Starbreaker

I have narrowed my search down to two brands.

1) Jamis. Dealer is here in town and well respected.

2) Giant. Dealer is next town away but only 20 min by highway. Dealer is also very well respected.

From my research it seems i cant go wrong with Jamis or Giant.
Wanted your opinion if one brand is better than the other with quality or warranty?

FYI- Giant Cypress vs Jamis Citizen 2. But at this point I am interested in the company behind the product.

tajar66

I am a Giant fan so I would say Giant.
Ride both and pick the bike that feels best to you, take your time and put a few miles down, bring your gear. Small differences in bike can make a the difference in the ride.

MRT2

Giant is the much larger company. That said, my wife rides a Jamis and has no complaints.

one4smoke

Most bang for your buck with Giant. IMO.

Paul Barnard

Buy from your local dealer. There's no meaningful difference between the companies behind the bikes.

Dirt Farmer

I have had, and love, both brands.

It all comes down to fit.

Charliekeet

Have had both, enjoyed both, have respect for bob companies. Hose two seem very similar, and I doubt you’d regret it either way.

It will probably come down to price, and whether one has a better fit for you, seems slightly lighter or easier, etc.

jwh20

With all else being equal, or nearly so, I'd go with the local dealer.

baldilocks

I bought a Giant ATX lite last year and am very happy with it. That said, I put Jones H loop Handle bars on it and I'm a believer. Any bike I buy or build will most likely have a pair of those on them. For me the various hand positions make it like I have more than one bike.

SkyDog75

Both are reputable brands and either could be a good pick if you find a particular model you like.

After buying a bike, you'll probably never deal directly with the company behind the brand, but you'll almost certainly be in contact with the dealer for things like post-sale service like adjustments and tune-ups. Which dealer do you like better? Does one have a better deal for periodic tune-ups? Discounts on service, or on accessories when you buy the bike?

jimmie65

Giant will probably be cheaper for the same level components.
Less people will ride Jamis, so your bike will be more unique.

veganbikes

The biggest thing is what you are trying to accomplish with your riding? Both of those bikes are odd niche bikes that don't really make a ton of sense. Because of lower end components and suspension forks they turn out to be heavy bikes that will generally need more maintenance and possibly replacement parts due to failure. Also with a suspension fork in addition to carrying all the extra weight you will be losing a lot of energy going up and down instead of forward.

If you are looking for something more comfortable for paved excursions you might try to find a steel frame like the Coda Sport and above. Those are excellent bikes especially the Coda Elite which has a nice steel frame with a carbon fork, hydraulic disc brakes and Deore and Alivio derailleurs which are much higher quality than Tourney and Altus.

If you are going on some more serious off road a mountain bike with a higher travel fork (100mm or more) will help. If you are looking for a decent just straight upright bike, the Specialized Roll series is nice and has more tire clearance and a more crank forward design.
With any bike you can generally swap out the stem if you needed to change your position so looking for a bike with an old school quill stem that is adjustable isn't really needed because there are tons of different threadless stem makers and options for lengths and rises.

As far as brands I like Jamis a lot better, they are easier to deal with and they make more bikes I would want to ride. Giant is a huge company but dealing with them isn't great and some of what they do just never makes sense. Plus it sounds like the Jamis dealer is closer to you so I would stick with them.

Bill Gem

Your opening question makes complete sense. What is he trying to accomplish?

The Citizen and Cypress are great choices for a recreational rider who isn’t putting the bike to heavy use. The Citizen in particular has a couple of versions without suspension forks, one of which has a steel frame. I don’t find those bikes to be particularly heavy. I’ve seen a lot heavier as well as lighter. Again, it all depends on the intended use.

The Coda is a great bike obviously but it’s designed as a commuter bike, in other words a bike that will see almost daily use. Hence, the heavy duty components.

I recently rode a steel framed Breezer Radar, which looked like a great bike to me. It had one of the harshest rides I’ve ever experienced. I felt every bump. It’s the overall build of the bike that determines the ride. Steel is not automatically more comfortable than aluminum.

I agree with your assessment of the Specialized Roll, which comes in several versions, providing nice choices. My wife hated it. It’s all about the fit.

My local bike shop uses the Jamis Citizen as their rental bike for use primarily on a cinder/crushed stone rail trail. The owner says that people love it. He then sells the rentals as used bikes at the end of the season and backs up the sale with a year’s free service. If the bike can stand up to that kind of use, I don’t see any problem with its durability for recreational use.

Giant has always seemed to me as a company that is building bikes for the masses. I prefer Jamis because they seem to pay more attention to the little details, which I appreciate. I personally like the Citizen as a comfort bike. I’ve ridden it, and the tires (700x38 vs 700x32 on Coda) give it a very comfortable ride. I agree that there is no need for the suspension fork, which just adds weight and makes it less efficient. Very comfortable ride without it.

If the local bike shop sells Jamis, that’s a big plus. No need to drive 20 miles for an adjustment.

Metieval

just a FYI, a shop that sells Jamis will work on any bicycle not just Jamis.

If they don't understand the concept of buying the correct bike for you, they don't deserve your business of working on your Giant.

Now other than the initial cable stretch.... adjustment.

You can get MANY trouble free miles out of your Giant bicycle.

05 Giant Cypress SX! year round riding 5-6 sets of tires, 3x9 105 flat bar, hayes brakes...best bike I've ever owned, in a mechanical sense.

Bill Gem

Yes, but most bike shops will give you a year of free adjustments and check ups after the purchase, which means you’ll bring it back to the shop where you bought it at least for that time. It’s a good thing to ask about since some givemore, some less. I know of one shop that provides lifetime free service with any purchase.

Metieval

maybe you missed my point..... other then the initial cable stretch adjustment, I didn't need service.
I was Probably on my third set of tires. before I had new cables and pads (shop) installed.

as for the chain,
Again if you don't want to install the chain your self when buying a chain. Most shops will throw the chain on your bike for free when you buy the chain from them.

So a lifetime of free service is Bullocks. you still buy the pads, buy the chain, buy the cables. and pay the same inflated rates for them as you would any other shop.

Bill Gem

You may not need the service, but I’m guessing that the OP, who is much less knowledgeable and experienced than you, very well may.

Metieval

well he should buy the Giant bike then. lol

KraneXL

The largest in the world so typically an advantage.

Bill Gem

The devil is in the details.

Starbreaker

Thanks everyone for the great info.

I now own a Fuji mountain bike, I won it at work some time ago.
I was thinking about converting it to a comfort type bike but think I will keep it as is just in case I want one down the road.
I am looking for something more comfortable to ride at a local park on a paved trail for exercise and just enjoy the weather. No way will I ever go on 20 mile rides and such.
Interesting info about suspension forks. I assumed I would not want to buy a bike without one.

As for dealer support, With everything I buy, I look for the best dealer for warranty work. After warranty I don't often go to a dealer for service. I do that stuff myself. 1) I enjoy it 2) Way things works now days I figure I know just as much about it than the kid working on it. With all the equipment I have taken care of over the years, a bike, should be easy.

Again, I appreciate the expertise and advice all have given on this site.

PaulRivers

Giant. My experience test riding bikes while looking to buy one is that I wanted to like Jamis, but their ride quality / vibration reduction has no improved. Whereas Giant's stuff in the last few years is pretty good. I rode a cheaper aluminum Giant that rode over potholes much much more comfortably than the steel Jamis bikes I had ridden. I had expected it to be the opposite.

PaulRivers

If the Fuji fits you, and it's not a cheapo big box store bike (just because those tend to break fairly quickly), you could use it for riding on the paved trail simply replacing the tires with smooth tires. If you wanted to switch it back to a mountain bike you could simply change the tires back.

If you course if the Fuji doesn't fit you well that's out, but fyi.

Bill Gem

For the purpose you describe, one of my favorite comfort bikes is the Jamis Hudson Sport. Very comfortable ride. Smaller 26” wheels as compared with the Citizen, but 1.95” tires, which are substantially beefier than even the Citizens 700x38 and definitely contribute to the comfortable ride. You can find a nice write up at www.eddiesbikes.com.

Another really nice comfort bike - although coming at it from a whole different direction and not one of the choices you’re contemplating - is the Priority Glide. Worth a look. More expensive up front but basically maintenance free.

Oso Polar

I agree with @PaulRivers - if this Fuji is decent enough bike then just swap off-road tires for good slicks and you'll not recognize your bike, it'll become way more comfortable for paved roads and definitely good enough for distances you describe (much less than 20 miles).