If a Crosstrail & FX had a baby, it would be the Giant Toughroad - I haz it
05-13-16, 02:53 AM
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If a Crosstrail & FX had a baby, it would be the Giant Toughroad - I haz it
I'm reminded of the line out of the Wesley Snipes movie Blade, where they say of his Vampire hunting character, "He has all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses".
This I think can be said about the Giant Toughroad series of hybrids, when you compare them to other popular hybrids out there like the Specialized Sirrus, Trek DS, Specialized Crosstrail, Trek FX, Giant Roam etc.
I have already posted a thread about this bike in the Clydesdales and Athenas forum, as I am very much a Clyde and I do think this bike is very Clyde friendly, but it is also very cyclist friendly.
However the Hybrid forum has always been the forum I feel most at home on, as I will likely always have as my main bike, a hybrid of one sort or the other, and in many ways, I believe a strong case can be made that the Giant Toughroad series of bikes are the best of class in Hybrid bikes, whether you are a Clyde or not.
Hopefully the below posts will answer many questions you might have about the Giant Toughroad series.
Preamble/Ramble
After months, if not 2 or 3 years of paralysis analysis, I have finally purchased a new bike/next bike and it is more than I had hoped for.
This isn't the bike I thought I would buy when I first stumbled onto these forums and thought that the Trek DS 8.6 had literally no competitors
and it would only be a matter of time before I bought one and achieved Cycling Nirvana.
The scales have truly fallen from my eyes and I now see the top end Trek DS range as overpriced and offering less than the top end Specialized Crosstrail models.
If it hadn't been due to constantly being beaten over the head with "you don't want a cheap suspension fork on a hybrid" in this Hybrid Forum, I would have happily bought a Specialized Crosstrail Expert or Comp and part of me still wants one.
But with the forks and frames on the Trek FX and Specialized Sirrus being most likely not tough enough for my bulk(400lbs
) and riding style, I ruled them out and I had pretty much settled on totally overhauling my 1995 Trek 830 Mountain Bike or getting a Surly LHT.
As I was stumbling along, I happened to notice that a LBS had a 30% off special on a range of "demo bikes" that had only been ridden by AFL Footballers for leisure purposes, during a 2 week training camp, so my resistance to buying this bike crumbled almost immediately.
Previously the bike had been overpriced for the Australian market, so I wasn’t seriously considering buying it as I wanted to go the "Steel Route", even though I was impressed by what I had seen of it online.
Things kind of start here.
The bike I refer to is of course the Giant Toughroad SLR, with me opting for the 2 version, which is the cheaper of the two models, but shares the exact same frame, carbon fork & wheels as its more expensive sibling the Toughroad SLR 1, plus has more Clyde friendly gearing.
Please note I did change the very Clyde Unfriendly seat to something more akin to the Ultimate Clyde Seat(Brooks B190).
In my opinion this is an incredibly good looking bike, with a wonderfully understated and classy colour scheme.
The Navy Blue looks just awesome and I love their modest use of a secondary colour(lime green) for a bit of striping.
Have a look at this handsome basta
This bike has been on my mind to some extent now for almost a year and I believe I may have been the first person on these forums to post about the Toughroad range, 10 months ago.
So why am I so impressed with it?
Because it is FAST.
I was surprised when I started to pedal, just how quickly it takes off and allows you to bring it up to speed.
Is this because the bottom bracket area is very stiff due to the bike being made out of aluminium(using the highest grade of Giant's 3 types of Aluminium, ALUXX SLR) or is it because the geometry of the bike allows me to best apply force to my pedal strokes?
The frame being made out of Giant's highest grade of aluminium, being ALUXX SLR, was also a significant reason why I decided to buy this bike.
Was my old steel mountain bike “Noodly” and I didn’t realise it?
Or some other reason?
Were the hubs on my old bike in poor condition and I didn't realise it?
My previous bike(and point of reference) was a 1995 Trek 830 Mountain Bike with a frame and fork made from Cro-moly steel and shortly before it went to Bike Heaven, it did have a new crank and bottom bracket put into it and that improved its responsiveness to my efforts at pedaling, but still it is/was noticeably not as responsive to my input as the Giant Toughroad SLR 2, which does only come with a basic Acera triple crank(Octalink bottom bracket).
What else makes this such an impressive bike?
The versatility it offers. You can run tyres as wide as 29 x 2.2" or as narrow as 700c x 28mm(I guess with different rims you could even go narrower.
The below is a 50mm wide tyre.
This bike has a carbon fork on it that is obviously tougher than the carbon forks that would come on a road bike or something like a Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus, so you can certainly run on heaps of off-road tracks, probably up to the level of something that a Trek 8.* series Dual Sport could handle.
Check out this video(it's not mine) to get an idea of the sort of terrain the Toughroad is very happy to be ridden on.
My bike in original form, a size Large(20.5") weighed 26.03lbs / 11.83kg, but is a fair bit heavier now due to changes I have made to the bike(like the saddle) and I detail these changes in subsequent posts.
I will continue my review in the next post below.
This I think can be said about the Giant Toughroad series of hybrids, when you compare them to other popular hybrids out there like the Specialized Sirrus, Trek DS, Specialized Crosstrail, Trek FX, Giant Roam etc.
I have already posted a thread about this bike in the Clydesdales and Athenas forum, as I am very much a Clyde and I do think this bike is very Clyde friendly, but it is also very cyclist friendly.
However the Hybrid forum has always been the forum I feel most at home on, as I will likely always have as my main bike, a hybrid of one sort or the other, and in many ways, I believe a strong case can be made that the Giant Toughroad series of bikes are the best of class in Hybrid bikes, whether you are a Clyde or not.
Hopefully the below posts will answer many questions you might have about the Giant Toughroad series.
Preamble/Ramble
After months, if not 2 or 3 years of paralysis analysis, I have finally purchased a new bike/next bike and it is more than I had hoped for.
This isn't the bike I thought I would buy when I first stumbled onto these forums and thought that the Trek DS 8.6 had literally no competitors
and it would only be a matter of time before I bought one and achieved Cycling Nirvana. The scales have truly fallen from my eyes and I now see the top end Trek DS range as overpriced and offering less than the top end Specialized Crosstrail models.
If it hadn't been due to constantly being beaten over the head with "you don't want a cheap suspension fork on a hybrid" in this Hybrid Forum, I would have happily bought a Specialized Crosstrail Expert or Comp and part of me still wants one.
But with the forks and frames on the Trek FX and Specialized Sirrus being most likely not tough enough for my bulk(400lbs
) and riding style, I ruled them out and I had pretty much settled on totally overhauling my 1995 Trek 830 Mountain Bike or getting a Surly LHT.As I was stumbling along, I happened to notice that a LBS had a 30% off special on a range of "demo bikes" that had only been ridden by AFL Footballers for leisure purposes, during a 2 week training camp, so my resistance to buying this bike crumbled almost immediately.
Previously the bike had been overpriced for the Australian market, so I wasn’t seriously considering buying it as I wanted to go the "Steel Route", even though I was impressed by what I had seen of it online.
Things kind of start here.
The bike I refer to is of course the Giant Toughroad SLR, with me opting for the 2 version, which is the cheaper of the two models, but shares the exact same frame, carbon fork & wheels as its more expensive sibling the Toughroad SLR 1, plus has more Clyde friendly gearing.
Please note I did change the very Clyde Unfriendly seat to something more akin to the Ultimate Clyde Seat(Brooks B190).
In my opinion this is an incredibly good looking bike, with a wonderfully understated and classy colour scheme.
The Navy Blue looks just awesome and I love their modest use of a secondary colour(lime green) for a bit of striping.
Have a look at this handsome basta
This bike has been on my mind to some extent now for almost a year and I believe I may have been the first person on these forums to post about the Toughroad range, 10 months ago.
So why am I so impressed with it?
Because it is FAST.
I was surprised when I started to pedal, just how quickly it takes off and allows you to bring it up to speed.
Is this because the bottom bracket area is very stiff due to the bike being made out of aluminium(using the highest grade of Giant's 3 types of Aluminium, ALUXX SLR) or is it because the geometry of the bike allows me to best apply force to my pedal strokes?
The frame being made out of Giant's highest grade of aluminium, being ALUXX SLR, was also a significant reason why I decided to buy this bike.
Was my old steel mountain bike “Noodly” and I didn’t realise it?
Or some other reason?
Were the hubs on my old bike in poor condition and I didn't realise it?
My previous bike(and point of reference) was a 1995 Trek 830 Mountain Bike with a frame and fork made from Cro-moly steel and shortly before it went to Bike Heaven, it did have a new crank and bottom bracket put into it and that improved its responsiveness to my efforts at pedaling, but still it is/was noticeably not as responsive to my input as the Giant Toughroad SLR 2, which does only come with a basic Acera triple crank(Octalink bottom bracket).
What else makes this such an impressive bike?
The versatility it offers. You can run tyres as wide as 29 x 2.2" or as narrow as 700c x 28mm(I guess with different rims you could even go narrower.
The below is a 50mm wide tyre.
This bike has a carbon fork on it that is obviously tougher than the carbon forks that would come on a road bike or something like a Trek FX or Specialized Sirrus, so you can certainly run on heaps of off-road tracks, probably up to the level of something that a Trek 8.* series Dual Sport could handle.
Check out this video(it's not mine) to get an idea of the sort of terrain the Toughroad is very happy to be ridden on.
My bike in original form, a size Large(20.5") weighed 26.03lbs / 11.83kg, but is a fair bit heavier now due to changes I have made to the bike(like the saddle) and I detail these changes in subsequent posts.
I will continue my review in the next post below.
05-13-16, 02:54 AM
#2
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Gearing – 44/32/22 – 11-34
The Gears on the bike work remarkably well for midrange at best, offerings, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how nicely it shifts, in particular, the Front Derailleur which has always been the trouble spot for me on my previous triple crank bike.
Admittedly my previous bike was 1995 vintage and in a blast to the past, both that bike(Trek 830) and this Toughroad bike were triple Acera cranks with Acera front derailleurs and Alivio rear derailleurs.
Braking
I think the brakes work well enough, but I don’t feel I can quite stop on a dime, but no doubt my bulk plays a large part in this and the disc brakes on this are from the lower end of Shimano’s range.
Next Post I will speak about what I felt I needed to change.
The Gears on the bike work remarkably well for midrange at best, offerings, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how nicely it shifts, in particular, the Front Derailleur which has always been the trouble spot for me on my previous triple crank bike.
Admittedly my previous bike was 1995 vintage and in a blast to the past, both that bike(Trek 830) and this Toughroad bike were triple Acera cranks with Acera front derailleurs and Alivio rear derailleurs.
Braking
I think the brakes work well enough, but I don’t feel I can quite stop on a dime, but no doubt my bulk plays a large part in this and the disc brakes on this are from the lower end of Shimano’s range.
Next Post I will speak about what I felt I needed to change.
Last edited by ColonelSanders; 05-13-16 at 03:00 AM.
05-13-16, 02:54 AM
#3
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Things I had to change
The first thing was the saddle.
Perhaps if I wasn’t a Super Clyde, it would have been okay, but I still have my doubts.
Anyway here are some comparisons between the stock saddle and the Brooks B190 I swapped over to.
Luckily for me the seatpost is a one bolt type, thus allowing me to use the Sandwich that is needed for the double rail of the B190.
Pedals
The stock pedals were ridiculously lacking in width, thus having the same effect as reducing my Q-Factor by about 25mm per side.
Once I put on the Shimano Saints, pedaling was as I wanted it to be.
Next post will deal with Wheels and Tyres.
The first thing was the saddle.
Perhaps if I wasn’t a Super Clyde, it would have been okay, but I still have my doubts.
Anyway here are some comparisons between the stock saddle and the Brooks B190 I swapped over to.
Luckily for me the seatpost is a one bolt type, thus allowing me to use the Sandwich that is needed for the double rail of the B190.
Pedals
The stock pedals were ridiculously lacking in width, thus having the same effect as reducing my Q-Factor by about 25mm per side.
Once I put on the Shimano Saints, pedaling was as I wanted it to be.
Next post will deal with Wheels and Tyres.
Last edited by ColonelSanders; 05-13-16 at 03:04 AM.
05-13-16, 02:55 AM
#4
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Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
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Wheels and Tyres
The stock wheels that came with this bike are Giant’s own, with their 32 spoke SX-2 rims, which they also use on quite a few of their other bikes they sell and had shod them with Maxxis Maxxlite Speed tyres 29 x 2” with Silkworm Technology.
This is what they look like and the tyre tread on the Maxxlite Speed tyres.
I wasn’t sure if they would hold up well under my weight, so I decided to play it safe and order in a set of super strong 40 spoke Clyde Wheels from Velomine and they had the following for USD$139:
SUN RHYNO LITE 40H 29ER MTB COMMUTER WHEELSET 6 BOLT DISC
And here is the description:
Front and Rear Wheel Included!!
Sun Ryhno Lite 40 Hole Rims
Strong enough for an ox!
ALLOY SEALED BEARING 7/8/9/10 Speed 6 bolt Disc Hubs with oRIGIN8 LOGO
Compatible with SRAM or Shimano
Spokes: DT Swiss 2.0 Champion
Brass Nipples
Lacing: 3 Cross Front and Rear
135mm Rear Axle Spacing
100mm Front Axle Spacing
Quick release Skewers are included
700c Rims
1197g Front
1400g Rear
As I was getting new wheels, I thought I may as well get new tyres too and chose the Marathon Mondial’s 50mm tyres.
These tyres are Schwalbe’s 2nd most puncture resistant tyres and perhaps their most resilient for tyre wear.
At my weight, I wanted a tyre with these qualities and if I achieve my weight loss goals, when these tyres wear out, I will replace them with Schwalbe Marathon Supremes or the Schwalbe Almotion’s.
Already in riding on these tyres(at 80Psi in the rear and 70Psi in the front), they are the best tyres I have ever ridden on for rolling resistance and grip, I can’t wait to see what tyres with even lower rolling resistance and better grip feels like to ride.
Oh and the Mondial’s only weigh 825grams per tyre.
One thing for sure, as I get lighter, so too will my bike by switching to different wheels, tyres and saddle. ;p
Leaving aside the saddle swap I did, changing wheels and tyres(and tubes) added 2lbs even to the weight of the bike.
Protecting my baby from thieves.
With a bike this nice, one needs to take precautions, here are some of the U-Locks that will be securing my bike from time to time(all 3 will be on my bike when the bike is at my place).
I actually have more locks incoming and depending on the circumstances, will determine which locks get used.
I’ll do an update when I have finally sorted that all out.
Next post, wrapping things up and what I don’t like about the bike.
The stock wheels that came with this bike are Giant’s own, with their 32 spoke SX-2 rims, which they also use on quite a few of their other bikes they sell and had shod them with Maxxis Maxxlite Speed tyres 29 x 2” with Silkworm Technology.
This is what they look like and the tyre tread on the Maxxlite Speed tyres.
I wasn’t sure if they would hold up well under my weight, so I decided to play it safe and order in a set of super strong 40 spoke Clyde Wheels from Velomine and they had the following for USD$139:
SUN RHYNO LITE 40H 29ER MTB COMMUTER WHEELSET 6 BOLT DISC
And here is the description:
Front and Rear Wheel Included!!
Sun Ryhno Lite 40 Hole Rims
Strong enough for an ox!
ALLOY SEALED BEARING 7/8/9/10 Speed 6 bolt Disc Hubs with oRIGIN8 LOGO
Compatible with SRAM or Shimano
Spokes: DT Swiss 2.0 Champion
Brass Nipples
Lacing: 3 Cross Front and Rear
135mm Rear Axle Spacing
100mm Front Axle Spacing
Quick release Skewers are included
700c Rims
1197g Front
1400g Rear
As I was getting new wheels, I thought I may as well get new tyres too and chose the Marathon Mondial’s 50mm tyres.
These tyres are Schwalbe’s 2nd most puncture resistant tyres and perhaps their most resilient for tyre wear.
At my weight, I wanted a tyre with these qualities and if I achieve my weight loss goals, when these tyres wear out, I will replace them with Schwalbe Marathon Supremes or the Schwalbe Almotion’s.
Already in riding on these tyres(at 80Psi in the rear and 70Psi in the front), they are the best tyres I have ever ridden on for rolling resistance and grip, I can’t wait to see what tyres with even lower rolling resistance and better grip feels like to ride.
Oh and the Mondial’s only weigh 825grams per tyre.
One thing for sure, as I get lighter, so too will my bike by switching to different wheels, tyres and saddle. ;p
Leaving aside the saddle swap I did, changing wheels and tyres(and tubes) added 2lbs even to the weight of the bike.
Protecting my baby from thieves.
With a bike this nice, one needs to take precautions, here are some of the U-Locks that will be securing my bike from time to time(all 3 will be on my bike when the bike is at my place).
I actually have more locks incoming and depending on the circumstances, will determine which locks get used.
I’ll do an update when I have finally sorted that all out.
Next post, wrapping things up and what I don’t like about the bike.
Last edited by ColonelSanders; 05-13-16 at 03:11 AM.
05-13-16, 02:56 AM
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Is there anything about the bike I don’t like?
Other than the saddle & pedals, which replacing is probably a standard practice on most bikes, the only things that come to mind(and they are pretty trivial) is that the fork lacks a front crown eyelet that would come in handy for some front rack designs.
Yes they have mid fork eyelets, but the carbon fork on the Trek 7.4 FX has a front crown eyelet and the mid fork eyelets too.
The handlebars are relatively wide at 700mm, as I am use to riding with a handlebar that is 580 to 600mm.
I have adjusted reasonably well, but I will get a new handlebar at some point soon, probably a 660mm one, as my time with the 700mm handlebar has shown me that I should be fine with going wider than just 600.
Proprietary Seat Post Design
Perhaps the bike’s biggest potential issue is one that would hardly be an issue for most people, but Giant have incorporated a proprietary seat post design they call D-Fuse, where the seat post is shaped like a “D”, rather than being cylindrical(the back of seat post is flat).
There is other stuff going on with the seat tube, as Giant claims this approach offers comfort benefits.
I’m in no position to say how effective their approach is in this regard(as due to my Brooks B190, the ride is unbelievably comfortable), but it does mean I can’t fit any other brand of seat post on the bike.
I knew this when I bought the bike(and obviously it didn’t prevent me from buying it), but I am sure many people will be unaware of this until sometime later after purchasing it.
Take a note of the flat D shape at the back of the seat post, a look at the seat post adjusting bolt and how it looks when you seal it back up with the plastic insert.
To finish up, I just want to say that this bike makes me feel like a kid again and I am so pleasantly surprised at how stunned I am by the obvious quality touches that this bike has in spades.
For me there is no other bike(excluding the Toughroad SLR 1) that would appear to offer all that this bike offers, outside of a custom build.
I'm going to add racks and fenders to the bike using the various eyelets that come on the bike and in the future may convert this bike to a 1 x 11 setup, donating the running gear to my old Trek 830, to raise it from the dead.
Okay, that’s my review, now I am just going to throw in a few random pictures that I took, that are different to the ones I have already uploaded.
Other than the saddle & pedals, which replacing is probably a standard practice on most bikes, the only things that come to mind(and they are pretty trivial) is that the fork lacks a front crown eyelet that would come in handy for some front rack designs.
Yes they have mid fork eyelets, but the carbon fork on the Trek 7.4 FX has a front crown eyelet and the mid fork eyelets too.
The handlebars are relatively wide at 700mm, as I am use to riding with a handlebar that is 580 to 600mm.
I have adjusted reasonably well, but I will get a new handlebar at some point soon, probably a 660mm one, as my time with the 700mm handlebar has shown me that I should be fine with going wider than just 600.
Proprietary Seat Post Design
Perhaps the bike’s biggest potential issue is one that would hardly be an issue for most people, but Giant have incorporated a proprietary seat post design they call D-Fuse, where the seat post is shaped like a “D”, rather than being cylindrical(the back of seat post is flat).
There is other stuff going on with the seat tube, as Giant claims this approach offers comfort benefits.
I’m in no position to say how effective their approach is in this regard(as due to my Brooks B190, the ride is unbelievably comfortable), but it does mean I can’t fit any other brand of seat post on the bike.
I knew this when I bought the bike(and obviously it didn’t prevent me from buying it), but I am sure many people will be unaware of this until sometime later after purchasing it.
Take a note of the flat D shape at the back of the seat post, a look at the seat post adjusting bolt and how it looks when you seal it back up with the plastic insert.
To finish up, I just want to say that this bike makes me feel like a kid again and I am so pleasantly surprised at how stunned I am by the obvious quality touches that this bike has in spades.
For me there is no other bike(excluding the Toughroad SLR 1) that would appear to offer all that this bike offers, outside of a custom build.
I'm going to add racks and fenders to the bike using the various eyelets that come on the bike and in the future may convert this bike to a 1 x 11 setup, donating the running gear to my old Trek 830, to raise it from the dead.
Okay, that’s my review, now I am just going to throw in a few random pictures that I took, that are different to the ones I have already uploaded.
Last edited by ColonelSanders; 05-13-16 at 03:22 AM.
05-13-16, 03:33 AM
#6
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Am I the only one who finds that YouTube videos in a first post of a thread are half obscured on the page?
Anyway, I'm going to post the video in the opening post here, for perhaps easier viewing for everyone.
Anyway, I'm going to post the video in the opening post here, for perhaps easier viewing for everyone.
05-13-16, 04:47 AM
#7
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Location: Tasmania Australia
Posts: 270
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Well [MENTION=364284]ColonelSanders[/MENTION]...... I joined this forum almost 2 years ago and have seen you deliberating over what bike to buy and what accessories to upgrade said bike. I actually wondered if you'd ever find your Tasmanian Tiger of bikes.
Well I'm glad to see you've finally found it and are happy with it. Do you know what AFL player rode it?
Hopefully you'll still be here with all your useful advice, though hopefully you'll be out riding more now to. Nothing like a new bike to do that to you........
Enjoy!
Well I'm glad to see you've finally found it and are happy with it. Do you know what AFL player rode it?
Hopefully you'll still be here with all your useful advice, though hopefully you'll be out riding more now to. Nothing like a new bike to do that to you........
Enjoy!
05-13-16, 04:55 AM
#8
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Well @ColonelSanders...... I joined this forum almost 2 years ago and have seen you deliberating over what bike to buy and what accessories to upgrade said bike. I actually wondered if you'd ever find your Tasmanian Tiger of bikes.
Of course when I first joined this forum, the Toughroad was at least a year away from being released.
Well I'm glad to see you've finally found it and are happy with it. Do you know what AFL player rode it?
Hopefully you'll still be here with all your useful advice, though hopefully you'll be out riding more now to. Nothing like a new bike to do that to you........
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
05-13-16, 05:03 AM
#9
Senior Member
Congrats Colonel. Just like limbot said, I've seen you debate with people in this forum for more than a year now about bikes and components. Congrats on getting a bike and making it your own. Love all the upgrades, especially the wheels. Now, put some miles on it!
05-13-16, 11:59 AM
#12
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Martinsburg WV Area
Posts: 1,706
Bikes: State 4130 Custom, Giant Trance 29
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Anyone going to sing "Hallelujah" the Colonel has finally got his new bike!
Congrats, that's a nice looking bike! Very comfortable looking seat! (This coming from another clyde whom is on the verge of getting under the 300lb mark).
Congrats, that's a nice looking bike! Very comfortable looking seat! (This coming from another clyde whom is on the verge of getting under the 300lb mark).
05-13-16, 12:57 PM
#13
Interocitor Command
Congrats on the new Toughroad! If I were to buy a new bike today that's most likely what I would get. It has everything I want and then some.
05-13-16, 07:14 PM
#14
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Gearing – 44/32/22 – 11-34
The Gears on the bike work remarkably well for midrange at best, offerings, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how nicely it shifts, in particular, the Front Derailleur which has always been the trouble spot for me on my previous triple crank bike.
Admittedly my previous bike was 1995 vintage and in a blast to the past, both that bike(Trek 830) and this Toughroad bike were triple Acera cranks with Acera front derailleurs and Alivio rear derailleurs.
Braking
I think the brakes work well enough, but I don’t feel I can quite stop on a dime, but no doubt my bulk plays a large part in this and the disc brakes on this are from the lower end of Shimano’s range.
Next Post I will speak about what I felt I needed to change.
The Gears on the bike work remarkably well for midrange at best, offerings, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how nicely it shifts, in particular, the Front Derailleur which has always been the trouble spot for me on my previous triple crank bike.
Admittedly my previous bike was 1995 vintage and in a blast to the past, both that bike(Trek 830) and this Toughroad bike were triple Acera cranks with Acera front derailleurs and Alivio rear derailleurs.
Braking
I think the brakes work well enough, but I don’t feel I can quite stop on a dime, but no doubt my bulk plays a large part in this and the disc brakes on this are from the lower end of Shimano’s range.
Next Post I will speak about what I felt I needed to change.
05-13-16, 07:30 PM
#15
Ha ha ha ha ha
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Gold Coast; Australia
Posts: 4,554
Bikes: 2004 ORBEA Mitis2 Plus Carbon, 2007 Cannondale Bad Boy Si Disc, 2012 Trek Gary Fisher Collection Marlin WSD 29er Aldi Big Box (Polygon) 650b
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Wonderful news about your purchase. Congratulations.
05-13-16, 09:16 PM
#16
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Vegemite Island
Posts: 4,130
Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
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My old Alivio rear derailleur was always pretty good, but the old Acera front derailleur was less impressive, so on this Toughroad, I really appreciate how much the Acera front derailleur has improved over all those years.
05-14-16, 10:55 AM
#17
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Location: Vegemite Island
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Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
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Tanks
Last edited by ColonelSanders; 05-14-16 at 11:05 AM.
05-14-16, 04:25 PM
#18
Senior Member
...good to hear Colonel, many of us had given up on you, congrats on the new bike...use it enough and the pounds will melt away!
I was a Clyde three years ago at almost 280 lbs and I'm now 190lbs and feel sooo much better...and look better as well, to the point that many who haven't seen me in a while don't recognize me.
I was a Clyde three years ago at almost 280 lbs and I'm now 190lbs and feel sooo much better...and look better as well, to the point that many who haven't seen me in a while don't recognize me.
05-14-16, 06:24 PM
#19
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Vegemite Island
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Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
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...good to hear Colonel, many of us had given up on you, congrats on the new bike...use it enough and the pounds will melt away!
I was a Clyde three years ago at almost 280 lbs and I'm now 190lbs and feel sooo much better...and look better as well, to the point that many who haven't seen me in a while don't recognize me.
I was a Clyde three years ago at almost 280 lbs and I'm now 190lbs and feel sooo much better...and look better as well, to the point that many who haven't seen me in a while don't recognize me.
Hills are such a killer compared to flat ground, for a Super Clyde.
This Toughroad climbs hills so much better than my Trek 830, that I was pushing through and climbing hills(albeit very slowly) that I would have had to walk my bike up if I had been on my Trek 830.
Congrats on the new bike.
05-15-16, 07:58 AM
#23
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Lutz, FL
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Bikes: 2014 Fuji Traverse 1.3, 2020 Electra Cruiser 1, 1995 Giant CFM-4
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Very nice, congrats! I like your upgrades/changes. I just bought some Saint Pedals and 35c Mondials for my Traverse as well. I'm also putting on a perforated Selle Itailia Flight Ti seat that I had leftover from my mid 90s biking days and some Ergon GP5s.
05-15-16, 10:09 AM
#24
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Vegemite Island
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Bikes: 2017 Surly Troll with XT Drive Train, 2017 Merida Big Nine XT Edition, 2016 Giant Toughroad SLR 2, 1995 Trek 830
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Tanks
Tanks
I also have some Ergon grips that I have had for a while waiting to go on to my next bike and I will put them on eventually, but I wanted to ride for a while with the bike as stock as I could live with, so that when I make a change, I can better appreciate the difference.
A new stem could also be in my future, but this is a pretty minor change in the scheme of things.
Also gonna Fred the bike up a bit with at least one handlebar end mirror. ;p
A new stem could also be in my future, but this is a pretty minor change in the scheme of things.
Also gonna Fred the bike up a bit with at least one handlebar end mirror. ;p
