Nate8727

K935. They are not on the Kenda tire website for some reason. If it was an upgrade then even better.

hokiefyd 

Are these them?

https://www.thebikesmiths.com/produc...khan-700c-tire

If that is the tire (the "Khan"), it does look like there's a puncture protection layer under the tread:

https://bicycle.kendatire.com/es-es/...re-protection/

Based on the retail price, it's a lower-tier tire...though less expensive than the Bontrager H5 at retail, it probably performs pretty similarly.

Nate8727

That's the one.

LB07740

I have been riding a 2012 DS 8.3 which has been a great bike, but at 59 I was achy after long rides. The Verve 3 is the perfect upgrade. I tried options from GT, Giant, and Momentum and either the geometry felt weird, the bike lacked hydraulic disc brakes, or the seat post was as springy as a pogo stick. I was skeptical when the LBS guy grabbed an XL Verve 3 (I am 6' tall with a 31" inseam) after I described my riding style, but it felt great after 5 minutes. The 2x9 drivetrain is a winner and the ride is smooth over gravel and rough pavement. I have only had it about a week, but 3 rides and 20 miles and I have zero regrets. The blue is also an awesome color IMO.

Question about accessories...I see a lot of bikes with fenders. Is that a 'nice to have' option? What is the value? Thinking about adding a rack and was not sure if having fenders would alter that decision.

Alzerbster

I have fenders for my Verve 3, and I got them to mainly keep crud from flying up on my chain rings and chain. I ride mostly rail trails, and the crushed limestone grit isn't to good for chains. I also have a Topeak rack and bag that the rear fender keeps slop from being thrown up on the bag if the trail is wet. The fenders fit fine with a rack on the bike. The Topeak bag has a plastic rail on the bottom of it that slides onto the rack and clips in the front. I like it a lot. No velcro straps straps to mess with tying your bag to a rack. The bag also has fold down panniers for extra storage space.

05 fuji

2019 Verve 2

Alzerbster

I just think those To-Peak bags are very well designed, and worth every penny. They work great for carrying tools, your lunch, rain gear, or even a change of clothes if biking and doing an overnight stay on the trail. I couldn't be happier with mine. They also make a rain protector that fits over the bag.

prime winner

This morning I took my Verve 2 out for a 26 mile ride. This was the longest ride I've had on it (had a couple of 20 milers). It really was a nice ride. Later this month I'm planning on doing a 30 mile ride and not sure if I'll go on longer rides later.

Alzerbster

The problem with me doing longer rides isn't fatigue. Its a sore butt. 20 miles starts to bother me. 30 miles hurts, and 40 miles I can't wait to get off the seat. That is with padded shorts and a brooks saddle.

prime winner

I think I'm in the minority but I like the stock seat on the 2021 Verve. Mines a 2 , not sure if seats are the same across all models. Before my Verve I did the same rides I do now on a mountain bike which had the thin seat with little padding, and my butt was always sore, even with padded shorts. I don't think I've worn the padded shorts since switching to the Verve.

Fellaheen51

Wanted to acquire a new bike this year to begin biking again. The '91 Trek 830 was no longer a viable option. Alas, none to be had. After 6 weeks of searching online, finally found a '15 Verve 3 in EUC, rear rack and bag, upgraded peddles, cages, mirror. And most importantly, an XL (22.5") frame size that's a comfortable fit. Been riding it most evenings 4 - 5 miles, 5x per week. Getting my bicycling legs in shape. I walk 18 holes of golf at least once a week and thought they were in decent shape. Only to discover that's not the case. The knees have been barking some after a ride. Perhaps an age thing, I'll be 70 in 9 days.

I have found the stock seat to be quite comfortable. But have been having a problem with the suspension seat post. The "screw" that holds the seat angle in place keeps working loose after every ride. No matter how much its tightened. I'm a big guy (6'3", 225 lbs.), perhaps the bracket is not up to the task. The serrations on the bracket appear to be somewhat worn. Seems as though I will need to replace the entire post rather than simply the seat attachment bracket.

The tires on the bike are Giant branded Kenda 700 x 38's. Smooth riding around town, feel a bit squirrelly when I've ventured onto dirt roads. Of which there is ample opportunity given my locale. When they require replacement, likely will go wider (45's). The need for speed is not a requirement. Stability and puncture resistance is. I ride solo 98% or the time (other than with my 5 year old grandson), do not need mishap or malfunction while out on a ride.

On the whole, been quite happy with the Verve. Seems to be a good general purpose bicycle for a more casual rider such as myself. And gradually increasing my ride distance with each outing. I have no criteria or expectations. Simply get on it and ride. Only thing I keep track of is how far with a GPS phone app.

hokiefyd 

I used to have a 2015 Verve 3 (in the beautiful black and blue colorway) and found the biggest tires I could comfortably fit on it were 40s (they were actually about 38 or 39mm in size). The area of tightest clearance will be between the chain stays at the bottom. There's a large fender mount that is welded or brazed to the frame. The lowest "tab" of this essentially sets the maximum diameter of the tire, because you're pressing the tire up against that tab to get the axle far enough forward to slide into the vertical dropout. Once it slides in, there's a few millimeters of clearance at that tab, but it's not much.

As I recall, there was a little more clearance at the chain stays themselves, and I don't recall clearance at the seat stays being a problem. One solution, if you wanted the absolute largest tires possible, is to grind off that fender tab a little bit to allow you to push a larger tire far enough forward to slide the axle into the frame. You could also probably install the tire and wheel without the axle skewer, and slide the skewer in when the axle is in the dropout and install the skewer nut then. That would give you a little more "slide in" clearance there at the dropout (because the skewer nut had to slip forward of the rear derailleur mount). A true 45mm will be pretty tight. A true 42mm might work well.

Remember that it's not only the size of the tire that influences comfort, but also the construction and materials of the tire. You could certainly find a high quality and supple 38mm tire that will feel more comfortable to you than an inexpensive 45mm tire. At odds with this is your desire for strong puncture protection (puncture protection layers generally negatively influence the ride quality of a tire). A tire I might recommend to you is the Continental Ride Tour. It's a heavy tire that is not "supple" in the sense that a very light weight tire with a high thread count is, but it does have a pretty thick tread pattern on it with a smooth center rib that provides a good amount of cushion on the road. I have a pair in 54-584 size (54mm wide/tall on a 584mm, or 27.5", wheel). Continentals typically run small and these are no exception -- they inflate up to about 48mm or so. If you were considering these tires, I'd recommend either the 47-622 or the 42-622 size. The 47mm will probably inflate up to about 43-44mm (I'm guessing) and the 42mm will probably inflate up to about 38-39mm (again, guessing). For a relatively inexpensive tire (about $25 each), I think these would be a good option. Schwalbe also make high quality tires with puncture protection -- if you want lighter and more comfortable ones, they have them at the upper end of the Marathon range, but they'll be more expensive.

Best of luck!

mstig

The noise came back. Contacted Trek senior management and they replaced the rear wheel via my dealer. It's been a few weeks and the bike runs great and very quiet.

M Rose

I bought my 2021 Verve 2 to be an around town commuter bike, grocery getter, and help me stay physically fit. I used to be a long distance runner running 5-6k six days a week. Then at the age of 32 started developing knee and back problems, by the time I was 34 I had to give up running all together. Now that I’m in my early 40’s I felt the need to become more active, so I started looking at bikes.

What had initially started as slow city riding, quickly turned into the desire for longer rides out along the rural farming roads throughout my region. Going from 30 minute rides to 4 hour rides to pass the time and take in the scenery I don’t normally see in the cage.

so to the OPs original question of how I ride my bike… it’s a pretty even split between city, pavement and gravel terrain, and soon I plan on hitting some forest service roads and possibly the local mount bike trails.