Spinninmywheels

Hi All; I'm a newbie on the Forum and a renewbie to cycling. ;-) I haven't ridden in nearly 25 years (Yikes, I'm older than I thought.). Until recently, I did little to NO exercise. I revamped my diet back in February and within a month, my energy level soared. I joined a gym and go 3-4 times a week. I love it and I need more exercise and have really wanted to cycle again. I plan to ride for fun, exercise and transportation. I would like to get to where I can ride to and from the gym (20 hilly miles). I also want to be able to load it up if I decide I want to do a weekend tour. After poking around online and going to 2 LBS's, I am considering:

TREK 7.4 FX WSD @$739.00
TREK 7.5 FX WSD @$999.00
CANNONDALE Quick SL 3 @$849.00

What other bicycles would you recommend in this type/price range? I want a woman specific design, upgraded forks and a wide gear range for hills. I will not spend over $1,000.00. Remember, I'm going to have to buy a helmet, mirrors, bottles/cages, car bike rack, lock, maybe panniers, etc. on top of the bike. . Like most folks, I'd prefer to spend as little as I can. But if I can get a LOT more bike for a little more money, I could probably be convinced to spend closer to that top number. I appreciate your thoughts and ideas on bikes you think will work well for me.

Italia1970

Specialized vita and giant escape

Ozonation

Well, I'll be elitist and suggest a Rivendell Cheviot. A bit old school, but I can almost guarantee it will ride like silk and last you for years. Not cheap by any stretch though!

In terms of more affordable bikes though, have you considered Devinci bikes? Or Kona bikes - their Dew line is pretty popular. I'm not sure they're hybrids per se - maybe more commuter oriented - but that sounds like it will be a large part of your cycling.

ColonelSanders

I'd go with the 7.4 FX over the 7.5 and it would be a very easy decision.

Both have carbon forks, both made out of Alpha Gold Aluminium, both with Deore rear derailleur.

The 7.4 FX with its triple crankset is better for climbing hills than the 7.5 FX and the 7.4 FX is likely to have stronger wheels with its 32 spoke set up, compared to the 24 spoke set up of the 7.5 FX.

Also think the 32mm wide tyres on the 7.4 FX will provide more comfort than the 28mm wide tyres on the 7.5 FX.

BTW, which year 7.4FX? Is it the 2015 or 2014?

Hardly any difference between the two of them, but the 2015 allows for a slightly nicer Speed & Cadence setup for a bike computer.


But getting away from Trek, and I would take the following for a test ride.

Alight 1 (2015) (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States <-- Good Specs, Great price.

Specialized Bicycle Components <-- Comes in either Orangey or Whitey colours.

Spinninmywheels

I like the 2015 7.4 FX. I also like that ORANGE Specialized! ;-). I'm also considering the Giant Escape 1W or Escape 0W.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Cannondale Quick SL3?
thanks again, all.

ColonelSanders

That Cannondale Quick SL3(for women) is a very good looking bike, with pretty good componentry and Cannondale is a very respectable manufacturer.

As a heavy man, the wheels with the exotic spoke arrangement would worry me, but it is unlikely to be something that you need to be overly concerned about.

Amongst all these bikes between $650 to $900, there most likely won't be a world of difference due to quality of componentry, but the geometry of some bikes tend to suit some people better than others.

For this reason, it is always best to test ride a bike and not just go on the spec sheet alone.

Of course I am also a big believer that if your bike has a colour scheme you really like, you will be more inclined to ride it, so I do not dismiss as a reason for buying one comparable bike over another, that someone preferred the look of the bike they choose.

I'm going to list the bikes you have mentioned in the order of which I think have the best components(with a little summary of which ones I am referring to), keeping in mind that I give a strong weighting to the quality of the rear derailleur, as I believe a smooth gear changing experience is so very important.

1. Giant Escape 0 W - Best Front Derailleur, Best Crank, Equal Best Rear Derailleur, Good Wheels/Rims
2. Trek 2015 7.4 FX WSD - Equal Best Rear Derailleur, Good Wheels/Rims, Light Weight Frame
3. Cannondale Quick SL3 Women's - Equal Best Rear Derailleur
4. Specialized Vita Elite - Light Weight Frame
5. Giant Escape 1 W -
6. Giant 2015 Liv Alight 1 -

In terms of the various Shimano parts on these bikes, the order of componentry you find on the above bikes goes from Altus to Acera to Alivio to Deore to Deore LX(the highest in this group), which is why I have ranked the above bikes in the order that I have.

yashinon

Colonel can you explain this in a little more detail: "The 7.4 FX with its triple crankset is better for climbing hills"..

What is a triple crankset and how can you tell the difference?

mobilemail

I just bought a used novara express xx which is in direct competition with the bikes you are looking at. I saw them on sale the other day in the REI store for $680, it would be worth checking out.

Spinninmywheels

WOW, Colonel! Thanks so much for all your time and effort helping me narrow down which bikes to try. The Giant Escape 0 W a and the Trek 7.4 FX WSD are my top two to try. I've eliminated the Trek 7.5 FX WSD for the reasons you mentioned. Thanks also for some education. I need all I can get, lol! . Can hardly wait to hit the road.

ColonelSanders

For ease of climbing hills, you want the lowest ratio you can get from your front crank teeth and rear cassette teeth, by dividing the front tooth number by the rear tooth number.

On a Triple Crankset, because you have 3 chainrings to play with, you can readily find a setup with the biggest chainring on the front being 48 teeth, the next biggest chainring being 36 teeth and the smallest chainring being say 26 teeth.

So on that kind of triple crankset, you have 26 teeth as your smallest chainring on your front crankset.

If the biggest chainring on your rear cassette is say 34 teeth, then you get a ration of 0.76 (26/34).

On a Double Crankset, the smallest front chainring will probably be 34 or 36, so if you have the same rear cassette where the biggest chainring on the cassette is 34 teeth, the lowest ratio you can get for that is 1.0 (34/34)