Dallas405

I知 in the market for a new bike and could definitely use some suggestions as to what you guys would ride if you were in my shoes. I almost feel like the more I look the more I知 unsure of what to get, haha. The last thing I want to do is buy something and wish I had gotten something else a little later down the road.

I live in Oklahoma City which is pretty flat with a mix of some good streets and some pretty bad streets. It痴 not unusual to go from a nice smooth asphalt street straight into a ****ty street with some potholes. Dedicated bike lanes are pretty rare.

I currently ride an old 70痴 motobecane (so tire sizes are very limited) fixed gear bike with a super high gear. It痴 a ***** to get it going but once I do I知 flying which I love but I知 starting to like the idea of having a range of different gears. My knees are also begging me to get a bike with brakes (I知 a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and my knees give me WAY more problems during training when I知 riding my fixie than when I知 not). I want to start commuting fairly often to work which is only about 7/8 miles from my house which is half of the reason I want a new bike. The other reason is just for fun going out riding around town and even doing some off road riding on gravel and lighter dirt trails. When i知 on the streets I do like to fly so I want the bike to be the best compromise of being as fast as possible on the street but capable while on those easy trails and not feeling scared to hop over a pothole or bunny hop a curb and roll through the grass, hitting some ****ty road bumps and just being able to have some fun and ride kind of free in it if that makes sense.

My budget is around $1,200 and I have no qualms about eventually upgrading parts over time as long as the bike is solid. I prefer flat bars and enjoy being a little more upright for visibility and comfort sake. Knowing all of this, if you were me in this situation what would you be looking for? Any bike out there that you think fits the bill best or perhaps looking to do more of a piece by piece custom build and if so what are your ideas on it? Thanks so much for any help and insight you can give

Darth Lefty 

Me?

https://www.rei.com/product/151725/s...-sora-650-bike

or drop bar version
https://www.rei.com/product/151723/s...pex-1-650-bike

tangerineowl

Giant Fastroad SL1 (2019) perhaps. Specs mention it fits a 32mm but from a brief read online it should take a 38mm. Plus its red!

If that's enough tyre for where you'd like to ride, you might be able to find the 2019 model on discount in budget.

Otherwise one of the 2020 models.

xroadcharlie

I love my Giant Sedona Comfort/Adventure bike. It's not fast, But the bolt upright riding position is so enjoyable, It more then makes up for it for me. Based on how well this entry level bike is built and performs, I would trust Giant for something more to your liking, Like this Roam Disc 1. It's riding position looks about half way between a road bike and comfort bike. That should keep wind resistance at bay, And provide better visibility then road bikes.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/ca/roam-1-disc-2020

A good balance of performance and comfort I think for your requirements. The air suspension forks make short work of rough roads (now I wish I had them), A wide range of gears for any situation you're likely to encounter, Hydraulic disc brakes work well in rain, 42 mm x 700c tires should be good for some adventure riding, And still be quick on pavement. I also like the front and rear rack mounts and integrated front fender. A heck of a lot of bike that might never need upgrading IMO.

PS: Giant's FastRoad is another favorite of mine. Closer to a road bike then the Roam. But for rough roads and some trail riding, I think the Roam is a better balanced bike. Just my opinion of course.

dwmckee

Jamis Renegade Expat Ltd. is an outstanding valye on an excellent overall bike if you can convert to drop bars. Otherwise Salsa Journeyman is one of the very few flat bar choices along with the Jamis Sequel which is a bit nicer than the Journeyman.

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/renegadeltd.html
https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/sequels2.html

Good luck.

Gconan

For 1200$ I like that Jamis above. But a flat bar I would think about this Fuji although I do not know how large a tire it will take.
Absolute

dwmckee

Wow, that's a great price for a 105 equipped bike, but the Absolute is more of a fitness bike with limited tire capacity and a pretty steep steerer angle I thought...

Gconan

All true. It only comes with 30mm tires and I do not know if it could take anything bigger or not.

dwmckee

Still, that is an incredible price for a 105 groupset!

gorillimo

Cross Check!! Comfortable, room for reasonable tires, versatile.