just sold my 2008 Giant Bowery that I bought used about 8-9 months ago and I recently picked up and Origin8 Cutler on an impulse. I say impulse because there hasn't been much info online and I don't know a whole heck of a lot about bikes but I liked the way it rode and the price was right. I was going to upgrade the BB, Wheels, Cranks etc but I decided I'd rather spend the money on a better Platform.

So I'm looking to get opinions on these two bikes. I don't care if they are Hipster, Trendy, blah blah blah. I just want a good bike that I can ride the crap out of. I don't track the bike, it will be used for rides to the beach, around town, rides w/ buddies and local Miami Critical Mass monthly.

Thanks

Not one post? Opinion? Vote?

Eh. You just had a bowery, so these bikes would pretty much be a lateral move. They are very similar, overpriced, and arent amazing component wise. They dont seem to have stellar reputations on this forum. Depending on your budget, if i were you Id save up my pennies to buy this, which would for sure be an upgrade. This youll be able to ride the crap out of, and enjoy it.

Why don't you try them out at the LBS and see which you like better.

I can't say I like either of your choices entirely. Neither has a huge advantage in hardware (The Bowery MIGHT have a better crank, and the Felt MIGHT have a better wheelset). I don't usually suggest flat bars (like on the curbside), but for casual riding they're fine. The bar setup on the Bowery looks- excuse my french- horribly ****ing painful to ride on. It literally hurts my hands and wrists just to look at it. I prefer the argyle-patterned components on the older Curbside more than whatever it is that's going on with that bike. Both bikes have interesting saddles, at least.

If your local shop sells Felt, order up a Dispatch instead of a Curbside (but don't test-ride a Curbside and expect it to feel the same size as a Dispatch).

I kind of regret selling the Bowery now. But the prior owner beat on it so I wanted something fresh. The Motobecane has been recommended to me before but it is a bit above my price range of $650. BTW...What makes that bike so much better?

What is the advantage of the Dispatch over the Curbside?

Personally I prefer the Flat bars or Riser Bars over the Dropdowns(I think they are called). That would be my only change to the Bowery.

The dispatch has drop bars, a chainguard, and doesn't look like (IMO) a clown bike.

Its ok if you prefer flats/risers, and they're fine for casual use, but I consider drop bars important on my multi-use bikes. If you rode one of those Bowerys and didn't like the way the bars felt, please don't let it forever turn you away from drop bars, as that setup is not typical.

For 650 you can get a MUCH better bike than these two. An IRO Mark V or surly steamroller or Wabi has much much better components and far better quality frames. You will have them laying around for much longer, enjoy a much nicer ride, and IMO they look much better. Most of the bikes on this site are half the price AND have been proven to be for the most part better quality wise.

I haven't rode a Bowery '72. I had a 2008 Bowery:Bikepedia: 2008 Giant Bowery Which had different drops. But you're right considering those are the only drops I rode I may like a different kind better.

Oh, sorry, I forgot about your previous Bowery. The Dispatch is very similar to your old bike.

What makes the Frame of these two better? BEcause they are CroMo vs Aluminum? I've heard a lot of the IRO and Surly. Can you explain a bit more on what makes them superior? I've often looked over the BikesDirect bikes, I've read the frames are good but the components aren't the best? Is this true? I have a buddy with the Kilo TT and one w/ the Hour and another ordering a Clockwork or Timeline soon.

The Dispatch and Curbside share a Frame, Right? The difference being the Handlebars and Gearing?

First off, the components on the bikes direct bike (such as the popular, basic kilo tt) are very similar and comparable in quality to those on the felt or giant. The two bikes you are debating have for the most part no-name parts, which to me is disappointing, especially if I were to drop 650 on a frame that is practically unknown to me quality wise. The iro and surly each have better parts than a kilo for example, but it would be cheapest to buy a kilo and slowly upgrade the parts as youd find deals.

The difference in frames has little to do with the different types of metal, which is mostly preference. There is a reason you see tons of surly, Iro and Kilo frame builds, and rarely any 'curbsides' or bowerys. They are well and solidly built from decent metals, and have geometrys that have been proven to be responsive and fun to ride. This might also be up for preference, i.e. you might be one of the exceptions on this forum and like the way your bowery felt compared to your friends kilo. But I think that moving from one of these bikes to a basic kilo stripper is a (cheap) upgrade anyday.

While deigned these bikes it looks to me like felt and giant just tried to focus on creating something that looked 'hip,' paying minimal attention on the actual build, and slapped on a ridiculous price tag. Kinda like republic bikes. I would stay away, and get something that has proven itself on this forum of fixed gear riders. But thats just me...

So what Bikes Direct bike do you recommend to start with? The Windsor The Hour seems to be the least expensive and since I'l be upgrading parts would that be the best? Or should I just buy the Motobecane Team Track frame and build from there? Or the Felt Frameset is less then the Motobecane Team Track?

Thanks BTW for helping me decide on which route to take!