Impervious Rex

Good afternoon,

Went to my local bike shop this past weekend to buy my first new bike since, well, ever. I knew I wanted a hybrid ( I live in NYC/Queens and there's no mountain or trail riding in my near future) and after doing some research I went in wanting a Trek 7.2. After talking to the sales guy, he pointed me towards the Raleigh Misceo 2.0. As we were talking about it, the Giant Escape 3 caught my eye. Sadly, as it started to rain, I couldn't test ride either.

Went back the next day where I was able to ride both, though only the Misceo was the correct size for me. Even though the Giant didn't fit perfectly, I still thought it rode just as well as the Misceo. The big difference, of course, is the cost; there's $200 separating the two. After much agonizing, I decided to pull the trigger on the Giant.

Shop had to order the bike (just got a call in came in and they are assembling it now!); in the meantime someone I was talking to asked why I hadn't gotten the Escape 2, which is ~$90 more. Good question. Guess the main reason is that I didn't know it existed.

LONG story aside: have I chosen poorly? The main use for the bike will be 10 min ride to the gm and back in the mornings, a decent ride or two during the week and then some longer rides during the weekend. I'm not planning on riding during rain or snow; overall it's going to be used pretty casually. Any thoughts you may have on the matter would be appreciated!

WestPablo

The Escape 3 has bottom tier componentry all the way around. The Escape 2 is slightly better. The Escape 1 is really the more worthy bike, IMO.

You can alwys upgrade later, if you should decide. If I were you, I'd wait until I could get the Escape 1.

Impervious Rex

Damn. Well, I'm pretty anxious to get out and start riding, so I guess I jumped the gun a bit. Are the frames the same? If I were to start swapping in better components as I learn more about the bike, and I just putting good components on a so-so frame at that point?

WestPablo

Yeah, the frames are the same, but that's just about it. Your fork is made of hi-tensile steel, but the Escape 2 is made of aluminum. In general, I don't like aluminum forks! Your bike is a 7 speed. The Escape 2 is an 8 speed. Your bike has bottom of the line Tourney derailleurs. The Escape 2 has Altus derailleurs (one step up). The Escape 1 has Alivio derailleurs. It's a 9 speed and has a carbon fiber composite fork! It also has better shifters and a better crankset. It's just a better bike all 'round!