Armyguy1914

Good morning everyone.
I am a novice when it comes to mid to high end bikes. I went to my LBS and found that they carry Giant. There were the Roam 2 and the Roam 3. Difference in the two was Roam 2 had hydraulic brakes and 3 x 9 as the Roam 3 had mechanical brakes and 3 x 8. Well I'm getting my self use to these new terms. Roam 2 was $645 and Roam 3 was $510 . There is also a Trek shop in my area as well. I wanted a Hybrid because i wanted to do trail and road. How do I get my use to the drive train, brakes to tell what is good and what is junk???

finch204

Hydraulic disc brakes are generally better than the mechanical ones as they amplify the braking force, allowing you to brake with just one finger. If I'm not mistaken, and i'm sure other people on here will correct me if i'm wrong, the hydraulic disc brakes are also self-adjusting as the brake pad wears down, similar to how disc brakes on a car works. The best way to tell the difference is to test ride both bikes though. The Roam 2 is a pretty good bike, I'm biased since I ride one, but it really is a good bang for the buck bike. If you wanted to try a Trek, you will want to look at their Trek DS bike models.

Armyguy1914

Hey well I been looking at the some bikes today. I see that Giant makes their frames so are able to give a better price then Trek. Well I have been looking at Giant's Roam 2 or Roam 1. Do you know what is the difference between the two. Roam 2 is $645 and Roam 1 is $1050-- 2019 2018---- $1010 2017--- is $820

Is it worth the prices going Roam 2 to 1??

prj71

Sealed cartridge bearing hubs are better than loose ball bearing hubs.

I'll never buy a bike that has loose ball bearing hubs again.

Armyguy1914

Hey man so the Roam 2 has the loose ball bearing hubs??? Im trying to feel out the price is it worth going from 645 for the Roam 2 to the Roam 1 which is 1,050 bucks. I saw the flyer on your message about Bikesdirect.com I seen the site and what bike is close the Roam 1? or Trek Dual sport 4 around same price or cheaper?

Skipjacks

The Roam 2 definitely over the Roam 3.

For the hydro brakes alone you won't regret that purchase.

As fro the Roam 1 up above $1000 I think that's crazy for a hybrid. (My opinion will not be shared by others here)

Couple of things on the $1,000 bike....

1) You're new to the mid class of bikes (better than Wal Mart, but not professional Tour de France quality). You very well may decide that the hybrid wasn't the best option for you after riding it a little bit. You might find that you want to ride all roads or find that you hate roads and want to be in the dirt 100% of the time. In either case that $1000 is better spent on a dedicated road bike or a dedicated mountain bike. Incidentally, a nice mountain bike can be ridden on the road (road bikes can't be ridden on back trails...not easily anyway) with different tires. Though you have to watch the gearing. Some of the low geared 1x10 drive trains won't move you very fast on the pavement.

1a) Go with the lower cost bike. Ride it for a year and see what you really like and don't like about it. Then buy a more expensive bike that's more tailored to your specific style and desires.

1b) Skip the LBS and go for Craigslist. You can spend a whole lot less on a slightly used bike for this trial period.

2) If you know you want to ride on the roads and the trails and already know what you like....$1000 (maybe $1200) can buy you 2 bikes. One that's good for the road and one that's built for back trails. Neither will be top end at $600 a piece, but you can find one that's serviceable. (I don't love this option because the $600 road bike isn't going to have a very nice drive train. And the $600 mountain bike isn't going to have a serious suspension fork...or a very nice drive train)

3) Look into Gravel Bikes. $750 will put you on a decent gravel bike. $1000 will put you on a very nice gravel bike. (You can go up from there quickly) This option depends on the off road riding you want to do. If you want to do back woods rocky trails, a gravel bike isn't want you need. On that same note you'll rattle a hybrid apart on those trails too. If the off road you're talking about is loose dirt, loose gravel, hard pack limestone or hardpack dirt but relatively smooth (meaning no big rocks and tree roots you have to smash through) then a gravel bike might be perfect.

Gravel bikes look like road bikes at a glance. They have drop handlebars rather than a flat bar of a mountain bike. The frame geometry will put you a little more bent forward, but not as much as a road bike where you are looking fro aerodynamics. Conversely a hybrid will have you sitting more upright.

Gravel bikes will have a rigid front fork, no suspension.

You can put thinner slick tires on to make it more pavement worthy or wider knobby tires on to give you better grip in loose dirt/gravel. On my gravel bike I run tires with a little tread to give me grip on hardpack limestone but not so much that they slow me down on pavement.

If you want to go long distances, the gravel bike all the way. It's geared to be more efficient long term, but won't take you up a steep hill as well as a mountain bike. The drop bars are better for your hands over the course of 50 miles.

3a) If you start looking at Gravel Bikes, know that they are intermixed with Cylocross Bikes. They are very similar, but the cylocross bikes are made more for off road racing and have a more aggressive sitting position, more hunched over. Not the best for casual riding.

Lemond1985

^^ Very good advice ^^^

I realize this is the hybrid forum, but I am also not a big fan of this style of bike, since they don't do anything on-road or off-road exceptionally well, and the position does not lend itself well to longer rides (more than an hour or two). Brakes and wheel bearings are minor concerns compared to the basic form factor of the machine, and to me hybrids are just something you ride until you get a better idea of what you really want.

So for that reason, I would not a ton of money on one since one of two things will likely happen. 1.) It will get ridden a lot, and eventually found to be lacking in some desired feature(s) which will require the purchase of a second, more specialized machine, or 2.) It will be found to be unsatisfactory for any type of riding, ridden progessively less and less, and end up sitting in the corner unused for many years (the likely fate of most of hybrids sold).

Armyguy1914

Saw this one on Bikesdirect.com

Motobecane Fantom29 Comp
29er Mountain Bikes+ Remote Lockout
NEW WTB TCS Tubeless Compatible Rims

FrameNEW Tapered Headtubes. MOTO29HX Kinesis Engineered Aluminum with TrailTuned PowerStay Design, DualProfile Hydroformed Downtube with reinforced Gusset, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, downtube bottle mount, seat tube accessory mountForkRock Shox XC30 / TK29" / 100mm / Remote Lockout 1.125" SteererCranksetFSA GammaDrive MegaExo, 42/32/24T ALLOY BLACK CRANK 170/175mm: 33-39/44-53CMBottom BracketFSA BB-1000PedalsVP MTB Platform 9/16" CR-MO AXLE, BLACK PP BODY, STEEL BLK CAGEFront DerailleurSHIMANO, FD-M610, DEORE, TOP-SWING, DUAL-PULL,BAND TYPE(W/31.8MM ADAPTER)Rear DerailleurSHIMANO, RD-M670, SLX SGS 10-SPEED TOP-NORMAL SHADOW DESIGNShiftersSHIMANO SHIFT LEVER, SL-M610, DEORECassette/FreewheelSHIMANO CASSETTE, CS-HG50-10,10-SPEED 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36TChainKMC X10SL NARROW CN 1/2"x11/128"x114L.W/HOLLOW PIN, REUSEABLE LINKHubsF/HUB GRAVITY LASER-ETCHED ALLOY DISC BLK ANOD. FRONT HUB W/RCC,W/RLCA ALLOY BLK QR, 14Gx32H:100mm
R/HUB GRAVITY LASER-ETCHED REAR BLK ANOD. CASSETTE DISCBRAKE W/RCC HUB , W/RLCA ALLOY BLK QR 14Gx32H:135MMSpokes14Gx64PCS STAINLESS W/14mm BRASS NIPPLERimsTubeless Compatible, WTB Frequency Race i25 TCS 29" 32 hole, Disc, Black; I-Beam Construction, 4D Drilling, PV drilled*See FAQ page for Tubeless system setupTiresWTB Bronson 29x2.2 Comp With PV Tube ,( 52/56 ) 27tpi Casing, Wire BeadBrakesSRAM GUIDE R HYDRAULIC DISC, POST DISC MOUNT, 180mm ROTOR
(Tektro Auriga Hydraulic Disc Brakes on MatteGray selections)Brake LeversSRAM GUIDE R (Tektro Auriga on MatteGray selections)HeadsetORBIT 1.5 ZS , FOR 1-1/8"/1.5" FORK STEM , Internal alloy cups, ACB 1-1/8" Upper, 1-1/8" crown race,w/Std 12.3mm top cover, W/30mm BALL RACE ( 28.6x44/55.95x30mm) (H:19.8 mm )HandlebarRITCHEY MTN RIZER ( C:31.8mm ), ALLOY 6061 RISE H/BAR(UPSWEEP 17°, BEND 9° ) B/CENTER: 31.8mm.R/W:20/670mm. BB BLKStemRITCHEY STEM 4-Axis 84/6D ( C:31.8mm ) ALLOY 6061 "TIOGA-OS" A-HEAD STEM.EXT6°)110MM ,C/S:31.8x28.6x42mm. BB BLKTape/GripWTB Dual DNA Compounds, Classic Logo Pattern, full lengthSaddleWTB Speed V Sport SESeat PostRITCHEY 2BOLT, ALLOY BB BLK 27.2x400mmSeat Post ClampSuperlight Aluminum (31.9x30.5) W/CR-MO ALLEN BOLT Use menus below to select size/color
Go thru Checkout for stock statusFREE Ship 48
(Sale Prices Not Applicable to Previous Orders)
Size GuideSize/Color Select MatteGray NOTE - MatteGray Selections< have Tektro Auriga Brakes 13in MatteGray +FREE SHIP48 15.5in MatteGray +FREE SHIP48 17.5in MatteGray +FREE SHIP48 19in MatteGray +FREE SHIP48 21in MatteGray +FREE SHIP48 FREE Ship 48 For Alternate Bikes Email bd4salesteam@aol.com Items marked LowStock may sell out at any time If an item shows Soldout during checkout process someone else got it join newsletter for updates FREE Ship 48
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Skipjacks

I commute on a hybrid and I love it for that purpose.

Short rides 10 miles and under.

I can load it down with racks and weight if I need to carry stuff to work.

It's comfortable for those short sprints because of the upright riding position (great for 8am before I've had my coffee)

Hybrids make a great commuter bike. But that doesn't sound like what the OP is looking to do. Sounds like he's looking for weekend joy riding, in which case a hybrid is not my first choice.

Skipjacks

Meh...

I'm underwhelmed.

First things first...from Bikesdirect.com you will have to do some assembly. Mostly it's pretty easy but you'll also want to go through it and tighten and align everything that's pre assembled.

That bike is also heavy. The weight isn't listed but I promise you that bike it heavy.

It would make for a poor ride on pavement. The gearing is low for doing any kind of ride on a paved surface. You'll find it's sluggish. That's just not what it's made for.

On off road trails it'll have a nice ride to it. But those trails are when you tend to need to pick the bike up and carrying it over things like trees across the trail and such. The weight will be a problem. Same with any kind of kills. You will not enjoy pushing that up steeper hills.

You really need to decide what kind of riding you want to do most before you buy anything. The two things you say you want to do, road riding and off road riding, are the opposite ends of the biking spectrum.

You won't find a mountain bike that's good on the road.

You won't find a road bike that's even ridable on back country trails.

A hybrid makes for a decent all around bike for casual weekend riding under 10 miles at a time, but it will limit your speed on the road and limit how 'off road' you can do. You'll need to keep to mostly crush limestone type rail trails. That's about as off road as a hybrid will take you. Though you'll still be able to cut across the occasional dirt field or something. You just can't do all day like that.

A gravel bike will go faster on pavement and let you get a little more aggressive off road. But you won't be do true back country off trail riding. And it's not your most comfortable option for rides 10 miles and under (over 10 miles the more forward leaning riding position starts to feel really nice without that sore back from sitting up straight. But at the start of the ride it's a little awkward)

Skipjacks

I'm not trying to steer you away from hybrids.

If you are going to be riding 10 miles or under at a time, go for the hybrid. $600 buys a decent one with hydro brakes.

They make great bikes for cruising around town. You can load them down with racks and a good amount of weight if you want to ride to the store.

Bu if you want to go far and fast or if you want to go deep off trails, a hybrid will fail you. They are nice versatile cruising bikes. I ride mine to work 3-4 times a week and HATE riding my gravel bike for that purpose. But on the weekend when I want to do 30-40 miles on a crush limestone trail my gravel bike outperforms the hybrid in every single category.

travbikeman

There are many people whom do many many many miles - more than 10 - on a hybrid. These bikes properly fitted can handle well over 50 miles in a day. These are great bikes for rails to trails, canal rides and other biking. Yes, it is not a specialized bike when it comes to single track, racing on gravel or roads or true Atlantic to Pacific touring. But they are used by many to do long distance riding. Example are the many video's on YouTube of riders going from Pittsburgh PA on the GAP through the C&O to DC. Over 330 miles! shocking!

You are going to get so many personal preferences on what bike YOU should have. Just go to the LBS, ride many bikes and figure out what YOU want.

I myself like the wider handlebars for breathing better, like being upright to view the sites and really like how easy these bikes are to upgrade or replace parts. The most I have ridden in a given day on this bike is 60 miles on the Pine Creek Rail trail. It's doable.

Just make sure it fits well, get a decent saddle and go ride.

travbikeman

OH and that Fantom29 mountain bike is actually nice for only $700. Compare that to other $700 mountain bikes and that is a decent deal. But you will need to wrench or service it your self other wise the cost goes up when you take it to the LBS.

But it is a mountain bike built for single tracking and well, while it's nice, does it fit your needs?

Skipjacks

This is really the best possible answer to the original question.

But before you go to the bike store, you have to have a better idea of how much of each kid of riding you really want to do. It will help them help you.

Or...just get 4 bikes. Then you're always prepared.

(You think I'm joking. But if you really get into biking in 3 years you'll be back here starting a thread called "My wife think me having 3 bikes is crazy....but help me choose a 4th." This is totally a thing that happens.)

travbikeman

TOTALLY TRUE!!!! Love reading those posts about how to get away with another bike and the wife! N+1 hits some of us very hard. Few of us just wish we could afford the +1 right now!

Skipjacks

I have a hybrid that I bought for commuting. It became my regular daily use weekender too, taking me on long distance rides....until my skill level outgrew it for distance riding.

Now I commute on the hybrid, which is perfect for that. And I have a gravel bike for the long distance trail riding.

And now I'm starting to get to the point on the trails where I venture as far off the beaten path as I can go and start to think "man I wish I could ride that slightly overgrown rocky trail over there...." and the only reason I don't have a true mountain bike right now is because I have no place to store one in my house. But I still kinda want one....

It's an addiction. There would be a 12 step program for cyclists except we don't take steps. We pedal.

(I have no true road bikes because I look too good in Lycra and don't want to distract all the women driving cars past me. Safety first....)

AU Tiger

That looks like a nice bike for the money, assuming you're comfortable putting it together yourself. And assuming you want a 29er. I would definitely recommend going to a local shop and test riding a 29er before buying it, though. I started out with a hybrid, and when I decided to add a mountain bike I test rode a 29er and found it to be too big and heavy for me. I found a 27.5" (650b) was the sweet spot for me. A lot of folks love 29ers, but I did not like it at all. So you absolutely want to try one out if you haven't already.

fietsbob

You like the shop that sells Giant, better than the one that sells Trek ?

Bikes Direct you have no local dealer service after the sale , But

maybe like my local , they assemble them from the carton and will include a follow up , tune up check,
as part of the service fee,

But any issues with parts and workmanship flaws , are needing you to sort it out with BD.

Armyguy1914

I may get off craigslist if i can get lucky. i would rather get from my LBS so i can get it serviced alot better

Armyguy1914

hey guys can someone list all the Shimano levels for me from low to top ??i know Tourney is entry level and cheapest.

subgrade

Wikipedia has a pretty nice and comprehensible table for this, complete also with the chronology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiman...bike_groupsets
(XTR being the highest level)
Scroll up for road groupsets.

Also there are even lower end Shimano parts than Tourney found on the very cheapest bikes - labeled just 'Shimano'. They may be Tourney level, or lower.

Armyguy1914

Didnt know Road, Trail, etc parts are each group different far as components levels from entry to high end. I thought it was across the board. So a Deore for a Hybrid is great but lower for a mountain bike..

hokiefyd 

That's right. Mountain bikes are typically exposed to higher levels of abuse or competition, so more expensive components are fairly common. Hybrids, on the other hand, are typically used in much calmer environments and/or not raced, so more expensive components are not very common.

Armyguy1914

Can anyone tell me the year and if it a good deal. I may get a Hybrid and a MTB

GIANT ROAM 2 Adventure Hybrid Mountain Road Bike Med Frame 700C 27 Spd - $300

bicycle frame material: aluminum
bicycle type: hybrid/comfort
brake type: disc (hydraulic)
frame size: Medium 19"
make / manufacturer: Giant
model name / number: Roam 2
suspension: suspension fork (hardtail)
wheel size: 700C

Per Giant: THE ROAD TO ADVENTURE IS ALWAYS UNPREDICTABLE. YOU CAN ENCOUNTER PAVEMENT, DIRT, EVEN A TRAIL. RIDE ROAM AND BE READY FOR ANYTHING.

Spec's:
Medium Frame = 19"
Aluminum Frame
Front shock is a SR Suntour NEX w/ Lock-Out
Shimano Acera Shifters & Derailleurs
Hydraulic Disc Brakes
27 Speeds with Rapid Fire shifters

Skipjacks

Keep in mind with Craigslist you can probably find a bike for several hundred dollars cheaper than new in the store.

No, it won't have the typical 1 year warranty maintenance. But you also aren't likely to pay several hundred dollars in maintenance over the first couple years.

I said NOT LIKELY. I did not say WON'T HAPPEN.

So there is a risk there. But it's a small risk and its' one you can mitigate even further by inspecting the used bike properly to make sure the chain rings aren't worn out, the chain isn't badly stretched, that there are no cracks in the frame the wheels are true, and the tires aren't badly worn.

Those are the most likely things that will force you to shell out extra money on maintenance in the first year.

If you know anyone that is good with bike repair, bring them along to the Craigslist meet up and have that person inspect the bike. (The going rate for that service is lunch.)

Knowing how to inspect a bike for maintenance issues can also lower the Craigslist price. If the wheels are out of true or you know the chain will need to be replaced you can use that to negotiate the price lower since you'll either have to buy a replacement part or do some tune up work yourself.