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New to cycling, please help

Old 04-19-20, 08:19 PM
  #1  
Zstien
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New to cycling, please help

Hey all,

first off I just want to thank anyone in advance for any posts. I did about 3 hours of digging in the forums to try and find something to help but, to no avail. I am just getting into biking and right now am using a hand me down from my dad to get around. It doesn’t work too well, still functions as a bike should do it is sufficient in the mean time but I want to upgrade.

I would be primarily on paths and roadways (I’d say at least 90%) so I don’t need anything that would be considered dual sport or cyclocross whatever that’s called (again, new to this) but I’m having a hard time finding a bike I should go with. In the month or so I’ve had his bike I have put on at least 100 miles. I used to run every day but I broke a hip and damaged cartilage in my knee in high school so that unfortunately has caught up with me at a young age.

Right now I have it narrowed down to Fuji Absolute (1.7 or 1.9) and Specialized Sirrus 2.0 I know there is plenty more options out there then just those two or technically three. I’m 6’3” about 170 lbs but the only local bike shop sells Trek and I didn’t feel very comfortable on the couple I test rode. I have absolutely zero brand loyalty to work against so, can anybody offer some incite to any of the options I’m looking at or steer me any other direction? The closest shop that carries anything other then Trek is about 60 or so miles away so, I’m not looking to go that far just to window shop.
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Old 04-19-20, 09:05 PM
  #2  
Russ Roth
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If the next nearest shop is 60mi away have you called to see what they carry and what they have in stock? Where I used to live most of the shops were 50-60 miles away as well and 45 miles of it was fun rural 70mph driving so I enjoyed it. Would still make sure of their brands so I could look up what those brands made so I could call and ask if they had it.
Personally I prefer Fuji over Spec and when I worked at a place that sold Fuji I had a liking for the Absolute as a nice recreational fitness bike.
At the pricepoint you're looking at companies can play games with components while others offer better value in places that may or may not matter.

Comparing the Fuji 1.7 vs the Sirrus 2.0
The "big" one up that the sirrus offers is hydraulic discs while the Fuji has cable. The downside to cable in my experience is that it tends to be noisier when stopping and can squeak some, I know this because I have 5 bikes in the family with cable and they all have squeaks or squeals while stopping. Not really loud and when riding the path today when I came to the stop signs someone else's brakes would make the same small noise.
From there the Fuji is superior in every way. Sirrus cheaps out with a steel fork, both have same levels cranks but the fuji uses 9sp vs 8sp. Sirrus is one level lower on the F. Der, 2 levels worse on the crank, 1 level down on the cassette, and doesn't name the rim maker while the Fuji uses Alex rims which usually aren't the best but are known to be decent and reliable; all this with an MSRP 40.00 higher then the Fuji. Both are well known brands and dependable. If it fits and feels good then the Fuji is the better equipped of the 2 bikes and would be the one I pick. The trek fx7.1 is the same price range as the Fuji but isn't worth looking at based on the component differences, the sirrus almost competes with the Fuji with a couple parts the same, the trek doesn't come close.
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Old 04-20-20, 03:01 PM
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Zstien
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Thanks for the reply! So, I called the closest bike shop to myself and they let me know that the parent company for Fuji filled for chapter 11 bankruptcy and it’s been harder and harder to get Fuji bikes in to their stock. He did mention that the Cannondale Quick and the Giant Escape are both similar to what I’m looking for. On paper it seems that the Cannondale would be the better choice (at least as far as components go) I’m now looking at the Cannondale Quick 5 or the Giant Escape 2

I like that the Cannondale has the smart wheels that sync to an app that automatically logs trips but other then that they seem very similar. The Giant has a couple better components here and the Cannondale has better components there.

Still seems that the Fuji would have the best options but if it is that hard to get them I’ll sacrifice. I can always update parts too.

thank you for the info
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Old 04-20-20, 05:24 PM
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jskash
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I don't think you can go wrong with a Giant Escape 2. I have been very happy with my Giant Escape. We are very close in size and weight. I have an extra large. You'll want to make sure that it is available.
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