First Road Bike Opinion
 

What I’m looking for in a bike:

• Commuting to and from work. My job is only half a mile from where I live, but I would like a rear rack for carrying some of my teacher items. I also would like clearance for fenders (for those rainy Oregon months).
• My riding would probably never exceed about 40 miles per day; mostly 5-10 mile rides. 90% of the riding will be on back country paved roads; mostly flat with some minor hills.
• Hydraulic disc brakes and a steel frame are preferred, but not deal breakers.
• I’m looking to stay under $2,000.

I have been into about 4 different bike shops and I have been researching online for about the last 6 months. Unfortunately, with my lack of experience, I have been having trouble narrowing down a bike that would really fit the bill for what I’m looking for. Here are the different bikes that I have had my eye on so far:

Specialized Sequoia Elite
Breezer Radar Pro
Co-op ADV 1.1
Jamis Renegade S3
Jamis Aurora Elite
Canyon Grail 7
Scott Contessa Speedster 15
Diamondback Haanjo 5
Kona Sutra
Salsa Marrakesh Drop Bar Brooks
Fuji Touring Disc

Any advice as to what bike would hit all these check marks? If there are a multitude of options, I’m leaning towards the bike with the most acceleration and nimble handling as possible. Please let me know your opinions!

Mind saying why you would prefer steel and discs?

Seems to me you just need something sporty with rack mounts.

Depending on your location, it might be easy to find a used high end 10s bike with plenty of change from your $2k for a refresh.

I guess many do, but I wouldn't buy a road bike for a commuter. I'd look at something like Trek's Urban bikes or some of their cruisers that have multiple speeds. Others have them too, but Trek has a lot.

I have test rode both aluminum and steel frame bikes and I liked the feel of steel a bit more. I prefer hydraulic brakes for the better stopping capabilities, especially when riding when it is wet out.

Just as an FYI, I’m only interested in drop bar gravel bikes and touring bikes. So all other hybrid and cruiser type bikes are out for me.

I don't know, I have had so many opinions about .... oh wait, you mean about Your bike specifically.

No sweat, I can always make another opinion.

But after reading your post more carefully ... you already have enough opinions. You don't need any more ....

Keep looking until something really grabs you ....

It’s not steel but aluminum, my fendered, racked commuter is a Pearson’s All Mod Cons. It’s comfortable, stout and rides very nicely on both roads and gravel. I think you indicated a rainy environment. If so, steel might not be ideal.

I'm about a year into a Jamis Renegade Escapade as my light touring/non-paved surface (these days called "gravel") bike and that S3 would be a good choice - maybe overkill. I had several friends recommend Jamis, I'm impressed with the quality. I wanted a 1x drivetrain, really liked the Renegade setup.

After trying mine, a friend bought the S2, he loves it. It is one step up from the S3 but a 1x vs. 2x - no front derailleur. For your first bike, the 2x would be more versatile if you decide you want to do some fast riding, so the S3 is a good choice.

This is exactly the kind of riding a road bike is not made for. I think you are caught up in a "look" that you want to have. Road bikes are for endurance riding of many miles at a time, not short little trips.

This is ..... well .... never mind.

A bike is not "made" for short or long rides. If you get a bike which you can ride comfortably, you can ride it comfortably for as long as you want.

I honestly don't know why you would want to spend much money on a bike you plan to ride only ten mils---that's a 40-minute ride or something like that, and you could ride it almost any bike comfortably for half an hour.

However ... if there is a certain type of bike you want, and your heart is fixed on it .... buy it. it is nobody's business if you ride ten miles a month 0r 250 miles per week---it si your money, and it will be your bike. Buy the bike you want and use it however you want.

Agreed with post above about not needing a road bike. I'd recommend a flat bar bike that has lots of mounting points for fenders, racks, etc.

If you really want a traditional road bike, the type with drop bars, then I would look at a gravel bike. Those hold wider tires, which are more comfortable, and they have a ton of mounts for cargo racks and other stuff. Just as an example, the Cannondale Topstone 105 aluminum bike is $1,750 new, which is what I have.

Touring bikes make great commuters IMO, but half-a-mile? I have a mile commute and ride an old Schwinn cruiser with a rear rack that I consider to be perfect for up to a few miles. It's been my commuter for almost 30 years with practically no maintenance.

My top 3 from your list would be:

1. Jamis Aurora Elite
2. Kona Sutra
3. Co-op ADV 1.1

If you can find one, I'd slot the Disk Trucker in ahead of the REI touring bike. I own a 2012 Jamis Aurora Elite and have ridden it thousands of miles. Great bike other than the disk brakes, which I hate.

Why is that?

If you are open to aluminum you should consider this:

https://www.cinelli-usa.com/semper-d...-blue-destiny/

Cinelli has some really good deals on their bikes.

Something like the Cinelli Hobootleg might even work for you.

If you look at some of the cruiser style bikes, you'll note that many of them have the BB quite a bit more forward than on typical bikes sold as road bikes which IMO are really designed with long distance riding in mind. The forward BB on a cruiser style bike will let you have a more comfortable upright position. And I think that will also translate better for managing the stop and go traffic that someone commuting to work will be in.

The cruisers many times come with racks and fenders the OP said they will probably want. Many road bikes don't even have a place to mount fenders or racks unless you specifically get a touring model. I'm actually surprised that I'm finding more cruisers that have gears. I was looking a few years back and found most cruisers were single speed or a few with 3 speed. The manufacturers also stuck the term "beach" on the front of them and I think that made many disregard an otherwise very comfortable bike for short distance riding. But now the term beach cruiser seems to be dying out as they add more gears, some with high gear count IGH other with the common derailleurs and freewheel or freehub.

In the grand scheme of things, I guess we have to talk about what a road bike is. You'd think it meant a bike for riding on the road. But if you go to any shop or manufacturer website and ask for a road bike, you will first be shown something more along the lines of what the grand tour riders use.

And if you look at the post in this sub-forum, you'll realize that most of us are wishing we could be a grand tour rider from the things we post about <grin>

Buy the Kona Sutra. Comes with fenders and a rack. Rides great on gravel or pavement. It has cable disc brakes and plenty of gear range.

I think if the bike is comfortable enough for a long distance ride it'll probably suffice reasonably well for a much shorter commute. However, to borrow a line from that other thread, it seems the forum recognizes the strict social guidelines in place about mixing bikes and intended purposes. So this is probably a good opportunity to buy an additional bike. Or maybe several bikes.

And again, it really depends on what you are calling a road bike. But your typical drop bar road bike will be made for those riding at a fairly high effort. They get their comfort for long distance because of the higher power output when it the correct riding position for a road bike. Remove that higher level of output and you are left with people in a search for comfortable saddles and wanting to sit more upright which really blows to heck how a road bike with drops is supposed to fit.

While many can make them more comfortable for the odd ways they want to fit themselves to them and use them, I think they'd be more comfortable on a different bike style. .... except hybrid. I've never understood where that fits in the bike world. And since the OP is wanting it for commuting, it'd be better if opinions for commuters were sought in the
Commuting sub-forum as that is where I'd think people that ride bikes for the purpose the OP intends know what is and what isn't good for commuting.

Again, most of us here in the road bike sub-forum get on a road bike and want to go fast, either in short bursts as a sprinter, climbing hills in record time, or averaging a best time over 50, 60, 100 miles or more. That is a different world than riding in urban traffic for a few miles lugging weight (books and stuff) to get to work.

Why? Are they likely to fall over from going too slow?

I can't speak for anyone else but I find the most uncomfortable bikes are the ones with the most upright riding position. Drop bars give me a better "suspension" (for lack of a better word) as my arms absorb a lot of the bumps, but seated upright on a cruiser or a comfort bike all those bumps go right to my lower back.

Obviously everyone is different and that is where their preferences come from.

I apologize everyone, I should have been more specific and clear. I will be commuting via bike everyday, yes. However, that facet of my life will be very minimal upon what bike I would like to select. I live in a small town of about 3,000 with almost no traffic. It takes me about 10 minutes to walk my half mile commute, and about 2 minutes on the days that I occasionally drive. The commuting qualities of the bike are not too important to me; as long as a rear rack and fenders can be mounted, that will work for me. I want the bike to be good for exercise, family excursions, but primarily, solo rides. I have many back country highways/roads that are seldom used by cars in my area that I’d like to explore. I would really enjoy something nimble and quick. I’m looking for one bike that will perform most of these skills, I don’t want a set of different bikes for different activities. I have been looking highly upon the gravel bike realm because they seem to do well with rack and fender mounts, and are fairly spry. The only thing I would probably do different is put road tires on it, as I would rarely be on gravel.

another poster recommended the renegade bike by Jamis and I am really interested in that. However, when I look at the S2 versus the S3 they look identical except for their groupset and drive
train. I have no idea what the differences are between the GRX 400 and the GRX 800, nor do I know what the difference between a 2 x 10 drive train and a 1 x 11 drive train are. Anyone care to explain in layman‘s terms what this information means? is the S2 really worth an extra $300? Is the S3 a good value?

The Aurora Elite and the Kona Sutra both come with rack and fenders. Either one of those is just about exactly what you are looking for. Gearing is pretty personal, but if I only had one bike, it would have a triple. It definitely would not have a 1x11.

Sif short commutes don't suit a road bike. They're not all built for comfort... I used to ride 10 minutes each way to work on a weapon with bare carbon seat and 7" of drop, wouldn't do it any other way.

So when I rode to classes on my DeRosa because I was too much of a hurry and too lazy to walk across campus I was doing it wrong? Always seemed to work for me.

OP: I'd likely skip anything that qualifies as a touring bike, if you want something that qualifies for getting in 40 miles at a good speed with great performance, a touring bike isn't it, want to have a very comfortable 40 miles and get there eventually a touring bike is fine. I'd look to a cross or gravel bike and I really still tend to think a cross bike is a better all arounder for speed and performance then a gravel though both can be nice.
One nice cross option
Somafab https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...ble-cross-disc
Basically work with your LBS to build to suit or of you're handy build the way you want.
A Kona Jake might also make the list.

Do the shops in your area have all these bikes? From what I hear, available stock is limited in many areas.

You will likely have a long relationship with the shop you buy from, so buy a bike from a dealer you want to work with. A good shop will answer your basic questions and help you narrow it down to a few bikes that have all the features you want. Many dealers will discount accessories purchased with the bike so consider the total package with racks and fenders. If the bike doesn't come with fenders, be sure you can get fenders that look good and fit well.

Once you've narrowed it down, you need to ride them and see which one feels best. That's what matters most. Those are all good brands and the objective quality differences between them are not great.

I don't think a 1 x 11 would be likely to give you the range you needed for hills. If you have only minor hills, make sure you can handle them easily and have enough range in reserve in case you ever encounter tougher hills.

All City Spacegorse

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Cannodale. No one does AL better than them.