Cornchips

OMG, This is me so much!

I 'upgraded' to the Escape earlier on this year, thinking I needed something a little more quicker and nimble, and after reading a couple of forums learning that front suspension makes you inefficient and slows you down. Man do I miss that front suspension! Hybrids often get a bad wrap, with people complaining they're not really road bike and not really a mountain bike - but if you don't do any hard-core road cycling or mountain biking (which I don't), they fit the bill perfectly. They are ideal on unsealed bike paths where I do a lot of my riding.

I had my Giant Roam 3 (2015) for over 4 years and we rode everywhere together. I had to 'let her go' earlier on this year as the drivetrain was completely clapped out, chain was stretched, cogs/sprockets were worn and I had issues with the hub in the back wheel as well. But you know what they say - better to wear out than rust out!

I like to get a slightly different bike each time I 'upgrade', but like you, wish I had of stuck with the Roam on this occasion.

hokiefyd 

Suspension forks generally have a bad "reputation" on this board, and I wish the discussion about them wasn't as one-sided as it usually is. It typically goes something like this:

"They've heavy, they slow you down, they require maintenance; there is literally no upside to one."

The last point is obviously not true, but it's an opinion that is often presented as fact. The comments posted above from the shop discussion are unfortunate also. The common denominator is typically "speed". Too heavy, inefficient, tires are too big, slows you down, etc. Some of the knocks against heavy components (like suspension forks) do apply if you're focused on KOMs on Strava and improving your average speed each time you go out. However, someone with those goals won't be consdering a Roam or a DS in the first place, just like someone looking to make hot laps at Sebring isn't going to show up in a Chevy Tahoe. By the same token, you wouldn't take a Camaro into the woods up to your lake house.

There are different tools for different jobs.

Bikes like the Giant Roam, Trek DS, Specialized Crosstrail, and others, are tools for specific jobs. I own a lot of bikes, a 2018 Giant Roam 2 being one of those bikes I ride regularly. I do a mix of "open" and "locked out" riding regarding the fork. The fork adds comfort to the front end. It's just that simple; it takes the impact out of bumps that 60mm of travel can do and that a flexible carbon or steel fork can't do. I also own bikes without suspension forks, an all-steel Trek MultiTrack 750 being one of them. I think the old Trek is as comfortable as the Roam in different ways. There's no question I "feel the hits" more if I run it down a single track route with roots and small drops. The 750 is also more comfortable on smoother surfaces (where I'd run the Giant's fork locked out) because the steel frame and fork takes a lot of the "road buzz" out of the ride. Each style of bike has individal pros and cons and everything we ride represents trade-offs and compromises. Everything. Until you get into machines that cost tens of thousands of dollars, everything is a trade-off -- that's quite literally what a hybrid bike is (even an Escape or other "road-focused" hybrid). It's a compromise of sort of road geometry with sort of mountain style flat bars and more upright riding, etc. The primary difference between these choices is one represents the best compromise for you.

travbikeman

Just thought I'd give an fyi to hopefully save you money in future....Chain and cassettes are really inexpensive to replace and are considered wear items. For that 2015 Roam 3, probably around $50 to replace both.

Rear hubs after a few years depending on where or how you ride, do require a re-greasing of internal bearings. Probably about $30 for a LBS to do.

Again, just saying, cause after a few years your Escape will have same things go on it.

But then again...a new bike always renews the fun in cycling!

Cornchips

I got quoted $350 to fix it at a LBS! There were a few other issues as well with the front and rear derailleur. I'm not really a mechanical person.but my understanding is that once you start having troubles with the drive-train, you have to replace everything, which isn't really worth it on a $500-600 bike.

I did put an Ad on Airtasker asking for it to be converted to a single-speed. Long story short, the guy told me the sprockets weren't that bad, so he put a single chain ring on the front, got the gears working and left the cassette on the back. It worked for all of about a day, but the cranks was still 'slipping' - I could only ride it very gently on the flat and it wouldn't go uphill at all.So after that, I decided to cut my loss and get an Escape.

Of course, after that I began paying attention to drive trains, and perhaps another reason I'm slightly disappointed with the Escape which has Altus gears, whereas the Roam had Acera. Like I said, I'm not really a mechanical person, but a rudimentary Google search tells me that Acera is slightly better than Altus?

I'm aware that the same issues may happen to the Escape, but if I get two years of solid riding out it, it's not a bad investment for $500-600.

Although the Escape would be good as a 'second bike'

travbikeman

Wow, that LBS is looking to make the bucks!

I myself have gotten tired of going to the LBS to do this kind of work. I find it enjoyable to work on my own bike. With the help of Youtube video's at times.

I could literally replace my entire drivetrain for a nice upgrade drivetrain for $200 and essentially have a new bike. But then again, parts and labor...maybe that number is correct?

Makes me wonder if the LBS used a scare tactic on you to up-sell a bike?

hokiefyd 

I think $350 is a reasonable cost for a bike shop to do the work they likely quoted (though it was probably an overestimation of what was actually needed). Assuming a new derailleur front and rear ($60 in parts), a new chain ($25 in parts), a new cassette ($30 in parts), and double that for labor to install and adjust...that's $230 in parts and labor. Depending on what was "slipping" during pedaling, they could have diagnosed a bad freehub as well, which would probably be another $50-100 in parts and labor (they have to remove it from the hub, which involves bearing work). That's potentially $280-330 in parts and labor, which is in the ballpark of their quote. Again...it all depends on what they diagnosed or quoted.

Derailleurs very rarely need complete replacement and it's likely those could have been adjusted to satisfaction. It's obviously hard to know without the bike...and it's water under the bridge now.

Cornchips

Here is my Giant Roam 3 (2015) in all its former glory.

Cornchips

And here it is in its natural habitat, quite a few years later...

SteveKB

My current Hybrid is a 2016 Giant Escape 3 that I got used off of craigslist a couple of years ago.
I knew very little about bikes and the bike is really too small for me.
Once bikes get back in stock at my LBS, I'd like to take a test ride on a Giant Roam.
This thread has been a lot of help in seeing the pros/cons of the Roam.

DML66

I'm familiar with the fact that Giants go in reverse order with quality (0 = highest; 3 = base). Where does the Giant Roam XR fit in the spectrum? I just sold a 2018 GT Transeo 4.0 and bought a 2012 Roam XR and I'm curious about where this bike sits in the Roam 'hierarchy''. Thanks in advance.

hokiefyd 

I just Googled "2012 giant roam xr" and found this page, which says it's an electric bike. If that's your bike, then it's configured much differently from Roams today. It looks like it has a mix of SLX and XT and 50mm tires.

If that's not your bike, then additional description of what it has would help -- 2012 is old enough that literature isn't easily available anymore. And it's likely not from the US market, which generally makes finding information about it more difficult. Here's something from Giant's Australia website, but those have numbers following "XR" (like 0 or 1) and you didn't list that with yours, so it's hard to tell what it might be.

DML66

Thanks for the info. My bike is definitely not an eBike, nor does it have a # after the XR. It is a Canadian bike with XT front and Deore rear and fluid disk brakes. See: Giant Roam XR 2 2012 - Specifications | Reviews | Shops

Ryan_M

It's nice to see this style of bike getting some love since it's not considered a "real bike" by some purists. I have a Giant FCR2 and had a XTC0. The GF was getting into biking and knew nothing about it. After determining what we'd ride, rail trails, not so good country road aspagult, and some gravel and packed dirt trails, this style of bike seemed perfect. She ended up getting a Trek DS3 (it was the paint that got her) but I wasn't passing up the opportunity to buy a new bike to match so I picked up a Roam 1. I didn't know if I'd like this type of bike much but wow I love love love this bike!

I've done a bit of work so far but I have a full front to back M8000 2x11 drivetrain en route as well as M6000 brakes. Can't wait!

StephaneX

I’m considering the Giant Roam 0 Disc for a BBS02 mid-drive conversion. Mainly for all-purpose going-around and commuting in the city, going to see friends, etc.
Main reasons:

• Sturdy bike
• Front suspension
• Upright position
• Disc brakes
• Wide-but-not-too-wide tires
• Tubeless ready rims
• mounts for rear rack
• Mounts for fenders
• Good high quality components (derailleur, shifter)
• 1X drivetrain seems ideal for BBS02 conversion (which is 1X to begin with)

Any advice, comments or suggestions would be much appreciated before I dive in. I have some time to think before this bike is back in stock (it’s out of stock all over Canada)

Thanks

Cornchips

There is a bike shop near me that specialises in selling Giant Roams with BBS01 and BBS02 conversions, because they are a solid, sturdy bike. I was considering the same thing a year or two ago, but ultimately decided against it.

Have you considered looking into the Giant Explore +4? The reason I mention it is that by the time you buy a Giant Roam 0 and install a BBS02, it may be more cost effective to buy an actual ebike. The Roam will hold up with a BBS02, but its not designed for it - whereas the Giant Explore is.

These are just my thoughts. I don't know much about bike mechanics, but I'm sure other people on here could give you a more detailed account of the pros and cons of electric bike conversion.

hokiefyd 

The main benefit of a conversion is you can control what you use (components, motor watts, etc.). OEMs like Giant are limited to regulations of the country in which the bike is sold, etc. An integrated system like that in the Giant Explorer will likely have proprietary components and connectors, etc. You may or may not be able to use your own batteries, and you may or may not be able to find replacement batteries from Giant as the bike ages. An aftermarket conversion will make options available to you that usually aren't available from an OEM. On the one hand, you usually get more customization with aftermarket kits (you can tune them, etc.), but an integrated setup will likely be more polished and smoother as well. Many aftermarket kits use a cadence sensor, which provides electric assist as long as you're spinning the pedals (it doesn't matter how hard). Most OEMs use a torque sensor, which varies the assist with how much torque you're applying to the system. There are pros and cons to both setups. It looks like Giant uses an advanced suite of sensors, with a torque sensor as the basic input.

Luna Cycles also sells an mid-drive version of the Giant Roam (or at least used to), here. The Roam is a popular platform for this.

StephaneX

Good valid inputs from Cornchips and hokiefyd

The way I see it:

Giant Explorer E+4
Pros

• OEM design, warranty coverage
• Integrated design (internal cable routing), better overall look
• Probably higher resale value than converted kit bike
• Lower cost than Roam 0 disc + BBS02

Cons

• Weak motor
• 36V battery with low 400Wh capacity
• Spare batteries very expensive

Roam 0 disc + BBS02 kit
Pros

• Better components
• Much more powerful motor
• Battery options plentiful
• Future upgradeability potential (replace battery with a better one, replace motor, etc)
• Could be a fun project (learn stuff, etc)

Cons

• Looks like a “kit” bike (external wires, etc)
• No free support/warranty from OEM or LBS - gotta learn to self-support
• Having to buy rarely-used tools like a bottom bracket puller tool, etc

Cornchips

And you're now going through the process everyone goes through when deciding which new bike to buy...

StephaneX

Yep, it just helps me to put my thoughts down and seek inputs, in case I missed some points

I forgot to mention, in Canada the ebikes are OEM-locked at 32km/h (20mph) and while I’m sure they can be chipped (not cheap) I wonder if the OEM computer will “record/detect” that and then void the warranty. Anyway, with 250W, and a small capacity battery, it’s probably not a great idea to push the bike much faster.

hokiefyd 

I would recommend an aftermarket kit only if you're comfortable doing bike maintenance yourself and have a desire to tweak the electronics, etc. There are pros and cons to both systems, but I think a desire to "get your hands dirty" will help you be successful with a kit (even if it's installed by someone else). If you lack that desire, then an OEM option may be the best choice.

Because aftermarket kits are so prevalent, I'm not sure what the market is like for tuning OEM systems, like what comes on a purpose-built Giant or Trek ebike. In my experience, 20 mph is plenty high enough for general use (other than just the "silly fun" factor). 20 mph is pretty fast on a bike and you'd generally never be able to sustain that if pedaling most hybrid bikes for a long time. If you're looking as an ebike as a replacement for a motorcycle or moped (and want it to drive you to 25-30 mph), then a kit will probably the be the only way to achieve that. My dad has four ebikes -- two bought as ebikes and two conversions. They all have 750W motors and they're all quite a gas to ride. You can ride them with no assistance all day long (or on a very low setting) and they act and feel much like any other bike (just a heavier one). But turn the assist all the way up and use the thumb throttle...and they really get up and go and you feel like you're on a motorcycle. The 750W motors are good for the "silly fun", but 250W will be enough to supplement your leg power for typical recreational/commuting uses.

There is, of course, a forum on BikeForums.net specific to ebikes, linked here. They can probably give very specific guidance on what to look for in terms of OEMs vs. kits.

Cornchips

The new 2021 Roams' are out!

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/bikes-roam

I'm probably going to stick with my Escape for now, but would love to be a Roam owner once again.

hokiefyd 

Nice! For US shoppers:

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bikes-roam-2021

Roam 2 is painted with a very nice metallic blue and has gone to 1x10.
Roam 3 has a nice maroon colorway with a 2x8 drivetrain.
Roam 4 still has a 7-speed drivetrain, but dropped its 3x crank for a 2x crank.

travbikeman

Nice colors on these new Roams! Interesting to see that the Roam 2 has a 40 tooth chainring. Think Trek and few others are doing that as well by using huge chainrings on the new 1x systems.

Ryan_M

Yeah it's interesting gearing they're picking. I personally don't get the attraction with the 1x systems, I guess it's the in thing though. I also see at least the AU version of the Roam 0 has 30/46t chainrings... My Roam 1 came with a 32/44 and it didn't shift very well. If the Roam 0 comes with the same off brand I imagine that will be a lot worse. Also who needs a 46-11 ratio on a trail bike? I changed mine to 28/38 and am much happier.

hokiefyd 

Nothing about these 2x systems offers much advantage to how I think most people ride these types of bikes. With "typical" cadence and "typical" flat to only moderate hilly riding conditions and "typical" conditioning of new or even experienced recreational riders, most people ride well with a 36-38 tooth chain ring and an 11-32/4/6 cassette out back. That gearing range covers most riding scenarios, and works well with a 36-38 tooth "middle" ring on a 3x crankset. A smaller 26-28 tooth ring is available if needed for low gearing and a larger 46-48 tooth is available for higher gearing. With the middle ring being in the middle, it also generally supports acceptable chainline when working the entire cassette from one ring.

The 2x systems now commonly offered awkwardly split this 36-38 tooth range with a 30/46 or a 28/44 or something. It means the rider will almost always have to shift the front derailleur to get good range out back (rather than just leaving it on the middle ring for just about everything). I know that reducing the number of chain rings is the current trend, but I think ridability and usability suffers as a result.

The bike industry disagrees with me.