mkblackwell

A while back I asked for advice on a new commuter bike. Since I ride through the winter I was looking for something lower maintenance, specifically belt drive, internally geared, and hydraulic disk brakes. Sub-$1500 was my price point. I narrowed my search down to the REI Co-op CTY 1.3, the Breezer Beltway, and the Priority Onyx. In the end I went for the Co-op. Now that I have several hundred miles on it I thought I'd post a review.

Background
I'm a big guy, 6'4", 210 lbs. My daily round-trip commute is a little under 20 miles, mostly flat. Boston area, so a couple of months of rain/sleet/snow a year, but for the most part the roads are well plowed and black ice is the biggest concern (well, bad drivers are the biggest concern, any time of year...).

Bike
The CTY 1.3 checked all the boxes: Gates CDX carbon belt drive, Shimano Alfine 8-speed internally geared hub, Shimano M315 hydraulic disk brakes. The bike isn't light, but it doesn't feel like a beast either, and is plenty nimble weaving through traffic and around pot holes. The largest XL size fits me fine, but it's about at its limits, a taller rider may find it too small.

Gearing and Belt Drive
The Alfine 8 has a range of 307%. Combined with the sprocket ratio this give a gearing range of 32.3 to 104.5 gear-inches (according to REI, I haven't verified this). For my normal routes this is a little on the low side - I don't use the lower gears and would prefer some taller ones. Not a big deal at all, but for some future upgrade I might swap out the sprockets (and presumably would need the corresponding belt).

The belt drive has a minimal guard along the top. It keeps a little bit of the crud from splashing up when riding in rain, but will not prevent the belt from sucking up your pant leg (yup, found that out the first day!).

The frame has a vertical dropout in the rear, so taking the rear wheel in and out and maintaining belt tension is very easy (once you figure out how to unhook the shifter cable).

Brakes
The Shimano brakes are smooth, modulate well, and stop when they're wet. What more could you want?

Cockpit
The handlebar stem stack includes one 10 mm and three 5 mm spacers, so you can fine-tune the stem height a bit. The stem has a slight rise (maybe 5 degrees) so if you're into a more slammed position you could flip it over (but if you're looking to be more aero this maybe isn't the right bike...). The handlebar diameter is 31.8 mm at the stem clamp, then tapers down to 22.2 mm. The width is 69 cm - way too wide for squeezing through city traffic (in my opinion). The grips are paddle style with slight bullhorns and are fastened with set screws, making them easy to adjust. The bullhorns provide for alternative hand positions (but diminished access to the controls), which is a big plus if you have wrist issues.

As delivered the brake and shifter controls were tight up against the grips. I have pretty wide hands and the shift levers jammed into the back of my thumb. I had to move the controls inboard about 25 mm to fit my hands. Even though the brake and shift levers are separate units they pretty much need to move together, otherwise the brake cylinder interferes with the shifter, so you can't just move the shifter inboard and leave the brakes where they were. Not a big deal for me, the brake levers are pretty long and I have long fingers to go with my wide hands! But something to be aware of. Also, the taper of the handlebar prevents you from moving the controls too far inboard.

As I said, the bars are way to wide for me, and I need to chop them down. The taper limiting the control placement in the biggest issue, and I need to play around to see what I can get. I'm hoping I can lop off 30 - 40 mm on each side.

Cabling
The cable/hose routing is kind of a mish-mash. The rear brake hose runs internally through the down tube, then underneath the bottom bracket and chainstay. The shifter cable and front brake hose are external. Looks kind of asymmetric to me. But the bigger problem is the front brake hose - it's length and routing causes it to rub and clatter against head tube. It's noisy on bumpy roads and it's scuffing the paint up. I'm going to need to wrap with butyl tape or something.

Paint
Speaking of paint - flat mat gray with minimal branding and stealthy head tube badge. Pretty boring, but seems to be trendy these days...

Racks and Fenders
The frame only has one set of threaded eyelets front and rear, which is a little disappointing if you want both racks and fenders. The front eyelets are on the inside of the fork, about a third of the way up, which is an odd location. I'm not sure they would accommodate a rack, and you'll need to be careful with fenders to make sure the stay bolts don't get too close to the spokes.

For a rear rack I used the Bontrager BackRack, which fits really nicely and looks good. You don't need the disk-specific version of this rack - the brakes are flat-mount and out of the way.

For fenders I went with the Planet Bike Cascadia ALX. For the rear fender stays I used a metal P-clamp to attach to the rack. Perfectly functional but distracts from an otherwise clean look. Also on the rear fender I did not use the clamp that normally attaches to the brake bridge. On this frame the threaded hole on the "bridge" is 90-degrees from normal and would have required bending the clamp flat. Instead I drilled a hole in the fender itself and just ran a bolt into the brake bridge hole. Looks clean and give a tad more tire clearance.

Tires
The bike comes equipped with an OEM version of the Kenda Kwick Trax, 700c x 35. These are not particularly supple tires and a bit of a harsh ride. They claim to have a kevlar lining for puncture protection. If they really are robust against flats then I'll take that tradeoff on a commuter bike any day. If they don't work out I'll switch to Schwalbe Marathon Plus's. Also neither light nor supple, but bomb proof, they're my go-to commuting tire.

But I only put about 200 miles on these tires before I switched to winter mode. Now I'm running 45nrth Gravdals, 700c x 38, which fit fine with the fender setup. Also a new tire for me. We haven't had much in the way of challenging winter weather yet, I'll report back on these tires later in the season.

Saddle
The saddle is a Selle Royal gel model. Unlike some hybrid bikes I've tried the saddle isn't too wide or squishy, and I find it perfectly fine for commuting. What did surprise me is how non-slippery the surface is. I guess I'm used to (intentionally) sliding around a bit on the saddle to adjust my position as I ride. With this saddle once you plant your butt it's not sliding anywhere. Took some getting used to...

Pedals
Pretty low-end Wellgo platform style pedals. Unlike the saddle they are not grippy at all - the studs are cast into the pedal body and are flat, so don't grab your shoes well. I'm probably going to swap these pedals out for something with pointier studs.

Tools
No quick releases on this bike, which is just fine in an urban environment. You'll need a 6 mm allen key to remove the front wheel (through-axle), and a 4 mm allen key to adjust the seat height. The rear wheel requires a 15 mm wrench - I bought a stubby box wrench that fits in the seat bag with the rest of my tools and tire repair stuff.

Price
List price at REI is US$1199. Just before I bought the bike I got an offer in the mail for an REI branded credit card with a $200 gift card sweetener, which was perfect timing! Plus I'll get a $10% dividend in the spring (plus another 5% for using the credit card). All in all that made it a really good deal.

Conclusion
Overall I'm really enjoying this bike! It fits me well, rides well, and has all the features I wanted at a pretty good price. If I could suggest any changes to the bike, they would be: 1) better cable routing (preferably internal); 2) second set of mounting eyelets front and rear; and 3) better pedals.




Front fender mounting.


Rear rack and fender mounting. Note P-clamps for fender stays.


Poor cable routing = scuffed up paint. Boo.

mcours2006

Very nice looking bike. I am curious as to how well the belt drive holds up in snow and slush riding, if you were planning to ride under such conditions.

If you are planning to riding in snow your front mudflap might not be long enough. The way it sits right now I can tell you it's going to spray snow right onto the bottom bracket. Some kind of extension might be necessary.

dedhed

Usually the fenders and rack can share a bolt, just need a longer one and some washers. Not that the P clips don't work there.

Kedosto

mkblackwell

That's a good point. We haven't had much slush/snow yet this winter so haven't had a chance to see how well the coverage works. Mounting the top tab to the back of the fork crown (instead of the front as I currently have it) would get me maybe another inch of coverage. If that's not enough there's always duct tape and soda bottle plastic!

JonathanGennick 

Rack and fender setup look nice! I remember your earlier post. Thanks for circling back with the review. Was interesting to read. I'll be eager to read your thoughts on the Gravdals once you've had a chance to hit some snow and ice w/them. And I hear ya on getting pant leg caught in the belt. Have done that a few times myself. On pedals, I would swap in a pair of quality composites like the Chesters or the Chromag Synths.

noglider 

Very nice. Thanks for this.

autonomy

REI makes some interesting choices about bike design... seems like they put a lot of effort into research but sometimes miss the simple, little things. Same exact deal on my ADV 3.1. I wrapped it electrical tape and it still scuffed the paint. So I put the tape on the frame - doesn't look good but who cares.

Good review!

Kedosto

BobbyG

Nice!

Archwhorides 

Excellent review, and the bike looks like a great ride!

The few criticisms (cable routing, etc) could easily have been addressed with a $700 infusion of materials and labor by the maker. I think you got great value with this bike.

Smitty2k1

Thanks for the review! I'm looking for an upgrade for my Giant Escape 2 commuter and I've been pondering 8 speed IGHs (with or without belt drives). I've got an REI just down the street from me so I can go for a test ride on one of these guys to see how I like it.

My question for you is - do you do any longer weekend rides on this? 20-30 miles type of thing? How is the comfort for that? I'm trying to avoid an N+1 bike situation but it may be inevitable.

mkblackwell

No, I have a bad case of N+1's, this is just my commuter. I have a road bike and a gravel bike (both steel frames with drop bars) for longer weekend riding. I think the longest I've ridden this bike is around 20 miles. With the stiffer aluminum frame, upright riding position, and limited hand positions this wouldn't be my first choice for a longer ride, but that's a more personal thing and other folks might find it a perfect combination. Also the gear range on the Alfine-8 is fairly small compared to derailleured drivetrains and you may find yourself wishing for either smaller or bigger gears, but that depends on the sort of terrain you are tackling. The Alfine-11 has a bigger range if you're looking at IGH bikes.

After a full winter and almost 1500 miles I still love this bike for commuting. I swapped out the pedals for something grippier, and chopped down the handlebars a bit. No problems at all and the only maintenance so far has been hosing off all the winter crud after the weather warmed up.

bikemig 

Good review. I haven't bought a new bike in a long, long time but this is tempting.

yamsyamsyams

Thanks for the logical context and great review.

as someone mentioned you can buy little bike specific clear stickers to put on your head tube to prevent paint rub, however these are precut and will come with stickers for your downtube, chainstay, etc.The cheaper but just as good alternative is to search for “helicopter tape” and cut your own to size.

i don’t think it is poor design by the manufacturers but rather just an inconvenient truth with most bikes. Of all 5 of my bikes from road to commuter to casual they all come with this this pre-installed by the manufacturer or LBS.

Lman

I have a wonderful greenbelt with a 25 mile concrete bike /walking/ jogging path behind my house.
Went to Walmart and picked up a $100.00 fixie which took me about 4 hours to realize that at 60 years young , my knees were not going to function as needed. I returned the fixie and bought a Genesis gs7 29er. Well although better than the fixie I soon longed for a higher quality bike for 25 mile rides. Other than the fact that my sister had a 2 speed kick back Schwinn internal geared hub bike in the late 60's that I always thought was way cool, I started researching
Internal geared bikes. That was when I found my Co Op cty 1.3 XL framed at a local pawn shop ❤️. It was love at first sight. The bike was Pristine condition and after a serial # check ( to make sure it wasn't stolen) I payed 399.00 for my urban / commuter bike. My word how things have changed in 46 years. On my first test ride I almost did a endy flip , grabbing too much front brake.
Those disc brakes are awesome and I love the belt drive smoothness coupled with the igh. So far this has been wonderful for my week end rides down the Greenway. I'm going to look into getting a higher tooth sprocket in time but for now I couldn't be happier.
Love this bike!

bpcyclist

Sweet-looking ride. Nice review. I've bought three kids' bikes at REI over the years and they a have all been great. I was in my local REI yesterday for rsomething else and had a look around. There were a number of nice-looking Co-op bikes on the racks. Honestly, several of them looked more invitin gthan the Cannondasles. There may have been one, but I do not recall buying anything from REI and regretting it.

davei1980

Queue the "that's not aero at all! I'd drop you on that think on my Pinarello 100% carbon race bike!" OR "I'd like to see you take that off a 60 footer I'd brake that POS in HALF!"

HAHAHA Lol agree with you completely. This build is the EPITOME of a common-sense, thrifty approach to bike design and it may lack in some niche areas, it excels at what it's good at. Bravo, OP.

davei1980

Well done OP. You've managed to impartially parse out what YOU want in a bike, not what the industry trolls say you need and you wound up with a great bike which I think will suit you for years to come!

I want you to update us on the Alfine hub. IGHs have long interested me but; however, Shimano advises against "hard pedalling" on these hubs (or maybe just the Nexus). That's a bit of a deal breaker for me - I commute too, I don't race but there are moments when I ABSOLUTELY MUST CLEAR THE INTERSECTION or maybe I just want to stomp over an overpass as opposed to downgearing.

In the future, you can swap it out for a Rohloff Speedhub and truly have your forever bike at that point!

Cheers and happy commuting in 2020 in New England from here in the PNW!

Piperflyer

Nice review, nice bike. But honestly IMO at the price of $1,300 what its listed as i would have to go toward Priority bikes. The continuum onyx is at $1,000, or the L train for even less. Which the later 2 is kinda what I’m currently looking at. I’m wanting a belt drive internal gear bike for commuting purposes specifically for the rain. It also has DYNO powered front and rear lights. If this co-op 1.3 sold cheaper around $700 mark I think i would consider it but given the competition... Now if i find one used i might have to snatch it up! Hard to find a belt drive used. Seems people buy them, and keep them.

davei1980

Belt drives are cool tech from an academic POV but I am not sure, at this stage in development, I would over pay for the advantages of a belt drive and give up a chain, one of the most reliable, easy to service parts of the drive train, AND- I would prefer to stick with a frame that's all one piece also.

That said, I am anxious to hear about your guys' experience with belts and, who knows, with deveopment of better IGH's and belts, we may be all running them in the future!

noglider 

The difficulty of changing my gearing is why I would not buy a belt-drive bike. Using standard things makes changes easier, in general. I like wheels with j-bend spokes and crossed spokes, even though I could get better performance from the newer designs.

davei1980

Agree with you 100 percent but with the caveat that it's probably better to adopt the 'newer' tech sometime in the beginning of the cycle, otherwise you may be stuck scrounging basements for stuff you need at a decent price.

I don't foresee a seismic shift toward belt drives, but I recently purchased an inexpensive set of Oval Concept wheels, I didn't even thing about the spokes. They came with straight-pull spokes and radial lacing on all sides except the drive side of the hub.

I think glacial-pace changes like straight pull spokes and boost spacing will be the way of the future. I had a bugger of a time finding rim brake rims with 130mm rear spacing and a machined brake track for rim brakes in any width other than the narrowest of narrow.

jasonpdesign

I am a little over 5ft 10 inches and went with the medium, mainly because I feel the large caters more towards a 6 footer. Did I make the wrong choice? I am not an experienced rider and this is my first adult bike (I'm 36) so my most recent comparison was when I was 16.

I love it and it feels good, and I'm a slender frame (about 165lbs) so do I need to go to a large? Will REI let me swap it out? I've only put about 20 miles on the bike so far...

StarBiker

I still want the 3.1 ADV. There is a City 3.1.

https://www.rei.com/product/121586/c...GID=4187461429