Juggy_Gales

I just noticed the abus frame lock.

hokiefyd 

I'm sorry that I wasn't clear -- that's not my bike. It's from the SKS website:

https://www.sks-germany.com/inhalte/u...X_detail_2.png

ColonelSanders

Ahhhhhh okay.

hokiefyd 

After riding this bike a number of times and for a (small) number of miles, I felt that it wasn't for me. A number of factors contributed to that:

(1) The geometry just rode *weird* to me. It has a pretty slack head angle, but a conventional fork offset, so this bike ends up having a LOT of trail (nearly 100mm). Trail is the measure of how far the tire's contact patch is BEHIND the center line of the steering axis, extended down to the ground. I've learned that bikes with a lot of trail tend to have stable steering at high speed, but have a lot of self-steer at lower speeds. In moderate speed turns, the bike just wants to *keep* turning. I have to steer out of the turn to go straight again. It was a very odd feeling, and I tried to like it, but I just couldn't. I'd ride this back-to-back with my Trek Verve, and the Verve just felt so natural and so neutral. It would go wherever I wanted it to go and felt completely at ease doing it. The ARX felt like it wanted to go, go, go, and had a pretty "aggressive" feel to the ride. It just wasn't what I was looking for.

(2) The ride quality was miserable. I don't know if it is the tires or the frame/fork, but I just couldn't find ride comfort on this bike. I swapped saddles, and that helped some, but I had the tires down to 20 psi front and 40 psi rear, and I still felt every bit of road grain. Again, I'd compare it to my Verve, which wears 32mm actual width Kenda Kwicks pumped to 40 psi front/70 psi rear. I don't know if it's the Verve's tires, frame, or suspension fork, but the Verve is a ton more comfortable. Not only in terms of rider position, but just in road grain abatement. I really thought the higher-volume 27.5" tires would be different, but they weren't, at least not on this ARX.

So, after conversing with the owner via email last week, I drove back down to the bike shop where I bought it this afternoon (two hours from my house). The bike shop wanted to put me on another bike in the store. I rode a 2015 model Roam 2 they had in stock, and that bike immediately felt GREAT to me. Just like my Verve...totally natural, totally at ease doing everything. I tried an Escape with a carbon fork. Something just felt weird about that bike to me. I was thinking that I'd be more at home on a Roam, and I am. They could have ordered me a new 2018 Roam, but they're still a two-hour drive from my house (they were the only ones with an ARX in stock, which is why I bought from them). But my local Giant dealer, seven miles from my house, has Roams, so I'd rather go back to local with the next bike.

The bike shop owner who sold me the ARX didn't seem to offer me much else, so I said that I'd offer to surrender a restocking fee or something, to make it equitable for both parties. I suggested 50 bucks, and he agreed to that. He refunded the entire bike purchase (including the Giant kickstand), minus $50, which I was happy with. So, after a total of eight hours of driving there twice, and losing 50 bucks on the deal, I'm now able to patronize my local dealer and get the bike I probably should have bought in the first place.

Sometimes I just have to learn by doing!

ColonelSanders

That is good feedback for others to potentially learn from as well.

hokiefyd 

My biggest mistake was going in there just KNOWING that ARX was the bike for me. My mind wasn't open enough on the test ride. I called them before I went to make sure they had it in stock, and I showed up with my credit card half out of my pocket already. It probably rode exactly the same on the test ride as it did for me at home, but I wasn't open enough to feeling it.

I stayed pretty open for my next bike. I knew this shop had both Roams and Escapes, and I rode both with an unbiased mind. The Escape felt weird to me. I don't know how to describe it. Maybe a bit similar to the ARX -- it felt almost too quick to turn; it felt aggressive. Despite liking the concept of the Escape (and this one had a carbon fork), I knew it wasn't for me. I connected immediately with the Roam. It rides exactly like my Verve (or my Verve rides exactly like the Roam, depending on one's perspective!) and I felt completely comfortable on it.

I did not want a suspension fork for this bike purchase, but I've come around to the fact that I just like the comfort the suspension fork provides.

I now need to decide between the Roam 2 and 3. Cost is no object; I have the money budgeted for either option. I like the Satin Blue option on the Roam 3. The Roam 3 has integrated shifter/brake levers, mechanical discs, and an 8-speed drivetrain. Cost is $490. The Roam 2 costs $600, and upgrades include hydraulic disc brakes and a 9-speed drivetrain. The Roam 2 and 3 appear to have the same Suntour HEX hydraulic lockout fork.

At this point, I'm leaning towards buying the Roam 3, and keeping the $110 on the side. If I decide that I want to convert the mechanical disc brakes to hydraulic, I could do that. It would be about $60-80 for the complete hyd brake set, plus another $30 for a set of 3x9 shifters (I'd have to ditch the integrated units altogether anyway), and another $40 for a 9-speed cassette and chain. I'd have a little more than $600 into my Roam 3 at that point, to get it to the same mechanicals as the Roam 2, but I'd have the color option I like best.

This is probably the route I'll go. I'll look at both tomorrow (my local bike shop has a blue Roam 3 and a grey Roam 2).

ColonelSanders

Both the Roam 3 and Roam 2 you mention look great to me, have the same frame, wheels and fork, so a test ride might reveal how big a difference their respective running gear makes.

hokiefyd 

Just to sort of close this thread, I did buy the Roam 2, and that thread is linked here.