little.old.lady

I'm debating getting a certain comfort bike that comes in two models.

Model #1 is 21 gears, 14-34, 7 speed.

Model #2 is 24 gears, 11-32, 8 speed.

There are some hills in my neighborhood - will #1 be easier to ride up hill?

Thanks!

MikeOK

You'll notice a little difference between the two, but not all that much. I have a 32 big cog and I'm a super clydesdale and I very rarely wish for a 34. Only on the steepest of climbs. More gears are better IMO.

Also as your fitness improves I think you will decide that a 32 will be plenty low.

Myosmith

Seven or eight "gears" is largely irrelevant when it comes to ease riding up hills. If you provide a bit more information including type of bike, wheel/tire size, and number of teeth on the front chainrings, and crank length (usually stamped on the back of the crank arms) we can give you a better assessment. It isn't the actual size of the sprockets (gears) but the ratio from front to back that makes the major difference. For example: let's say Model #1 has a 34-tooth large gear in the back and a 34-tooth small gear in the front, and Model #2 has a 32-tooth large in back and a 32-tooth small in front, assuming similar wheel/tire size, frame geometry and weight, they should climb similarly in their lowest combined gear as both are a 1:1 ratio.

There is something to be said for having more, closely spaced gears to prevent big changes in ratio when shifting which can affect cadence and momentum more severely but the difference between 7 and 8 "speeds" at the back is negligible.

As important as good gearing is good technique when climbing hills. Shift early to maintain pedaling cadence rather than waiting until you are already struggling before shifting under load.

McBTC

You can calculate that if you know the number of teeth on the smallest chainring.

MikeOK

Still the difference between a 32 cog and a 34 is not that much regardless of the chainring sizes.

little.old.lady

I am not familiar with bike terminology, specs, etc. so it's hard for me to answer your (excellent) questions, thus I copy and pasted the links below.

Bike #1 is the Giant Sedona W 2018 The specs are listed on this link: https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/sedona-w-2018

Bike #2 is the Giant Sedona DXW 2017. The specs are listed on this link: https://www.liv-cycling.com/us/sedona-dx-w

(The Giant Sedona DXW 2018 comes with Disc breaks, which I don't need, I don't like to ride fast and I don't ride in the rain ... I have heard that disc breaks add weight, which I don't want ...)

Thank you so much!

MikeOK

That's a good looking bike for $350. I couldn't get to the specs on my iPad but I agree, you don't need disc brakes. Both my bikes I currently own have rim brakes and they are more than adequate, and I've owned bikes with both hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes.

Something that you have to consider is that not all the gears on a typical bike are usable. For example, a 24 speed bike will probably only let you use 18 of them. It's because of the extreme chain angle you get between the front and back.

McBTC

The 1st one has the lowest gear-- 28x34...

Gresp15C

The two bikes have identical cranksets, 28/38/48. So the bike with 34 teeth in the rear will be a tiny bit easier climbing hills.

But I think you'd be fine with either bike. I'm assuming that while your neighborhood is hilly, that we're talking about typical roads that are designed for cars. The difference between 32 and 34 teeth is like 6 percent. You'd hardly notice it. I think you can safely choose based on other features, such as your preference for brakes. Also, depending on what sizes are in stock at your dealer, a bike that fits you really well will be more important for any kind of riding, including hills.

They look like nice bikes.

jefnvk

First is going to be slightly easier to climb. That said, it is a marginal difference, and I'd rather have the components on the second much more.

raceboy

Which one has the cooler paint job? Otherwise it is pretty much apples to apples.

little.old.lady

Thanks so much for all your answers. I really appreciate the help.

ironwood

Red bikes are faster in general, so I think they might be faster going up hills, and certainly going down.

ColonelSanders

Don't worry about the disc brakes adding weight, worry more about the suspension fork.

You should try and see if you can pick up each model to gauge how big an issue if any, the extra weight of the bike with the suspension fork is.

You might find that the extra comfort the suspension fork offers, is worth the weight penalty.

Also keep in mind that each bike has very different methods of changing gears, so ideally you would ride both to see if one method is off-putting to you.

MRT2

Since you mentioned weight, I would think both of these bikes, being relatively entry level step through frames, heavy energy sucking suspension forks, with wide, thick tires will be fairly heavy; maybe 28 to 30 lbs. If weight is a concern, I suspect the DXW would weigh slightly less. If I were to take a guess, I would say the DXW weighs about 29 lbs, and the Sedona W, 30 lbs plus.

If you are worried about weight (which might make a difference when climbing hills), I would suggest the Liv Alight 2. An added bonus is, you don't have an energy sucking suspension fork slowing you down when going up hills. It is sort of counter intuitive, but sometimes less is more.

wipekitty

I checked out both bikes, and agree with other posters that the differences will be marginal - so go with whatever feels the best to you.

Another consideration is this: both bicycles come with stock tires designed for multiple surfaces, which are a little bit knobby to increase traction. These are great if you intend to ride on different surfaces, such as crushed limestone, gravel/dirt roads, snow, or muddy surfaces. If you plan to ride only on paved streets, switching to smoother tires can make pedaling a bit easier.

Myosmith

Neither of the bikes in the links have disc brakes.

As far as the gearing, the 7sp has a slightly lower gearing but the 8sp has closer steps between gears and only marginally higher low gear, so six of one, half a dozen of the other. The difference in climbing between these bikes will be negligible. Neither is a mountain goat but should be fine for most hills on paved roads and trails.

The components on the DXW are a step up, which explains the price difference. The tires are going to be fairly heavy but decent commuter tires. If you want to make the bike a bit lighter and reduce pedaling effort, consider a 1.25 or 1.5 tire which is lighter and has a relatively smooth tread. This won't make a huge difference and you will lose some of the plush ride.