Originally Posted by
katsup
I personally wouldn't want the DS due to the suspension, as I only like suspension for actual mountain bike riding. To do 40+ miles I'd also have to add bar ends for different hand placements. Some other suggestions in the flat bar realm that caught my attention in the past were:
Marin Muirwoods ($800)
Jamis Sequel ($1100)
You can always upgrade components as they wear out if you go for something lower end like a journeyman.
I also wouldn't call any of the bikes being discussed lower end. Maybe if you were talking about $300 and $400 bikes I'd understand but $800-$1000 is not low end. Yes I understand bikes can average well over 2k and it reaches as high as 20k. But for an average person with a **** ton of Bill's I'd say an $800 bike with the features the DS has is not lower end. Just please explain to me so I can better understand how?