girlguineapig

My husband and I are both commuting 10 miles roundtrip when there is no rain, which is most days here (the SF Bay Area). Our current bikes are from Novara and Specialized, passed on from relatives decades ago, and I think we're ready for new ones. I'm looking to spend less than $1,500 for each bike, not including extras.

My husband is 5' 11.5" and I am 5' 3.5". Finding a good bike for me seems harder considering my height. The commute is on a paved trail with some hills, but we would like these bikes to also handle the various recreational trails in the Bay Area which are not all paved. We are having kids soon and long term want both bikes to handle pulling things like those cool Burley trailers (up to 100 lb).

• We tried out the Marin Four Corners bike ($869 including tax) yesterday. The smallest size is maybe a little too large for me but we liked it for my husband. The color is nice too.
  https://www.marinbikes.com/us/bikes/d...7-four-corners
• I tried the Felt F85x ($1,195 including tax). F85x - Felt Bicycles
• After browsing around online I am eyeing the Raleigh RXW (smaller version of the RX 2.0) (between $899 and $1,599). I read it leans more towards the cyclocross racing direction than the commuter direction. Could it still be a good choice and handle racks and such? https://www.raleighusa.com/rxw-43160

I am aiming to visit a few more bike stores to try more bikes such as Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale. Do you all have any thoughts on the bikes we're looking at and any other recommendations?

mcours2006

From the description you gave it sounds like a CX or gravel bike is the way to go. Many of these frames will have eyelets for racks and fenders.

I would opt for a double setup like the Felt, or a triple on the Marin. I'm not a big fan of the 1x11, especially if you live in a hilly locale, and it sounds like you live in a hilly locale.

Any of these bikes should be capable of pulling a tag-along bike or trailer.

Personally I'd go for the Felt. Of course, all is dependent on the size you can find. At 5'3, you're looking at a XS, maybe a 49cm.

tyrion

What kind of riding position do you like? For commuting and recreation I don't like the handlebars very far below the level of the saddle. The Marin looks like it has a more comfortable (albeit lower performance) riding position. The Marin also has a wider gear range, which is important to me.

Andy_K 

Have you considered a Surly Straggler? This is available with 650B wheels (better suited to your height than 700c) and comes in sizes down to 38cm (though you probably don't need one that small).

girlguineapig

Hmm, apparently the RXW cannot accommodate is a rack for panniers so maybe it's really not a good choice.

We are both used to flat bars but are willing to change. Here's a photo of my current bike:



I really like the Marin Four Corners for my husband. Looks like you guys think it's a good choice too. I'll hold off on buying it until we've picked my bike.

I have not looked at Surly. I'll make sure to check out a dealer that carries those too.

Darth Lefty 

Those are some cool bikes, I like them! I think you'll find something similar in most companies' lineups.

Low gears are important if you're going to tow. But it's pretty easy to change up a bike's gearing.

bmthom.gis

You'll find a bike fairly easily for your height! My wife is 4'11 - now that's hard to find. I would imagine you would be pretty comfortable on a 51cm road bike or 15 inch mtb.

At your budget, you should easily find something you like! Just go ride as many as you can. Decide what you want gearing wise? a 1x11 should be fine for hills. They go up to at least a 42 tooth cassette in the back, and the chainring is pretty small as well. I doubt you would run out of gears to get up any hill.

Darth Lefty 

A note on trailers, when the time comes. Good trailers are plentiful on Craigslist because they last longer than it takes kids to outgrow them. You won't find many old Schwinn trailers because they are crap, but there are 20yo Burleys out there still going strong. You'll want newer than that, but one from 4-5 years ago is great. I've found this with quite a lot of better-quality outdoorsy kid stuff. We just bought a new double BOB because my wife insisted she wanted the latest model with the hand brake, but judging by what's on CL we will get a good price for it when we sell. Same deal with the Osprey papoose that kid 1 has pretty much outgrown and it still looks new. This is the flip side of the crappy kid bikes we like to complain about - good ones would take decades to wear out but the kid only fits it for a few years.

I'm still planning on buying a Chariot in a year or so when our coming-soon twins are a year old, and I can put the by-then-4yo on a kidback. This is my search link, with Sacramento replaced with sfbay
SF bay area for sale "(burley|encore|chariot|cougar|cheetah|weehoo|"wee hoo")" - craigslist

Bike Gremlin

I like this one:

https://www.marinbikes.com/us/bikes/d...7-four-corners

Frame is good and built for comfort and commuting - rack adn mudguard mounts, lots of clearance, long wheelbase.

It has a decent commuting groupset.

I'd personally rather get the frame (along with the fork) and pack it with preferred saddle, handlebars, as well as IMO more commuter friendly Shimano Claris groupset. Avoiding Hollowtech II BB of the stock Sora groupset.

I'd also go with Avid BB5 road disc brakes.

mcours2006

What's wrong with HTII? Claris has, what? Octalink?

Bike Gremlin

Lasts half as long, with a tendency to make cracking sounds long before it gets worn.

Octalink 2 is set and forget - perfect for a commuting, utility bicycle.

mstateglfr 

So looks like you both are interested in drop bar adventure bikes. I sensed a theme from your links.

go to- https://dbcorp.diamondback.com/
create a username email.
enter password- CYCLE4PERK
look at the Diamondback Hannjo and Haanjen.


Some are out of stock right now, but their quantities resupply periodically.
The Haanjo Comp is $775 but out of stock. The Haanjen is $1095. The Haanjen has XS and S sizes in stock.


These are sold at REI and perhaps elsewhere in the bay area if you want to see them in person.



Just one more option to give you something to consider. Good luck!

girlguineapig

delete

turkey9186

Have you looked at the Trek 520? The disc is at the top end of what you want to spend, but area dealers should have previous models with rim brakes.

Darth Lefty 

^^ seems like the 720 and Crossrip are more in the style of what she's shopping

fietsbob

Service after the sale benefits you looking for the Bike shop You Like , first..

so Question... what brands are sold at the ones nearest your House?

Wittyname

Check out the Jamis Renegade line as well, fender/rack mounts, clearance up to 40c tires, and starting at $800

girlguineapig

Lots of suggestions here. I managed to make it to three different nearby bike stores today. There's still quite a few more stores I could check out.

The salespeople had me try these two and they semed comfortable. I'm not sure which is better than the other. They're also road bikes but they thought these would work well enough for my use case.

• Specialized Diverge Sport A1 ($950) https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bi...port-a1/118414
• Specialized Dolce Evo ($1,270 - $150 store credit) https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bi...lce-evo/107054

The stores didn't have my size for these in stock to try, but the sales guy recommened them to me. The Fuji Cross 2.0 seems like a great deal for Shimano 105 drivetrain, and the Fuji Cross 1.3 comes in a great color which is a huge plus. I also admired the Fuji Jari, but I'm not sure what the differences between it and the Cross are and which is better for me.

• Fuji Cross 2.0 LE $999 Fuji Cross 2.0 LE Cyclocross bike -2016 Performance Exclusive
• Fuji Cross 1.3 ($1,299) Fuji Bikes | ROAD | CYCLOCROSS SERIES | CROSS 1.3
• Fuji Jari 1.5 ($1,379) or 1.3 ($1,879) What's the difference between the Jari and the Cross?

Fuji Cross 1.3 ($1,299) Fuji Bikes | ROAD | CYCLOCROSS SERIES | CROSS 1.3

Any thoughts on these bikes? Seems like I haven't had any luck finding the bikes you guys have all recommended. Maybe at the next batch of stores.

epdarks

I have the 2016 F85x. From what I can tell so far, having ran it for 2 months, maybe 300 miles: It does a lot of things well. Rides like a road bike on the road, handles snow, dirt, gravel even better. The color is beautiful and the paint design is unique. What attracted me to the bike was that it can take a rack, fenders, etc. Also the disc brakes, internal routing, and 2nd set of brake levers. If you want to get into more aggressive off-road then it can do that. If you want to keep it on road only, swap the tires for something more road friendly, and you have a very capable road bike. For what it's worth I ended up paying under $1,000 for mine, got a pretty nice deal. You can find the 2015 models on eBay for under $1,000. I like the 2015 paint a lot!


At the end of the day there's tons of great bikes on the market. That Raleigh you posted looks amazing!

GamblerGORD53

That Raleigh is way too racey and short to be a transportation bike.
The Felt looks nice, but the bottom rack mount looks kind of small and crowded.
The Marin looks butt ugly and has very skinny seat stays.
I'm no derailler fan, but I think a double would be better, certainly not a 1 by.
I also think a tour bike is more what you need.

mstateglfr 

Its a double butted cromoly steel frame...the seat stays typically wont be extremely thick. To each their own on what beauty is, but just pointing out that the stays look as wide as the norm.

CrankyOne

My DIL is your height. Her favorite bike now is a Workcycles Gr8 from https://www.mydutchbike.com

It's not going to do heavy duty off-road stuff but for a 10 mile daily commute or kid & grocery hauling works quite well. Youngest kids ride in a seat on the handlebars, then after a bit move to a seat that mounts just behind the handlebars. They enjoy the view out front much better than staring at mom or dads rear end and it's much easier to talk to them while you ride.

DiabloScott

You know, for pulling trailers, I recommend flat bars over drop bars - that wide hand position really helps - even more so if you move into a trailer cycle later on. Something like this (<$1000) would be fun and useful.

Snuts

https://www.marinbikes.com/ca/bikes/d...2017-muirwoods

I was sure my next bike was going to be a Marin Four Corners. I was in and out of the bike shop over two months. Until one Saturday I test rode, and bought a Marin Muirwoods. Better gearing, as I cycle tour. This thing could push a city bus I'm sure. Very comfortable etc.
I checked, and it is available in a 15" frame suggested for 5'3-5'6.

Hope this helps.



-Snuts-

52telecaster

The only thing I didn't care for in the various bikes shown in this thread was that they all have disc breaks. As a long time tourist, commuter and bike mech I think long term your going to be happier with rim brakes. Of course the bike industry disagrees..... Actually any bike you test that is comfortable and has enough rack and fendermounts ought to do the trick.