rut3556

Seeing as how I'm getting up there in years, I've been looking at the Giant Roam 2, as a replacement for my Lemond Zurich. However, I'm concerned with it being only a 9 speed. (1x9) For some reason the Canadian version is a 2x9, which would offer more gear combinations and seems to make more sense. I'm curious to see if anyone has the 1x9 version and how it performs? I certainly don't need 27 speeds at this point in my life, but 18 seems a bit better. What say anyone?

Thanks...RUT

Moisture

Depends on which chainring is being used up front, and the range in the rear x your riding habits , terrain, physical conditioning...

The giant roam has a crappy suntour fork. Id look at the toughroad with its nifty carbon fork instead. The suntour is heavy slow and useless.

rut3556

. >>Id look at the toughroad with its nifty carbon fork instead.<<

Thanks for the reply, but the Toughroad is more money than I plan to spend, and it's more of an off road/adventure bike. Sadly, I'm well past my "adventure" days.
I do believe I'll take a look at the Escape 2 Disc as an alternative.

Moisture

I understand. In that case your priority would be comfort. I believe the roam is similarly classified. I think the used market might be your best bet to get the most out of your budget.

What is your height and inseam? How much do you weigh?

rut3556

I’m 5’ 11” , 30” inseam, and 200 lbs.

My LBS has a 2021 Giant Escape 2 (large) in stock in garnet. I’m leaning towards putting a deposit on it tomorrow so they’ll put it together.

I’d also considered the Trek FX3 but my other LBS said they wouldn’t be seeing any of them until next November or December. Seriously? So, the Escape 2 seems to be the proverbial “bird in the bush” right now. I’ll be putting my minty Lemond Zurich on the market soon, which will soften the blow. :-)

Moisture

I think the escape is a good choice for your needs, mainly because the rigid fork would be far more preferably for your needs.

One thing - according to your inseam (are we talking pant inseam or pubic bone height), the escape in L will have a standover height almost 3cm too high for you. It otherwise should be a good fitting bike for you though.

Speedway2

I think your choice of the Escape vs the Roam is a good one.
I'm not a fan of low-end forks and agree with Moisture that the Large may not be the right fit for your 30" inseam.

Moisture

they might offer decent shock absorbtion, but only necessary for heavily undulating terrain, not riding around on pavement or gravel.

The biggest problem is that they are so heavy. They completely ruin the handling. Id rather take my chances with a rigid fork on most singletrack than a low end fork.

Even when compared to a very lightweight and good quality fork, one only marginally heavier than a rigid, the rigid is still better. Maybe partially due to the increase in fork rake

hokiefyd 

I don't understand what the heck Giant did with the 2021 Roam 2 -- they gave it a 40t crankset and only an 11-36 rear cassette. That's not a very large gear range, and it's also heavily favoring flat road riding vs. anything with hills. And it's 840 USD???? I almost think something is wrong with that, given where the Roam 2 has been priced in the past.

Roam 2 Disc (2021) | Men bike | Giant Bicycles United States (giant-bicycles.com)

The Roam 3 has a 2x8 drivetrain...not what I'd prefer, but far more versatile than the tall 1x9 on the Roam 2. And it's still nearly 700 USD.

Roam 3 Disc (2021) | Men Adventure bike | Giant Bicycles United States (giant-bicycles.com)

I think suspension forks are fine -- I own bikes with them and bikes without them and there are pros and cons to both suspension and rigid...but man...those Roams are really priced out of being competitive in my opinion. An Escape 1 Disc (2021) has a more versatile 2x9 setup with a carbon fork and is about the same price as the Roam 2 (the nicest Escape was always a few hundred dollars more in the past).

rut3556

<<the Large may not be the right fit for your 30" inseam<<

Point taken. In checking, I see I'm right on the cusp between medium and large, so I'll be hitting the LBS today to confirm which way I should go. I'm noticing that when going from one size to another, all the dimensions seem to change and not just the "stand over" height. I just don't want to end up with a bike I feel cramped up on. Will no more later this morning.

hokiefyd 

The Escape will likely feel longer to you than the Roam will -- if that's your concern. If by "cramped up on" you mean the effective top tube would be too short and you'll be forced more upright, that's more likely to happen with the Roam than the Escape. Even still -- with both bikes, you would be able to swap a longer stem if necessary. I personally look first at things that cannot be changed (like standover) and start with frame sizing there. If the cockpit feels too close on a frame with a standover you're comfortable with, then you can work on either a setback seat post or a longer stem or both...to help elongate the fit for you.

rut3556

Thanks for the good advise. I'll take it all into consideration later this morning.

travbikeman

That is really odd that Giant put on the Roam 2 a Shimano Deore, known to be a 2x10 with a clutch as a 1x9 and that huge 40 tooth crankset. That is almost an immediate need for changing out the chain ring....IF....the current one is not riveted, which I bet is.

travbikeman

Hmm, looked around with other bike companies, Trek with their DS line and Scott with their current Sub Cross line.

I never thought I would say this about Giant bikes, but bang for the buck doesn't seem to really be there at the moment.

Just food for thought, these guys offer some nice hybrids as well: Bikes Online (click me)

rut3556

I ended up going with the Escape 2 Disc in large. My cojones were just touching the crossbar on a similar bike, but not uncomfortably so. They're putting it together now, and if after test riding I don't like it they have a medium in stock as well. I'm glad I did the deal when I did, because once their stock runs out there ain't no more! And these they ordered back in July!

Speedway2

Congrats! I think the Escape was a good choice.

If you can, try both the M & L before you sign on the dotted line. Take care of your cojones.....

hokiefyd 

Great point -- I didn't even notice that it is a Deore derailler (10+ speed group at the moment). I get that there are likely supply chain issues going on where they may have had to create some odd combinations, but I'm still having a hard time getting over that price. Unless Giant is just taking advantage of the fact that they may be one of the few bike manufacturers who have control over some of their supply chain (like frames), and they're prioritizing their frames over others and charging customers more for a bike they can buy right now vs. a bike that may be in stock in six months? My local Giant dealer seems to have a full stock of them at the moment -- so either demand is low or supply is high. I'm not sure that there's a whole lot about that bike that would compel me to spend $840 on it.

They've downgraded the Roam 4 from having hydraulic brakes in 2020 to cable-operated brakes in 2021. And the price jumped $100, from $450 to $550. The Roam 3 appears to be about the same mechanically; the price has jumped from $550 in 2020 to $680 in 2021.

It looks like all models have also lost the downtube protector and have gone to internal cable routing. I really liked that downtube protector on my 2018 Roam, as it provided good paint protection and also a nice clean cable management solution without resorting to internal routing (which is potentially noisy and sometimes requires special tools for maintenance).

Although I'm not in the market for a Roam, I'm pretty disappointed with the 2021 models they've brought out.

hokiefyd 

I bet you'll like the Escape. I'm sure they'll be happy to put the medium size together for you to try -- they should have NO trouble selling it!! If the large size feels like it could even possibly be too large, I'd really recommend trying the medium one, as it's easier to make a small bike larger than a large bike smaller.

rut3556

Thanks guys for all the advise. I haven't ridden in five years now and feel like I'm starting from scratch. As stated earlier my Lemond Zurich has been my primary road bike, but it's time to get into something more flexible and easier to ride. It will be going on the market soon.

P.S. Just called my LBS and they're going to assemble both a large and a medium for me to try out. :-)

Speedway2

This is what a LBS with good Customer Service does! Obviously, get their opinion re fit and let them know your intended use.
hokiefyd makes some very good points about being easier to make a smaller bike bigger vs making a bigger bike smaller.

Good luck.......and post some pics!

ShadyT

I purchased a 2021 Roam 2 about 2 months ago from my LBS. At that time it was only $800, so it seems there has been a $40 price increase recently. I will say mine is a 1x10 with an 11x46T cassette (Shimano CSM-4100) and Shimano Deore shifter/derailleur which differs from the Giant specs. I find the fork to be useful when riding on grass or dirt trails; its nice to have the option. I also test rode the Escape and I don't find the Roam to be noticeably different in weight or handling.

Overall I am very happy with the bike and it fits how I want to utilize it (mostly rod, some off-road). Coming from a 1995 Trek MountainTrack 850, which ended up being ill-suited to my mostly road riding, the Roam is quite a leap in comfort for a middle-aged dude.

hokiefyd 

That's very interesting -- the price and equipment difference!! $800 for a 1x10 bike with a 418% gear spread seems like a better deal than $840 for a 1x9 bike with a 327% gear spread.

Cyclops88

I’m just getting back into cycling after a long haitus. I also just picked up the 2021 Roam 2 from my LBS this week. Mine too is equipped with a 1x10 drivetrain with Shimano Devore M4100 shifter with a 11x46T cassette. I was pleasantly surprised given that the current specification on the Giant website is a 1x9 with Shimano Altus shifters and an 11-36T HG-201 cassette, When Giant first announced the 2021 model of the Roam 2, it was supposed to have the 1x10 drivetrain for the U.S. market. International offerings seem to have a 2x9 drive train. The disc brakes on my bike are the Tektro M143 as compared to the HD275 on the spec sheet but they are probably both basic hydraulic disc brakes. Price has been rising and I even had to pay $30 shipping as Giant is only shipping 2-3 bikes to the LBS whereas the shop use to get shipments of 10+ bikes and are now forced to pass the shipping cost onto the customer. Retail pricing when I purchased it was $800 which is up from $770 from when the bike was first announced and now MSRP is $840. Such is life during a global pandemic when supply is still strained and demand remains high. My riding skills have deteriorated but if you are worried about the suspension, the Roam 2 model has a lock-out feature for when you are riding on smooth pavement.

rut3556

Well guys, I picked up my new Escape 2 Disc today and alas, I ended up going with the "medium". They had both the large and the medium for me to compare and as expected, my cojones were touching the top rail...not much mind you, but enough to move me down to said medium. And they agreed that if sometime down the road I decide i want the bars to be a bit higher, they'll work at changing out the stem or adding a riser of some sort. So, it's resting comfortably in my basement at present, where it will be for some time now. As I check the outside temperature, it's hanging right at 10 deg. and dropping.

Thanks again all for the valued advise!

Speedway2

Congrats! Nothing like a new bike. Too bad you can't take it for a ride and let us know what you think.
Take some pics and post 'em.....