CanadaWriter

Hey there folks,

I've done a tour before but with a bike that's long gone. I'm trying to decide on a new one. I'm based in Eastern Europe right now and there's lots of choice, but I would like to keep prices down of course. I'm planning about 1600km from Bucharest to Greece in July, exclusively on tarmac but...hard to say what the quality will always be. Mostly good quality roads.

I can get a new Giant Escape 2 City on sale for about $530 USD. That's about the budget I want to spend. However there are no real reviews of this bike I can find for touring. While I'm aware that you can theoretically tour on any bike, I'd just like to know if there are any solid reasons not to choose this bike.

Specs are:

28' wheels
Frame: ALUXX-Grade Aluminum
Fork: ALUXX (w / low-rider mount)
Shift switch: Shimano SL-M310, 24-speed
Rear shifter : Shimano Altus, RD-M310
Front Shimano : Shimano FD-M191
Frane: Tektro TK837
Brake handles : Tektro CL330 / CL335
Pinions : SRAM PG830 11-32, 8s
Chain: KMC Z7, 8sGearbox : SR Suntour XCE T318, 48/38 / 28T

Any thoughts? I"m well aware I need to ride it before deciding, but it's looking like a good choice.

Thanks!

capper66

I own the 2016 version.

While any bike can be used for a tour I would not recommend this bike for a tour of that length. I used it for a commute bike (42 km each way) and your body aches after the ride. Did a complete tune up of that bike over the winter to get it back in ride-able shape. Picked up a steel frame for the commute and use the Escape for shopping in town.

dancier

I've got a similar, but higher specced and older version of that bike, it gets used most days of the week. Mine's not overly suited to touring because it's a rough ride, very rigid, but have done a few weekend tours. I've got a road triple, 30, 39, 52 up front and have put a 11-36 on the rear because I've got some steep hills on the commute. You'll struggle with that gear range if you're carrying weight and got some decent hills. If you want a good all round bike for the future, grab it.

djb

for what the bike is, it can work perfectly well for a trip, we have a very similar bike in the family, hybrid, same gearing and derailleurs etc, and its not bad. Spending more on a bike designed for touring will have tougher wheels, and general tougher and higher quality parts, but really, this bike could work fine.

one of the issues would be not to completely overload panniers, and to try to keep the weight down, but that will depend on if you will be taking camping stuff etc etc.

aluminum is perfectly fine, despite what some people say. You just have to realistic that the wheels, the rear rack, and the bike overall will not be a tough as a "proper" tourer, but if you are reasonable with what you pack, and if you arent a real big fellow or lady weight wise, then it could work for your trip idea.

it always comes down to balancing what you want to spend, plus dont forget you probably have to buy panniers and maybe other stuff too.

bottom line, if you want to try out touring, this is not a bad choice. The 48/38/28 and the 11-32 rear cassette will give you reasonable low gearing, not great, but not horrible either, and you may have to walk up some steep hills, but it will work not too bad. My first touring bike in 90 or 91 had very similar gearing, with a 13-30 7 speed drivetrain, and after my first trip I changed the 28 small front ring to a 24 and it made getting up steep hills easier.
The shifters and derailleurs on this bike are models that will work well for many years, good mid range shimano stuff that just plain works.

hybrids of this type are good choices and can work fine as touring bikes, just with certain limitations, but for the price, they work great. All of the bike brands sell hybrids very similar to this.

I hope you continue to hold your interest in doing a bike trip, and do it. If there are any similar models to this that have stronger wheelsets, that would be an advantage. I suspect this bike comes with low to mid range 32 spoke wheels, which to repeat myself, could be a limiting factor for adding a bunch of weight to this bike.

how much do you weigh? Have you ever gotten your travelling stuff together and have a realistic idea of how much it would weigh?

saddlesores

if buying from a shop, you can have them switch out a few components.
lower gearing might be nice. i believe there are some hills on your
proposed route.

you could change to a smaller ring in the front, maybe 24T, or go
with a 36T cassette. shop could also change out the stem to
get a better fit.

djb

re changing the front ring to a 24, Ive done this numerous times over the years and it is very very likely that it can be done and not even have to do anything to the front derailleur. I bring this up because sometimes bike store employees will say, oh it cant be done because X or Y.

a good bike store mechanic will know how to source an inexpensive 24t ring to replace the 28 that is there, and you will appreciate slightly lower gearing.

simple,if you buy the bike and get panniers, do a bunch of test rides loaded and see how the gearing is on some hills for you.

more importantly is if you go with this bike, that after riding the bike for a while, you have a good mechanic go over your wheels and retension the spokes, so that the wheels are in as good shape as they can be, strength wise.
Just be aware that the wheelset is not going to be the strongest set out there, but it may be alright. Just lots of factors that come into play, wheel prep, your weight, weight of your stuff, is all of it on the back, how you ride over bumps and potholes, width of tires and tire pressures (too high pressures are harder on the wheels, less suspension effect and more force going into the wheel with bumps)

veganbikes

As someone who sold those bikes I can say they aren't worth the money. We kept getting them back in for the same problems and they were just cheap bikes, most of the people who have bought them never really liked them a ton and just bought them based on price about $460 USD.

You can tour on anything but it is a rougher ride on all aluminum and the parts they use are not super durable and generally require a lot of maintenance or replacement. We tended to replace wheels semi-frequently on them but that is pretty common on most bikes in that price point and people were commuting on them so that like touring can take a toll.

Everyone doesn't want to spend money but I can assure you spending some money and getting a comfortable bike that you enjoy riding and that can do what you want it to do is key. Test ride a bunch of stuff and try some stuff above your price point and try that exact same bike and ride them back to back if possible and you will see what I am saying. I don't know a lot of brands that exist in Eastern Europe but Tout Terrain makes excellent touring bikes and yes they are certainly not cheap but well built and you might find them cheaper over there than we might get over here? You might also find older steel mountain bikes (80s and early 90s) that would make a good conversion to a touring bike.

djb

its always the same argument. On an aluminum frame, the ride quality really isnt an issue, alivio level parts work fine (derailleurs, shifters) and the cost of putting a better rear wheel for example is pretty low---but of course, a more expensive bike made for touring is going to be a better made bike, but really, a hybrid like this can work fine also, especially for someone who may do one trip with it and thats it, or not like touring, or whatever.

also, this level of hybrid is not a "cheap" bike, that is a Canadian Tire or Walmart bike, lots of those are really poorly made bikes, this is in the range of "perfectly fine" in my opinion and experience with them.

he did say he would only want to spend x dollars, and on top of that, he is in eastern europe, so not a hotbed of used or other better bikes I imagine.

anyway, one persons crap bike is anothers perfectly fine and nice bike, but an alivio level bike is not the greatest, but it can work fine for someone trying out touring....probably (as per the reasons I and others have brought up)

300ps

I did a longish pavement tour of Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore on that bike, the 2016 version. I didn't have any problems and was quite happy with it given the silly-cheap price I paid for it ($250 in Taiwan). I carried about 35 pounds of luggage, all on the back.

CanadaWriter

Well I appreciate the positive advice. How do the gears compare to the bike I've posted below?

I weight 80kg. My gear without camping weighs 7kg. I'm planning on buying a tent, sleeping bag and mattress which shouldn't go over 6kg. So let's say 15kg for odds and ends, or 33lbs. I've already bought a rack and panniers off a friend. This is what I'm doing now --buying all the bits and pieces before the bike until I find the right one!

CanadaWriter

Thank you, I will ask them! BTW: I used to live in Silom. Good times.

CanadaWriter

And so what does that mean? Could it break completely and strand me? Would 1600km be out of the question?

CanadaWriter

That's awesome! My first tour was Malaysia and Taiwan on a Dahon D8. The Dahon was double that price.

CanadaWriter

Guys thanks for all the tips. The Giant store guy recommended a different bike for touring. It's called the Giant Argento 3. He said it would be more comfortable. As it's just gone on sale, it's twenty dollars difference in price than the Escape City. I thought the bike was a bit heavier. I'm finding it difficult to see the appreciable differences in specs. I'm particularly interested if anyone has an opinion on the gearing. Here are some of the specs:

FRAME:
Frame: ALUXX-Grade Aluminum
Fork: SR Suntour M3010, aluminum, 50mm
SKS A 51 Fenders, Hesling Cambio Revolver chain guard
Luggage compartment: Giant YZ- 01 Lite Trekking, aluminum
Pedals: VP-607 City / Trekking, Aluminum
Wheel size (inch): 28
Buttons: [F] Shimano 3N31-NT integrated hub dynamo, [R] Formula FM32 QR
Spite: Sapim Leader 2.0, 32/32
Rims: Mach-1 810, Aluminum double-wall
Tires: Schwalbe Range Cruiser Reflex, Active Line, KevlarGuard , 40-622 SPEED
Shimano EF51, 3x7 Shimano EF3, 3x7
Shimano Acer M360
Front Shimano: Shimano Tourney TX51
Brakes
: Shimano EF51, 4-finger levers
Shimano HG41 11 -28, 7s
Chain: KMC Z51
Gear: Shimano Tourney TX801

djb

Sorry Mr writer, I don't or can't give you an exact answer re wheels. You weigh 40lbs more than me and I can't tell what the wheels set's are on both bikes, but they seem to be both 32 spoke wheels, and are both most likely inexpensive wheels.

The first bike has slightly better components, has slightly lower gearing easier going up hills and is 8 speed vs 7.

Good luck and hopefully you can visit other bike stores.

veganbikes

Actually ride quality is certainly an issue, maybe not on perfect roads for really short distances but we aren't talking about that.

Alivio isn't so bad but we again aren't talking about that, the Escape 2 uses Altus and Tourney. I also sold them for a while and kept getting them back in for the same problems.

That hybrid is a cheap bike maybe to a really cheap person beyond normal reason would say it is expensive but it is a cheap bike. Yes it is a notch above Wally-Mart but those aren't really bikes, they are shaped like bikes but that is about it. When you use low end components and aluminum frame and fork you have a cheap bike.

I don't know the Eastern European market for bikes but I know there is stuff out there of quality. Campy has a factory in Romania and Festka is out of Czech Republic and Triton out of Russia. There are also bike shops as well such as Surmont which is a Trek dealer as in the 520 (a great touring and commuter bike and really one of the few Treks I can dig) and I am sure there is other stuff. Specialized has distributors in Hungary and Romania, Kona has a dealer in Bulgaria. I know in Eastern Europe is a bunch of Surly dealers and might be able to work something out with a shop in Romania. Pici Bici is in Slovenia and Pedalla Bisiklet is in Turkey and both sell Surlys.

People always give a low budget but that budget doesn't usually factor in the cost of getting more things repaired and tuned or replaced because they continue failing. It also is just usually a random number that people move around once they test ride other bikes that feel better and have better component specs. I don't personally play the B.S. game with people and say cheap components are OK and you should use them because I see more of that stuff than most people (unless you also work in a shop) I see the stuff that one person won't see with their one bike.

djb

Vegan, I guess this fellow will have to see what's available at what prices and decide from there.
Yes, I tend to tell friends to look at a reasonable price range as my years with bikes has shown me that the mid and higher, deore for example, is a good balance point of price/ function and durability.

veganbikes

Exactly, Deore is a good solid groupset and has been for a long time. You don't have to spend a ton of money to get something really great and Deore is good proof of that.

52telecaster

the escape is a terrific value. i used to build them for a bike shop in central illinois. it may not be the most comfortable or most efficient bike you can buy, but it will be pretty damn good and very durable. i would tour on it no sweat.

djb

Ive toured on steel, on alum, on steel and on alum, and you know, an aluminum frame can be perfectly fine comfort wise and your choice of tires and specifically pressures will make a real difference.

also, aluminum frames of today are not like aluminum frames of yesteryear, and in any case, add on some panniers and it will feel fine.

I have an alum framed bike from 2010, and it is waaaay more comfortable than another alu bike I have from 97 or something. The newer frames have the tubes shaped and formed that really do flex more (in a good way) than the older stuff.

and my old bike, an old competition mtb by specialized, when used touring with two full rear panniers, works great and is no longer as stiff as it is unloaded, but is good and solid in a non wiggly frame manner.
Ridden unloaded, I make sure the tires are not overly hard pressure wise, and its ok.

but we still come back to, can this guy possibly tour on this bike. In my opinion, sure. The main factor can could...yes, could, be a problem are the cheapish wheels with 32 spokes. Sure, maybe if the spoke tensions are gone over after riding it for a while and before his trip, maybe the rear wheel can handle touring, but it still comes down to all the factors I mentioned--he weighs 40lbs more than me, so while I have toured on 32 spoked 700 wheels (with though probably a better rim than this bike ) if he puts everything on the rear wheel, rides hard over potholes, on rough roads, has high pressures in the 32 tires etc....well, there are no guarentees--and nope, we cant give you an answer, even if we are a bunch of internet idiots with all kinds of opinions....

saddlesores

you'll notice both bikes are built from the same frame.
the second one adds a cheap, heavy, unneeded suspension fork.

open both links and put the bike pitcher in the same spot, and then
toggle between the two.......see how the fork change affects the geometry.

djb

Oops, forgot to mention the fork.
And I agree with saddles view of it, unneeded and heavy.

52telecaster

i resemeble that internet idiot comment. i tour on a bob jackson world tour so of course i do know the difference but we had a guy with an escape that did everything on that bike. it was a real low end escape as well. 32 hole wheels and 7 speed freewheel. honestly though it was solid as a rock and actually pretty responsive. the wheels are cheap but not nessicarily weak. they are fairly heavy which sort of mediates the 32 spoke no eyelet-ness of them. he toured, commuted and generally hung crap all over that bike. when he brought it in the wheels were aways pretty darn true.

djb

I know, I know (I figure you knew I was just being silly)

A lot of us here have lots of touring and riding experience, and some fellow asks a question, and in typical internet forum fashion, he gets all kinds of answers, probably not knowing what to take with a grain of salt etc etc.

Its good to hear of first hand experience of someone using a bike like this for touring, and while many of us are complete bike nerds and have numerous bikes, some nice ones, its also very good to hear from others being realistic about how a bike like that can be used to have a fun adventure (with the caveats of at least mentioning the possible weak points , such as the wheels).

52telecaster

i should have made it clear, i do in fact resemble an idiot. most often i say the wrong thing at the wrong time. its my special talent. ask my girl friend.