Arbaaz11

Hello,

I'm a complete noob when it comes to cycling. However, i really wanna ride a road bike. And i've been thinking about buying one.

1. My first question is: Which of those two bikes is the best one??

Print Bike Page - Sportif 2.3 C

or

SCR 0 (2014) | Giant Bicycles | International

2. My second question: As i said, i am a complete noob and i do not have really much time to ride because of work and i'm quite taken up during weekends. I'm thinking about buying one of these two bikes mentioned abouve, solely for fun/because i really want to try a road bike. Can anybody of you advise me whether it is worth the while spending this kind of money for a bike in this situation? (Because it's costing me quite a lot, a quarter of my assets to be exact)

3. My third and last question: Is it really fun to ride a road bike in quite rough surfaces?? Can these two bikes handle rough surfaces well??

I look forward to your responses/advice and help

Thank you

Panza

1. The Fuji is more beginner friendly, if you want a bike that you won't end up walking up hills with because of the 50/34t and 11-32t, take the Fuji. If you live somewhere with flat and rolling terrain, then the Giant seems like a modest up to date purchaseand a 10 speed cassette. It has a 53/39t crank and 12-25t cassette which can be less forgiving up steep climbs. I'd go with the Giant personally, because I feel 8 speed is a thing of the past.
2. If you can't afford to have it fixed/replaced, you can't afford it. Spend less than $1000. Quarter of your assets is a real sum, not to mention kit, helmet, shoes, maintenance tools, etc.
3. These bikes are running on 23mm~25 tires so they would be terrible in rough surfaces. A simple change to 25mm tires is all it takes to make the bike more comfortable but I don't recommend going on your local mountain bike trail. Grass or dirt paths have always been fine for me on 23mm tires.

JerrySTL

The Fuji has easier gearing which might be a factor if you will be riding on hills. The Giant has better components.

That's a question only you can answer as it's your money. Having said that, there are plenty of nice road bikes gathering dust after only being ridden a few times. In fact you might want to consider a used bike for your first roadie.

The Fuji has 700x25 tires while the Giant has 700x23s. The Fuji should be slightly better on rough surfaces; however, if you are talking about riding on gravel or dirt, neither one will do it well.

mcours2006

How much are these bikes?

I expect the Giant to be more. It's got better components on it than the Fuji. I'm going to guess the Giant is around $1200 new, and 2014 might be about $1000. The Fuji is a decent bike too, and if the price difference is huge and you're not sure if this is something you'll do for the long haul, then go with the cheaper bike.

Another option might be to buy something used, just to try out, or if you have a friend who has a road bike to ask to borrow it for a weekend. You'd hate to spend all that money on a bike and find out you hate it.

What kind of rough road are you talking about? Dirt? Gravel? You can ride the road bike on rough surfaces. It just wouldn't be so comfortable.

allen254

Go with a Fuji roubaix excellent bike for its price light stiff fast. check them out on performance bicycles site they usually have a good deal on bikes.

Arbaaz11

@Panza - https://media.graytvinc.com/images/rough+roads2.jpg - these are the surfaces which will come in my way.... but there are smoother one... i can dodge these most of the time. Let's say that 2/10 times i will have not choice but to go over them. Is that damaging to the bike?? I can't handle the shocks, i've been handling them with my USD 50 bike... i'm more worried about the new bike being damaged...

I've been riding a cheap USD 50 bike with no dampers .And i'm sure the frame would be nowhere near as good as the one on the fuji or giant and it wasn't even from a particular brand, it was called rodeo bike. The only thing is that it had bigger rubber ... which i think contributed in tolerating rough surfaces. So which would be more comfortable? A road bike with better specs, frame but with skinny rubber or a heavier cheap bike with bigger rubber?
@JerrySTL - the secondhand bikes available on the market are the high end ones so even though they are second hand they are more than doubled the price ... if i'd find any of these i mentioned in second hand it'd be amazing. But these two are the cheapest option available to me. The fuji looks sick ... the surface i'm talking about is shown above.
@mcours2006 and @Panza - the Fuji is USD 660 and the Giant is USD 590. I've described the road surface and second hand options above. And yeah i'm hoping that like i said it would be at least as comfortable as my USD 50 bike? or am i wrong in thinking that because the tyres makes all the difference?
@allen254 - the roubaix is not available here .... or it might but the price goes higher so... and yeah i'm in Mauritius so i can't buy online XD

Another thing which is making me have a craze for a road bike is the shifters, see i'm a fan of Formula One, and it seems i have a passion for switching gears and i'm itching to try and master the art of switching gears on these bikes... they switch like F1 ... and yeah the fuji has carbon fork... carbon is a material so attractive to me i can't resist it. hahah

But it's good to note that i'll be riding alone all the time.

Kindly advise.

Thank you again

Panza

It's not so much the bike that would be the issue, it's your tire choice, seat, and form in my opinion. I still use 23mm tires on a stiff carbon bike but I enjoy lifting the legs out of the saddle and have more tolerance than many.

25mm tires are great, but they'll never feel like 33mm's. You can usually bring them up to 28mm tires which are fairly plush and handle bumpy roads well.
Saddle selection is important also... some people buy one saddle 5 times and purchase them for 5 different bikes when they find "The One". (the poor man buys one and switches them everytime he switches bikes). Saddlewidth slightly wider than your sitting bones.
It may seem annoying to get out of the saddle and use your knees and legs as shock absorbers, but if you get out and let the bike bounce beneath you while you pedal you significantly decrease the stress on your bike and components. The power of having 150lbs less to push the bike down against the pavement and potholes.

More important than the condition of the roads, the steepness of hills climbed are more important because noone wants to walk their bike. If you have a very hilly region then Fuji for sure.

San Pedro

The price on the giant seems pretty fair. If you like going fast, and you already like riding your bike, then there is a good chance you'll like a road bike, but we can't tell you that with any certainty.

Willbird

I'd go to the bike shop and ride some bikes :-), I have a Sportif 1.5 and like it, over 3000 miles now. They come with 700x28 tires but I have 700x25 on it now. They will run wider tires than 28.

My bike is 9 speed sora and that all works fine, it happens to have disk brakes, I was not seeking then but it was in stock at the local bike store for $809, somebody recently got the 10 speed taigra rim brake version for 850 or so.

You might need spare tubes.

Arbaaz11

@Panza - i will check which of these two can accomodate a bigger tyre ... or possible wider as well??? does a wider tyre help? what if it's 25mm but wider?
@Willbird - I can do that in my country unfortunately and the sportif 1.5 is out of my budget by far!

https://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/produ...bike-72573.jpg

wish there was something like that in the price range .....

but it's not even available forget the price

Panza

I dont think you'll be able to find out how wide a tyre they can accommodate.. but wider tyres help. I wouldnt worry about it right now, because you haven't bought the bike yet so you don't know how it rides yet. The most important thing is to get out and start riding.

ColaJacket

I have the Fuji Sportif 1.3 C - 2014. It has Tiagra and Disc brakes with 700x28 tires. I got it from Performance Bikes for $800. I've put 360 miles on it. I've been enjoying it so far.

GH

Willbird

All the Sportif frames will ride about the same, I'd rather have gotten the one Cola got but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush :-). Wider tired allow lower pressures and a cushier ride, but they are heavier and have more aerodynamic drag, my bike felt tons "quicker" on 25's than the stick 28's. The weight savings was about 500g per wheel, not going all weight weenie but 500g out at the full dia makes a significant difference in feel. Once I wear the 25 rear out I have some new 28's bought already to replace it with, the front will go a lot further than the rear. I knew I was going to go through tires this summer, I have 1350 miles on the specialized turbo pro's already :-).