fullergarrett

I'm relatively new here and have mostly been sticking around in a thread that pertains mostly to my current bike. I'm currently in the process of upgrading from a ~1981 bike to a bike from at least this decade.

I am about to purchase a 2016 Giant Sedona from a local bike shop, and just wanted some other thoughts on the Sedona. The shop owner told me it'd be a great fit for me, as it is comfortable to ride and easy. I'm 330 lbs, so I'm a heavier rider, but the shop owner told me that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Any thoughts on the reliability and comfort? Anything I should be aware of?

hokiefyd 

It should be a good bike. The Sedona has 26" wheels which are (in theory) stronger than 27.5" or 29" wheels. Is it a Sedona or a Sedona DX?

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bikes-sedona-2016

The base model comes with a rigid fork and a freewheel rear axle (which is not as strong as a cassette). The DX model comes with a suspension fork and an 8-speed cassette. Either one should be easy and comfortable to ride. If it's a base model, and you find the rear axle is prone to bending, you could replace the rear wheel with one with a cassette (which is a stronger design) at moderate cost.

HerrKaLeun

26" is outdated. Yes you still get parts, but if you look for really good tires, rims etc., you will have limited choice.
Even Walmart moved to 700c/27.5".
not saying 26" is bad if you are short, but we live in a world where living outside standards is harder.

fullergarrett

I ended up getting the base model. Being a broke college student who is getting back into bicycling, an entry level (but decent) bike should suffice. The LBS owner told me it should be fine, and he has never had a problem with the bikes.

I owned a 26" mountain bike a few years ago (a department store bike that was scrapped due to constant issues) and tires/tubes/rims, etc. seemed to be readily available. Perhaps not the best, but there are parts out there. At least in my experience. The Giant Sedona and that mountain bike both had 26x1.95" tires.

I am upgrading from a 1981 Free Spirit Pinnacle road bike which has 27x1 1/4" tires. Both rims are bent out of shape, and the rims and tire selection for that bike is actually quite limited due to how it wasn't a very widely used size given that most road bikes from that period used 700c sizing instead.

hokiefyd 

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. You should find plenty of good choices in tires, especially hybrid-like tires (with all purpose tread). The tires it comes with should be good for thousands of miles already, so you'll be good to go for a long while.

altondavis2

Great choice, hope riding helps you to get in better shape.
Now its time for a pump, helmet and taillight.

Have FUN

fullergarrett

Thanks everyone so far for your input.

I'm hoping to get a rack mounted above the rear wheel so that I can strap a milk crate to it for storage.

I'm also looking into the possibility of purchasing headlights/taillights to mount to the bike, but I've never looked into it or asked the LBS about it. Any recommendations? Same for a frame pump - I'm not sure if I should get a frame pump, although I can see how it can be helpful in a pinch.

One more thing is pedals. On the department store Huffy I had a few years ago, the plastic pedals failed pretty quickly and tore up my shoes in quick succession. The more robust pedals on my 1981 Free Spirit Pinnacle (metal?) haven't broken on me, but seem to be somewhat stressed. The Pinnacle is ditto on the shoes. Is there any recommendations for high-quality pedals that will last me quite a while that are also comfortable on the feet and don't ruin my shoes?

The tires I installed on the Huffy before scrapping it were a pair of Kevlar "Bell" tires from Walmart. They seemed to hold up fine. I have a Bell Kevlar tire on my Pinnacle and it seems to resist punctures pretty good. From the specs listed on Giant's website, the Sedona comes standard with Kenda multi-surface tires.

hokiefyd 

I have a headlight/taillight pair from Amazon that I bought cheap, and they work "fine". I bought them not as much so that I could see (I rarely ride in pitch black where I need to see where I'm going), but more to be seen. For that, nearly any light set will work. The set I bought (20 bucks) allows USB charging of either light (with a micro USB cable into any USB wall charger) and I'd buy it again. It was from Amazon, and something very similar to this. Don't be fooled by the marketing pictures -- I don't think you'll see THAT well at night. There are definitely nice light sets out there that WILL light up the night for you, if that's what you desire.

For pedals, I would recommend flat "cruiser" style pedals if you'll be cycling in mostly dry conditions, something similar to these or these. These are friendly to shoes (and even bare feet or sandals) and will be comfortable. If you ride in wetter conditions, or desire a pedal with more "grip", then consider a platform pedal with pins, similar to these. I've never tried that specific one, but it gets great reviews. As with lights, you can spend a lot of money on pedals (or not -- it just depends on what you want out of the bike).

Your tires should be fine for hundreds or thousands of miles. They probably look like these, and should give you plenty of happy miles of mix-used riding.

Rootman

I had one up until I just bought my new bike. I rode the hell out of it. More of a comfort bike, it's nice and light. Mine was a 2012 and the only thing I really dislike was the large gap between rear gears 1 and 2, seemed like a big jump and it felt like it needed to be set closer. I also was not a fan of the twist shifters. It's a good, basic bike, wide tires (if original) for a softer ride.

Flip Flop Rider

26 inch tires handle better than 700's and are stronger imo. have both

practical

If you're going to use a milk crate, then put the rack on the front. A milk crate on the rear will make mounting a dismounting harder. You will have to step over the top bar rather than swing your leg over. Also, you have easier access to stuff when it's in the front. Or you might go with a bag instead of a milk crate.

fullergarrett

The reason I want lights is to be seen, as well as some slight extra light. (The area I typically ride in has some street lighting, so not a problem seeing. But it's more of a thing to have cars see you.) I sometimes stay after the sun goes down at my current job, and I just leave my bike chained to the rack for the night. Doesn't worry me, but it'd be nice to be able to ride back home.

Those pedals look much better. I'm going to ask my LBS if they have any in-house, so that I don't have to order them online and pay free shipping. My current shoes just get ate up by the grips on the current pedals, and then it starts to hurt my feet.

The thing that worries me about tires is the puncture resistance. I'm currently doing a lot of riding on the shoulder of roads because our city/university can be sticklers about riding on sidewalks, and it's also safer for both me and pedestrians. But I've found that there is a lot of junk - especially glass and plastic - in the gutters. The Pinnacle has held up fine so far, but I feel that is partially thanks to the Kevlar tires. I also need to purchase a tube patch kit for when the time comes.

I wasn't sure until now, but I saw that it was listed on their website as a comfort bike. The LBS gave me the impression that it was a hybrid bike - which I'm guessing it is? How does it handle on the streets, as well as the trails?

Were the twist shifters reliable? One of the things that worries me is the reliability of the shifters. Other bikes that I've had in the past with indexed shifting had major problems with the shifting mechanism.

I see what you're saying, but wouldn't that put a lot of extra weight on the front? I'm planning on using the milk-crate for things like my laptop, storing items I'm taking home, etc. Plus what about visibility?

I currently don't have any storage on my present bike. I actually took a spill the other day when my laptop's carrying bag decided to wrap its strap around the gear shifter while I was taking a breather, knocking it into the highest gear.

I also need to get a helmet when I get the bike. I've been living life on the edge lately by riding on the streets with no helmet. I'd like to get a helmet that offers protection but is comfortable. Any suggestions there?

Rootman

The bike is the epitome of a hybrid, the class 'hybrid' manes more of what it's NOT then what it is. The class is sort of a dumping ground for what doesn't fit anywhere else. It's a low cost, comfortable bike that's not quite a comfort bike, not quite a gravel bike, etc. It's decent for the money. I found the twist shifters OK but aggravating, I really prefer trigger shifters - which this doe not have, They wok OK it's just a tad more difficult to shift when you have to shift by twisting the inner grip, you also are limited on what after market grips will fit too.

The handling is OK, it's a relatively short bike so it turns quick, the tires are a bit knobby and handle just fine, when you hot that patch of gravel or sand that's washed over the trail you are steady. Being wide and knobby they do roll a bit harder.

For the money it's a fine bike. I bought this first after by Schwinn beach cruiser proved to hard to handle the hills. It served my for 3 years of hard riding until I was sure of what type of riding I really wanted to do., I then went out and bought a Roam 2. It served me for 3 years too until I decided I really needed help on the hills, so I went and bought a Giant E bike. So, your tastes and requirements change.and this is a good, inexpensive bike to start with. Who knows, it may prove to be exactly what you need for a decade or more.

fullergarrett

I think I may have had a cheap bike with twist/grip shifters, but I don't remember much about it. When I was younger my parents would always buy cheap Walmart "$89 Specials" that would only last a couple rides before having a major failure. Typically the shifters on those bikes gave us problems and even when we got the bikes home the shifting mechanism never worked properly. My father prefers single-speed (single-gear?) bikes for that reason - much simpler. I ride my current bike mostly in the same gear, but it allows me greater flexibility - especially for riding on the street.

My current bike has lever shifters. As I've mentioned, I recently took a spill when my laptop carrying case strap decided to get wrapped around one and knocked the bike into the highest gear. I'm going to guess a grip shifter is going to take some getting used to, but oh well. I'm going from 1981 to 2016...

The bike shop was actually assembling a Giant E-Bike when I inquired about getting a new bike. Looks pretty nice, but expen$ive and I feel it just defeats many of the benefits you get from a bike.

hokiefyd 

Traditionally, a "hybrid" bike had the 700c wheel size and a "comfort" bike, typically with a more relaxed geometry and sometimes the ability to place one's feet on the ground while still on the bike, had 26" wheel size. The Sedona is a "comfort" bike, and the Cypress, with its 700c wheels, is more of a "hybrid".

But those terms are pretty nebulous, and don't mean a whole lot anymore.

Big Dave Crowe

um not true. 26 inch is a world wide standard with overstock galore. 26 inch will never dissappear. Theres a reason why 26 inch was chosen as a sweet spot for tough terrain.

fullergarrett

Sorry for the late response - have been swamped in other stuff until now.

I had a 26" (specifically 26x1.95") bike given to me a few years ago. I found that tires and tubes for it were regularly available at Walmart, as well as bike shops, Amazon, online vendors, etc. I currently have a bike with 27x1 1/4" rims, which have become obsolete since my bike (the aforementioned Pinnacle) was made in 1981. Even at that time the 27" size was used on low-end/budget road bikes, whereas others used the 700c, which since has become the norm.

As for a light set, I picked one up from my local Walmart. It is a basic Bell battery-operated model, which I picked up some rechargeable AA batteries for. Lights both seemed to be bright, although the way to mount them to the bike (just a rubber strap) is somewhat worrying, as it seems like something to fail in pretty quick order.


The bike looked good with the new kit installed.



Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to test them out. I bought some new, thicker tubes for the Pinnacle and was in the process of changing them when I couldn't get the rear wheel back in. As I was trying to get it to go back in, the derailleur completely fell off the frame and I don't know how to get it back on. We don't have a bike shop in our town, only an individual who does part-time bike repairs in his free time. Since winter has arrived and I'm hoping to get the Sedona in December, I'm putting the Pinnacle on the back burner.


Now all I have to do (for the new bike) is get a helmet and a basket installed. I've decided I'm going to get a basket mounted on the front, but I'd also like one that's deep enough so that I can at least fit my laptop bag in there while on the way to classes.

hokiefyd 

There are a few issues with the rear derailer area. Both runs of chain (the top and the bottom) are on the top side of your freewheel. You'll need to insert your rear wheel into the frame "between" the two runs of chain. Before you do that, though, you'll want to re-mount the derailer. The derailer is hanging more or less upside down right now -- the "claw" goes up and will mate with the frame where the rear axle goes. That small screw at the back of the claw has a special nut on the back that slides into the dropout on the frame. The opening of the claw will point forward, and will align with the opening of the dropout. You'll slide that screw with special nut into the dropout and push the whole thing rearward as far as it will go. You may need to loosen the screw/nut some in order to do that, and you can tighten the screw/nut after you get the derailer positioned into the frame. What really holds it fast to the frame, though, is the axle nut. Once the derailer is aligned correctly, insert the wheel and tighten it down and that derailer and its claw mount won't move a bit.

fullergarrett

So, basically I screw the derailleur nut into the dropout (where the nut is in the photo) and try to push it as backward as possible? Then I remount the wheel, making sure the freewheel is in between the two runs of the chain?

It must have fallen off when I was trying to get the rear wheel back on. The chain got somewhat messed up and things weren't going back on smoothly. When I work on the bike, it's turned upside down and due to the positioning of the gear shifters it may have been knocked into a different gear while I was replacing the tube in the rear tire.

Dumb question - but what purpose does the hole directly above the dropout serve?

hokiefyd 

You may need to loosen the bolt/nut on the claw hanger just slightly. You'll see that the special nut has certain alignment features on it that will allow it to slide straight into the dropout. One end of the nut has a rounded circumference -- that end goes in towards the rear, and will bottom out against the rear of the dropout. Once the derailer is installed there, you can then tighten the bolt (and the alignment features on the nut should ensure that it doesn't move once inside the dropout). You don't need to get this gorilla tight; in fact, the nut may be easy to strip -- just snug it up. What really holds the derailer on is the axle nut once the wheel is installed.

Yes, you'll install the wheel so that the freewheel is in between the two runs of the chain. Basically, make it look like one of your "before" pictures.

That's an attachment point for a rack or other similar accessory (child bike seats used to be popular as well). It's just a simple through hole, so a rack or seat strut would mount down there with a bolt and nut.