peter0ck

Wifey and I are just starting to get into biking. I wanted to get an entry level road bike for her, spending no more than $700. Right now we are looking at the Giant Avail 5 vs. Jamis Ventura Sport Femme. Can anyone recommend one over the other?

Specs:

Giant Avail 5
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/....5/9351/49921/

Jamis Ventura Sport
https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...ortf_spec.html

peter0ck

hmm... no input? i guess I'll go with the better bike shop then.

Capecodder

If I were you, I would go up one step to the Avail 3 to get the carbon fork...... The comfort level alone will be worth the extra dollars.

LesterOfPuppets

I'd go Jamis because a lot of parts are a step up from the Giant unless you're in a REALLY hilly area, then she might find the 30x28 low gear of the Giant more useful than the 34x26 of the Jamis.

Bike Gremlin

I was given advice to look for Sora or better groupset for a recreation roadbike. Apart from that, bikes look solid, my vote for the bike with triple cranks - it's for a woman, if she goes up a steep hill, she might need it (no disrespect meant).

peter0ck

Great, thank you for your input! We'll probably go for the Jamis... plus, she thinks it looks cuter lol. If anyone has any other entry level road bike suggestions for around $700, pls let me know.

IANative

Specialized Allez Compact, MSRP $770
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...z/allezcompact

fishymamba

I vote for this.

TriEngineer

at 700 dollars it greatly lowers the price at which you will get something worth riding. while many will make the race to the bottom, you will find a difference with a higher price bicycle. the whole process of buying a bike is that you expect you will get years of use out of your investment but the problem is that a $700 bike will not give you that positive feedback a $1200 bike will. At the end of the day, you will end up wasting more of your small investment than a bigger investment.

peter0ck

hmm, now you got me thinking... what you say is very true... i may now consider increasing our budget... so any other suggestions for my wife (beginner rider), for around $800? Hopefully no more than $850? Really appreciate all the input.

fishymamba

I got my CAAD9-6 for $850

Awesome bike.

TriEngineer

CAAD10, Giant Defy/Avail (105 min), Trek 2.2, Specialized, Scott S20, the list goes on.

manutd

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...tcompact#specs

+1 for the Allez....I had the Allez as my first road bike and it was a winner. If you can bump up to the 'sport' model it is worth it. You should be able to get at least $100 off the MSRP at your LBS.

I'd personally buy a locally used bike in that price range.....you'll get even more bang for your buck. I just sold a 2006 Allez Elite for $700 that was all 105 and had an upgraded seat and tires and was in perfect condition. Thats a $1500 bike for less than half price.

IANative

For you, the Specialized Sectuer Compact or Triple:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/secteur

For wifey, the Specialized Dolce Compact or Triple:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/dolce

fishymamba

CAAD10, Trek 2.2 and Scott S20 are all out of his price range.

peter0ck

Unfortunately, most LBS's we've been to haven't been carrying many used bikes... and if they do, they're rarely in her size... she's about 5'2.

All these suggestions look good... We will take a look at the Specialized Allez and Dolce lines. I hate how different bike shops carry different bikes, and oftentimes they won't have the right size and you gotta wait for them to order it to try it!

Wifey and I are not gonna do any racing... mainly recreational/fitness... Most important factors are comfort and possibly weight... high performance is secondary. Last time she rode a bike was some girly bike from Kmart.

Other bikes I've researched...

Trek 1.1 and 1.2
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...2_h2_compact/#

Jamis Ventura Comp Femme
https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...turacompf.html

Specialized Allez Compact or Sport Compact
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...z/allezcompact

Specialized Dolce Compact
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...e/dolcecompact

IANative

Share your location, and someone familiar w/ your locale can recommend available LBS's and the lines they carry.

SlimRider

I'd get her the Jamis Satellite Femme model!

Thanks, Menel!

Menel

This Satellite Femme. *Steel has more flex than Al, will be a much smoother ride in your price bracket. *Al is jittery and harsh.
https://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/r...litecompf.html

Bike Gremlin

These two look OK, if they're affordable:

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...ompf_spec.html

https://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/r...ompf_spec.html

Sora + drivetrain, good durable rims with lots of spokes, nice low gear range.

Of course, that's just specs, one should like the way bike looks as well as give it a test ride, just to make sure size/fit are good.

ArchEtech

Of the two, I'd go for the giant.

If it were me looking for new in that price range, I'd bump up my budget to a Cannondale CADD which is also easier to sell towards an upgrade.

For the $700 range I'd be looking for a used bike with at least tiagra or 105. $1200-1500 year old bikes can be found for $700-800 with little to no wear.

manutd

You'll have to look to CL. Kijiji or other classifieds for Used.

I'd recommend the Ruby or Dolce for her and the Allez or Secteur for yourself.

Rex81

Do yourself a favor and save $700:

https://www.realcyclist.com/terry-bic...ymmetry-womens

$500 is the best deal you'll ever find for a decent women's bike. Terry is a quality company that only makes women's bikes, and they're all thoughtful designs with quality components. I bought one for my wife and she loves it. Great frame, nice style, Tiagra components (2 steps up from the 2300 crap) and decent wheelset. Free shipping and quality check. Real Cyclist is a good company. Got the our door in 3 days. Just take it into your bike shop and have them assemble and tune it for about $100 and she's good to go. I think at 5'2" she'll fit on the 46cm ok (it's all they have left right now), but you'll have to do the measurements to be sure.

I'm telling you, buying from a bike shop is great, but this is a proven bike for a crazy good deal. Better get it before it's gone.

peter0ck

Thank you for all your suggestions.
I don't think we'll be getting any bikes from CL due to our lack of knowledge in bikes and her small size (she's 5'2).
We also want to avoid ordering something online w/o testing it out... so a LBS will have to be our option.

Here are the most likely options from what I have in the LBS's near me. If you care to rank these, please do! The Jamis bikes are in one LBS and the others are in another LBS. The LBS with the Jamis bikes is a much smaller shop and is practically across the street from me, offering free lifetime tune-ups while the other LBS only offers it for the first year.

1. One LBS has a 2011 Specialized Dolce Elite Apex Compact, for $1000. Looks like we'd still need to add on pedals though.
https://www.bikepedia.com/Quickbike/B...pact&Type=bike

2. Another LBS has Jamis bikes... considering the Jamis Ventura Comp (as someone had posted earlier)
https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...ompf_spec.html

3. Same LBS has the Jamis Satellite Comp... don't think she likes the design too much (though I understand that steel will be a more comfortable ride)
https://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/r...ompf_spec.html

4. Specialized Dolce Sport Compact
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...cesportcompact

5. Trek Lexa S
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...rt/lexa/lexa_s

6. Trek 1.2
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...2_h2_compact/#

ben4345

Jeez, could they make those trademarks anymore in your face?