gocrazyfolks

Hi all,

First, many thanks to everyone on this forum. I've been lurking for a few weeks while I tried to get a handle on the basics and educate myself on the incredible number of options for a new bike. This forum has been an invaluable resource and made me much more comfortable when I made my first few forays into my LBSs.

I've narrowed my focus to a few fitness-oriented hybrids around $500-600. This will be my first bike in (yikes) about 18 years, and I will be riding mostly on paved trails and roads around DC. I'm hesitant to spend more until I prove to myself that I'll get enough use out of it. With the 2014 models still on closeout at the LBSs near me, I'm ready to pull the trigger in the next few days.

I'm considering:
Jamis Coda Sport ('14)
Trek 7.2 FX ('14)
Trek 7.3 FX ('14) (I like the grips and look...and know the components are better...worth it?)

I'm leaning toward the Jamis, though I haven't been able to do a comparison test ride on an Allegro, which as near as I can tell differs mainly in having an aluminum frame (like the Trek).

So, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this choice or other options that maybe I should consider before making the purchase. There are many bike shops in my area, and nearly every brand can be found. There are so many options that I've already delayed this decision by weeks trying to understand all the differences (and I really just went to get out and start riding!).

Any modifications you'd suggest or recommended gear once I do make the purchase?

Thanks so much! Can't wait to start riding!

MRT2

Test ride a few and go with what speaks to you. I like steel, so my vote is for Jamis, but you are the one who has to ride it.

headloss 

I like Jamis, but there is no way I'd buy a modern bike with a 7speed drivetrain. Go with a 9speed for the best compromise of quality, upgradeability, and general future proofing. Beyond that, go with the frame that fits the best. Make sure you find a shop that is willing to make sure you are reasonably well fit and don't need a different sized stem or fore/aft saddle adjustment. They should at least take five minutes to make sure you are in an appropriate position to judge the ride and feel of a given frame.

Jamis frame and fork are better at all levels. Jamis Coda Sport gives you a Cromoly fork vs. the FX 7.2 high-tensile fork (avoid at all cost).
The Jamis Coda Comp is offering a carbon fiber fork vs the FX 7.3's aluminum.

Hands down, a Reynolds 520 frame and cromoly or carbon fork beats the Trek stuff. Trek offers better components for each level, but components are easy to swap out down the road. As far as I'm concerned, the high-ten fork on the FX7.2 is unacceptable. Likewise, the 7speed group on the Jamis Coda Sport is unacceptable. Draw a line there and eliminate those two bikes (in my opinion). Don't settle for less than 8 speed and avoid anything with high-tensile in the name. If it were my choice, I'd probably get the Jamis Coda Comp (which wasn't even an option you listed). I like steel and the carbon fiber fork... and I can deal with 8speed although I think they should really be offering 9speed for the price considering that highend is now 11 speed, so selling an 8speed group is questionable and a 7speed group just laughable (only, it's not funny).

And I didn't think I could be nice to a Cardinals fan... I guess cycling trumps baseball.

elephino

So test ride the ones you're interested in, see if they're comfortable and if the components they have (weight, number of gears, etc) will allow you to ride the heck out of the bike. Since people tend to either NOT ride, or ride a ton and then buy a much nicer bike/road bike (once they figure out what they're really looking for), I think your plan is pretty solid.

I have an all-aluminum hybrid similar to the FX 7.3 and a CroMo (steel) hybridized mountain bike, running similar wheels. I do think the steel gives a nicer ride over ripped-up pavement and bumpy road--on the alloy bike, if I take the rough patches too fast my hands threaten to vibrate off the handlebars. headloss is right that a 7-speed drivetrain is outdated in terms of high-end components, but it will most likely be fine for purposes of casual fitness riding. I incubated my biking addiction on a 3-speed where 2 of them didn't really work...

Grips are pretty much the easiest thing on a bike to change, although that does add (a little) extra money.

If the bike (whichever one you end up with) doesn't come with it, be sure to get a couple of good water bottle cages. Learning how to fix a flat/change a tire, whether from YouTube or asking nicely if the LBS guys could show you how, is a good idea if you don't already know.

Go Cards.

Coal Buster

@headloss has pretty much nailed it. I have the Coda Elite and I agree about the gearing unless you live where it's flat and then 7 speeds might be fine.

DorkDisk

Always buy the best frame, fork, and wheels you can. Everyhing else is very easy to swap out. An 8 sp will only give you an 11t cog, so its not a big loss for me. As for quality, acera 7 is the same as acera 8. 9sp at this price point might be a bit difficult.

Jamis has the better frame and fork, for me its a no brainer. Hi ten fork LoL

gocrazyfolks

Thanks for all the great feedback. This is the first I've seen anyone really say the 7.2 FX is a bad choice. Can you explain or point me somewhere that sheds more light on the problems with the fork? Unfortunately I'm not really in a position to move up to the Coda Comp at this point. Looking to stay relatively entry-level until I'm a more seasoned rider and know better what I want in a bike.

I assume you're a Pirates fan? You just moved into 2nd place. Brewers are really falling apart lately.

gocrazyfolks

An update: I rode the 7.2 FX again today and thought it felt pretty great, but now I'm concerned about this issue with the hi-ten fork. I'm going to ride the Coda again tomorrow out on a trail (my wife is close to buying a Bianchi Torino and it's at the same shop) and see what I think. I think I understand the concern about the 7-speed, but it's pretty flat around DC and again, this is an entry-level bike purchase so I'm not as concerned about long-term upgrades.

Although I did see a Bianchi Iseo when I was out today (wrong size for me to ride) and thought it looked pretty nice...

Others I've looked at online but can't seem to find in my LBS:
Felt Verza Fit
Raleigh Cadent 2
Jamis Allegro Sport

I've looked at the Giant Escape and Fuji Absolute and just didn't care for them.

practical

I bought a Nashbar flatbar road bike which is virtually the same as a Trek 7.2 but about half the price. My girlfriend has the Trek 7.2. I found the Nashbar and the Trek to be sluggish bikes. Fine on flats but poor on acceleration and hills. Just seemed to lack life. I got the Giant Escape 1 but you said you didn't like that bike so maybe the Trek speaks to you in a different way. That's my two-cents for whatever it's worth.

DorkDisk

A 7sp triple can most definitely go up and down hills. People used to run 7sp MTBs

A quick google search says the Jamis has a 12-32 cassette. A comparable 8sp will be 11-32. No big loss, unless you really miss your 48x11. 8sp cassettes do come in more ratios, 9 speed even more. This is more a result of product placement than the number of cogs

headloss 

The only problem with high-tensile steel is that it's HEAVY. They use it because it's cheap. How cheap? it's the stuff that gave department stores such a bad name (although most of the dept store bikes are aluminum these days). So, here you are paying all this money for a nice brand-name Trek bicycle expecting quality, and they give you the fork from a department store bike.

There's nothing inherently wrong with it from a durability or safety standpoint, it's just unnecessarily heavy (and I'm not the type of cyclist to count grams or care about that sort of thing). Aluminum is a step up, in that it is lightweight... but aluminum forks tend to be stiff and give a harsh ride. A chromoly fork is generally heavier than aluminum (although high end chromoly forks are actually lighter than the typical aluminum fork, but completely beyond the topic at hand). For the most part, I'd rank a chromoly fork (any chromoly fork) as better than aluminum... although heavier. Then there is the carbon fork. I'm not a carbon guy, I like my bikes to be made out of steel. That said, I can appreciate that carbon just makes a lot of sense for a fork material; it's light-weight, has enough give to be comfortable, and still stiff enough to feel sporty. On the bright side, even if you go with the Trek 7.2, you could always pick up a replacement carbon fork down the road as an upgrade. Generic brands like the Nashbar carbon fork run about $100 and would be an improvement over the high-tensile steel fork when budget allows.

I think that the FX frame in general is a nice bang for the buck. The aluminum tubes themselves are so-so quality, but you'd never know it unless you took a hacksaw or pipecutter to the frame (I have, after my uncle destroyed his frame backing into a garage and forgetting that the bikes were on the car rack). What I found was that the frame tubing wasn't very consistent in thickness around the diameter... but it doesn't affect the ride, so never mind all that.

The 8speed group is good-enough, I still run that on my commuter bike (2005 Kona Dew Deluxe)... everything has held up after almost ten years with the exception of the disc-brake calipers which needed rebuilt. Besides that, just normal expected wear&tear (bottom bracket, chain, cables, etc.).

I just don't like that Trek holds off on delivering a carbon fork until you are halfway up their line... it's just marketing at its worst. I don't personally feel that a Trek 7.2 has much of an edge over a lower priced sporting-goods box store brand (what you'd find at Dick's or REI). So for me, it's a price-point issue, Trek is overpriced for what you get. Then again, summer is over and a good deal from a local shop may cancel out that price mark-up or bring a better bike down into your range. FWIW, I own a Trek, a 2002 Trek 520 but I bought it used. I also own one of their mountain-bikes, a 2008 Gary Fisher Piranha.

Yes, Pirates fan. (I was also, until very recently) living in Chicago. No hard feelings though, Cards played better in the last series and deserved the sweep. I sort of expected the Brewers to fall but not so fast and so hard right near the end.

headloss 

My only concern about 7speed (anything) is upgradeability... there are still parts floating around that aren't compatible. If a given bike is using a Shimano 8/9/10 speed hub with a spacer to allow 7speed, then I agree with you that it's product placement and the numbers don't matter so much. If on the other hand the hub will only take a 7speed, then that's a serious problem in my opinion.

You just don't ever know what you are getting with 7speed components, so I recommend against them as a general rule. If the OP goes the 7speed route, confirm with the shop mechanic that the hub can be upgraded to 8/9/10 speed down the road if so desired.

The other issue with 7speed (and sometimes with 8) is the rear derailleur that has the oversized pulleys with 13 or more teeth. They just tend to be made cheap. I'd take a microshift RD before I bought one of the bottom-shelf Shimano RDs.

I like budget parts, so long as they can be upgraded. Too much of the cheapest component level is meant to be thrown out rather than repaired which limits how much you can modify them or improve them along the way.

DorkDisk

True with the 7sp hubs, but I was not aware anyone still made 7sp only freehubs - my last 7sp only hub was a 91 XT. OP should also check for freewheels, which is a dealbreaker IMO. 12t cog might mean freewheel. And yeah lowest end is horrible; I wouldnt recommend it either. But as long as the bike prices are very similar, you wont find major differences

Modern 7sp is low end, but if you think the 7sp EZfire shifter is inferior to the 8sp EZ fire shifter - theyre not. Acera EZfire is offered 7 and 8 speed. 7sp OEM cassettes are crappy but OEM 8speed cassettes are equally crappy - raw steel and rough finish. Many modern 7speeds are a shifter and cassette away from 8sp, using the same derailleurs as an 8sp model. Many 8speeds, are also just a shifter, cassette and chain away from 9sp.

Chains need replacement. Chromed 8sp cassettes are 20 bucks and a 5 five minute swap. 8 sp trigger shifters (not ez fire) are like 20 bucks, and come with cables - which need replacement periodically also.

Frame > Fork > Wheels > drivetrain

OMG that pulley. I have one. Its huge. It was misadvertised as a normal pulley

Grey.

Have you looked at a 2015 7.3? It's a much improved bike over the 7.2 (from any year) and a measurable improvement from last years eqivilent model 7.3. Personally I like the snappy feel of an alu fork.

I've got a write up detailing some of the features and changes on the 2015 7.3 in my thread here: https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...ni-review.html

gocrazyfolks

Thanks Grey, I had read your post, but hadn't wanted to plunk down the extra $$ for the 7.3. But your prodding got me back into the bike shop again today to take a look at the 7.3...

And I'm now an owner (well, on order for next week) of a 7.3 FX.

I loved the ride, and the upgrades on the 7.3 vs the 7.2 seemed well worth the extra cost. Not to mention that I love the matte black look (the lime green, not so much).

Can't wait to pick it up next week! Thanks, everyone for your advice.

s4v8

I was in the same boat when looking for a hybrid. Looked at the 7.2FX, Specialized Sirrus, Fuji Absolute, Jamis etc.....

I really liked the Jamis Coda Sport when I test rode it at the local LBS so I started price shopping online and found a 2013 model for $324 at Eastern Mountain Sports. The closest store that had it in stock was 1.5 hours away from me. My budget was really around $500-$550 but I couldn't pass up the price. The price out the door with a coupon was a little over $300. I probably would be riding a Trek 7.2 or Sirrus right now if I didn't find this deal.

Congrats on the 7.3FX!

Grey.

I think you'll be as satisfied as I am. Virtually every aspect of the bike from the frame to the rims is an upgrade on the 7.3 over the 7.2 and i'm glad I spent a bit more money to get it instead.