wombat94

Hi all... I'm a fairly new member.... joined in early May and have mostly been hanging out in the Clyde/Athena forum.

I'm a 44 year old clyde... currently weight 240 - down from 317 at the beginning of 2012.

I'm (and I still can't believe I can say this) an established endurance athlete now - I've run 4 half marathons and two 10-mile races in the last 10 months, but fairly new to cycling (as an adult).

I'm training for the Philadelphia ACS bike-a-thon next month (TBD on which length option I'm going to choose - either the metric century or the full boat 101 mile ride).

I currently ride my 15 year old Trek 800 sport which I've done following to: new Continental Town and Country tires, upgrade to Shimano EF-65 shifters, Ergon GP3-L grips/bar ends.

The Trek is okay, but is heavy, has a pretty neglected drivetrain that could use a professional cleaning/overhaul. So far it has held up to several 50k/30 mile rides on flats and hills. I have my first 50 mile ride scheduled for Saturday morning.

With that as background, I have been keeping an eye on both Craigslist and sales as bike dealers looking for an fairly inexpensive performance oriented hybrid/flat bar road bike.

We have a Performance Bike close by, and I have already joined their membership program, so I get their emails and something intriguing in their current offer popped up.

This weekend is one of their 30% back in points deals, so I took a good look through their hybrid/flat bar bikes and found two that are intriguing to me.

The Fuji Absolute 3.0 LE (this year this is a Performance Exclusive bike). I know the Absolute 3.0 had a pretty good reputation and from what I can see, this years is just slightly down-graded in components for the Performance Exclusive version, so it looks like a fairly good comparison to the 2012 otherwise.

The other is the Absolute 2.1. The theoretical discount is bigger on the Absolute 3.0, but since it is a Performance exclusive bike, I don't consider that a reliable comparison of value.

With discounts available this weekend, The Absolute 3.0 will net out to about $265 while the Absolute 2.3 will be $286 so just about $20 difference in price.

The performance points will likely be plowed right back in to a pair of MTB shoes and clipless pedals.

Ultimately, this will be my first N+1... this bike will be the road bike and the Trek 800 will get its knobby tires back for trail/off road riding. I'll transfer the Ergon grips to the new flat-bar bike for longer distance/road riding and transplant the new bike's grips to the Trek.

Here is a comparison of the two bikes on Performance's website...

https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...7091%2C1129154

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ted

Wanderer

They are sooooo close. Which one do you like better? I like the 3.0 for the fork and brakes; but, like the wider tires on the 2.1. It's easy to change tires. You might even be able to talk them in to switching..... For all intents and purposes, drivetrains are the same. I like the looks of the frame better on the 3.0. MHO

Jimbojo

Just bought my wife the 3.0, she loves it, colors sre real nice on it too, not that that really matters alot.

bikemig 

You own a hybrid and you're getting serious about working out and you want another hybrid? Why not get a road bike that can take fat tires like a cross bike? This may be out of your price range but it is a reasonable deal at $699: https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400318__400318. That's a lot of points at 30% to work with. I own an older Fuji cross bike and it's sweet.

wombat94

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am leaning toward the Absolute 3.0 as the basic difference I see boils down to an Adjustable stem on the 3.0 and the Alivio RD on the 2.1

I'm hoping to ride them tonight to see whether there is a significant difference in feel.

bikemig in answer to your question, I don't really own a hybrid today... I have an old MTB with fat slicks on it. I am interested in moving up to something with 700c wheels and a bit more of a top end speed wise, but I am not interested in drop bars at all, so I'm looking at the flat bar road bike/performance hybrid class.

Its easy to say now, but I don't think I'll ever drop $700 (let alone the theoretical "regular price") on a bike... just not where my pricing priority lies.

Maybe someday if I outgrow the Absolute I could see going up in price range... if I do, I'll sell it on craigslist and get $150 or so back to put toward something else.

rommer25

I brought a Fuji Absolute 3.0 in late April. So far, I am satisfied with it (only 250 miles so far). I did change the tires to 37mm Continental Touring Plus. I also added a bunch of commuter stuff, rack, lights etc. My decision was between the 3.0 and the 2.0. I am a big guy and the 3.0 gears made the decision for me. I use the bike as a commuter. I don't know if it will be comfortable over long distance. On this bike, you sit up very upright. If I used it for long distance, this would be a concern for me.

catonec 

very similar bikes, and you're only talking about a few bucks difference. flip a coin.

martinus

Just a quick glance at them ... If I MUST pick between 2 alu. bikes I would go with the 3.0, based on the steel fork, ( better/smoother ride ) and replacable chainrings ( better crank set. )

wombat94

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I really liked the Absolute 3.0 at Performance last night so I picked one up (after the 30% back in Performance Points, the net was $280 - I was about to purchase clipless shoes/pedals anyway, so I'll pick them up with points when they are posted to my account).

Prepped the bike last night, and took her for a 50 mile ride this morning.

Here are a couple of photos of my new ride:







I moved a pair of Ergon GP3-L grips/bar ends over from the mountain bike to the Fuji. They felt really good on the ride today.




Ted

Wanderer

That's really a pretty bike..............

wombat94

Thanks Wanderer... I'm really enjoying it so far.

Your initial reply made mention of a preference for the wider tires on the 2.1... I have to say that the ride with the 28 mm tires was pretty harsh... it didn't bother me too much early on, but by mile 45 - 50 I was feeling every bump in the pavement.

Would the 32s really make that much of a difference? I'm not planning to make a change just for that, but when it is time to get new tires, I'll have to keep wider ones in mind.

Ted

Wanderer

Ck the recommended pressure in those 28s. Then let about 15-20# out of them and go for a very short ride. There will be that much, if not a little bit more difference. Air volume, even at lower pressures (or higher pressures) makes a big difference.

stevenlsmith87

Those pics make me want to pick one up too. Hard to justify having two hybrids.....think I will just save for a drop-bar road bike next.....but thats one sharp looking bike!

jimmy78

Hi, I just got one like yours for 85 bucks, but mine was left outdoors and the chain had rusted, but the rest of the bike it's in good shape. How are you doing so far? Do you still have it? i love mine and it's looks as well.

jimmy78

BTW..where did you get those handlebar grips?

jimmy78

Hi there, I know it's been a few years since you post on your back then new bike. I got me an used 12 Fuji like yours the 3.0 LE. a month ago, it was offered for 85 bucks and even when I found the bike to be neglected on maintenance, really dirty, the handle grips all melted down, the chain is rusted and the cassette/ front cogs needs heavy cleaning, i just bought it for the value of these bikes. I did a jiffy cleaning on the drivetrain, still there's a lot more to go, but the bike is really really nice and it shifts gears with such ease.. I think I made a good decision on buying it and even though I have a lot to do to make it look like it's supposed to be, I'm happy so far.


I'm going to upload a picture of it, and let me know any advise on how do I get rid of rust in critycal parts.. Thanks.. Hey, how is your bike doing so far/ do you still have it?

jimmy78

Here it is..