Charlie524

Going to go with a Giant for my next purchase because the only LBS in my area sells Giant and offers a year of free service. There is a Specialized dealer but it is pretty far so I would be hard pressed to go with a Specialized. I do mainly paved roads, some gravel and light trails. I THINK I have narrowed it down between the Roam 2 and Escape 1. I need to have disc brakes and if I get a suspension fork I need it to have the lockout feature. I would like to stay under $800 if possible. I notice that the Roam and Escape have somewhat similar components with some differences. I am somewhat a newbie so any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

prj71

For the conditions you describe, I would go with the toughroad.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bikes-toughroad-slr

The suspension on the cheaper low end bikes is junk. It's not worth the extra weight penalty and it's not even good suspension to begin with.

Charlie524

This bike might be a bit too much for my budget, but I might be able to get it to work. I mostly ride on paved road. How should I expect this to perform on this type of surface? Thanks

CadenceBoy

imo get the Escape if you'll do mostly paved roads, toughroad is cool but not necessary

hokiefyd 

Myself -- if I'm looking at Giant, I'm looking at the Roam series. You tell us about your riding environment, but not much about yourself -- this can make a tremendous difference regarding what you find comfortable on a bike and what you don't. I'm middle-aged, overweight, and love to ride. I've owned exactly one bike with a suspension fork (low-cost Suntour NEX like what's on the Roam), and I like it so much -- it's transformed my riding comfort so much -- that I'll probably never shop for a rigid bike again (at least not as a primary rider). My primary rider is a Trek Verve 3, which is generally analagous to a Roam 3 (although all Roams have disc brakes and all Verves have rim brakes). They share a similar Shimano Acera 3x8 drivetrain, and what is likely a very similar Suntour NEX fork. The Verve's fork has preload adjustment, but no lockout. I would never use the lockout anyway -- I WANT the suspension to work!

I bought my Trek used (paid all of $250 for it, a 2015 model, last summer), but if I were buying new, I'd probably be looking at the Roam 3 or the Roam 2. The 2 gets you hydraulic brakes and an Acera 3x9 drivetrain. A 10-speed drivetrain (and beyond) has less appeal to me only because the chains get thinner and less compatible with the other stuff I have. But, the same is true of 9-speed, which is why I'd probably favor the Roam 3 personally.

And, man, for a little over 400 bucks...it's hard to beat from a value standpoint. I love my Trek, but I wouldn't spend a $200+ premium (almost 50%!) over the Roam to buy a new Verve today. I'd get the Roam 3 and hold the few hundred dollars that I saved aside for things like upgraded tires (I recommend the Continental SpeedRIDE for your use -- I have them and love them), racks, etc. If you absolutely need a suspension lockout, the Roam 2 does have that, and it's just a 100 dollars or so more.

Good luck!

Esthetic

Up until now after riding the Trek DS3, Trek Marlin 6, Specialized Crosstrail Disc and Cannondale Quick CX4...i'm leaning on the Specialized Crosstrail Disc on feel (comfort and manners) of the bike alone, not to metion its a beautiful looking bike. Doesn't hurt that even though its $650, the bike shop in NJ i'd buy it from offers LIFETIME tuneups. (they only carry Cannondale & Specialized).

Today i'm giving Giant a try before making a final decision. Local dealer is building a blue Giant Roam 2 for me to ride this afternoon. I'm really hoping the ride feels great and i vibe with its geometry, as i see the sizing chart that Giant frames run a little taller .

If i like it, i'm eyeing either the Roam 2 in Silver w/ black/red accents or i might splurge for the 2017 Roam 1 for that Deore trim. I can't overlook the value you get with Giant in terms of hardware, so at least i should demo the bikes.

Honestly i came into purchasing a nice bike under $600, and now everything i like is in that $650-880 range. I'll do it for the right bike, its only been 16 yrs since my last bike purchase.

So what do yall think? Does a $650 (cash, tax free) Crosstrail Disc with lifetime tuneups make more sense than a near $890 Giant Roam 1 with a standard 30day day-break in tuneup? My inteded use is 3-5 mile romp road/mixed trail in the morning a few times a week with maybe 2-3x monthly 20 mile romp on a toepath with dirt and gravel sections.

prj71

You should be able to get the LBS to knock $200-$300 off the price.

It will work fine on the pavement. But if you are going to do some gravel and light trails, as you stated, the ToughRoad is the better option over the Roam and Escape.

canjecricketer

I ride a Giant Escape 2 (2016) and have generally loved it (except after just under a year of weekly commuting, I need to replace the stock rear wheel, but that's for a different thread), but I'm almost entirely on pavement. I've ridden once or twice on gravel, and while it is possible, it's a very bumpy ride with aluminum frame and rigid fork (note though that the Escape 2 has an aluminum fork, whereas the Escape 1 Disc you're looking at has a "composite fork with alloy steerer to damp vibrations"). Still, if you think you'd be riding off pavement very frequently, I'm guessing you'll be happier with the Roam. But the Escape makes a nice, fairly light bike for commuting and city riding.

Pendergast

If you're in the U.S. and have some small degree of mechanical aptitude, you might want to consider ordering a leftover 2015 chromoly steel Big Rove from Jenson. It would be difficult to beat that bike for the type of riding you've described.

https://www.jensonusa.com/!e2BFnbsYVj...-2015?cs=Black

dbf909

I have a 2011 Roam 1 - SRAM group and Avid BB5 mechanical disc. Late last year I purchased a 2017 Roam 3. They both have the NEX Suntour forks with lockout and for a "junk" fork, they do EXACTLY what I need them to do. I pay about 2 lbs of weight penalty for them and it is worth every ounce.

These bikes are ridden 90% of the time on very rough unmaintained gravel/rock and two track and the forks are VERY effective. No hills at all - just flat trails and levy roads. I've ridden carbon fixed fork bikes on these trails and they are not comfortable for me at all - murder on my hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Way too much shock and vibration, even at lower tire pressures. The NEX may be low end and not as effective as what would be found on a higher end mountain bike. However, they are absolutely way better than fixed fork on the terrain that I ride them. You know what they say - "one man's 'junk' is another man's 'treasure'... This holds true for me.

All of that said... If I were buying a bike for a mix of pavement and smoother more conventional crushed maintained gravel and trails and wanted a flat bar style hybrid - I would not hesitate a second to pick up an Escape. Especially if pavement would be the majority of use. I think that the Escape 1 or 2 should be in your budget. For a bit more $, the Toughroad is a awesome all-around bike that I may own one day. The Anyroad as well - however, drop bars are not for everyone.

If you feel that you need the fork, don't hesitate to go with the Roam. The lockout works well although I never use it. Honestly, the hydraulic brakes on the Roam 1 and 2 have a nice feel but the mechanical brakes on the 3 are really good - I've had no issues at all. I can modulate and control them effectively.

Also, I don't really miss the 9 speed (my Roam 3 is 8 speed Acera) but again, my terrain is flat, no elevation change at all. The only thing I deal with is wind - which can be pretty brutal. I generally stay on the middle ring up front and shift between the 23, 20, 17, and 15 cog in the rear (position 3 through 6) to maintain cadence depending on wind and the roughness of the surface.

Roam, Escape, Toughroad, Anyroad - all great bikes. Definitely find a Giant dealer where you can test ride them all. And ride them a couple of times each over a few days. You will find the "one".

ColonelSanders

Are you getting the Toughroad mixed up with the Anyroad here?

dbf909

You are correct. I had those two names reversed. The Toughroad is a flat bar and the Anyroad is the drop bar model. Sorry for the confusion. I fixed it in the previous post.

Both great bikes though - I've test ridden both.