Need opinion/advice on comfort bikes.

[borg]

It's been 18 yrs since I bought a bike and in that span the industry has gone thru some major changes not only in the design but also the different components that make the bike. I'm in the market for a comfort bike which is designed to offer maximum riding comfort by giving the rider an upright riding position. This is crucial because when I go riding with my boys using my old mountain bike I find it uncomfortable & consequently unenjoyable, which means I find all kinds of excuses no to go biking.

I've never been a fanatic cyclist but I do ride from spring to early fall, mostly on weekends with the kids. Last year I only rode my bike perhaps a dozen times for very short distances, it was disappointing but more so for the kids. I don't want to do that again this year that's why I will be buying a new bike.

I've done my research, test drives & settled on a budget, I've narrowed it down to three bikes. Not one bike stands out in any category so its a matter of choosing one which I believe will work for me. But since I dont keep up with all the cycling tech stuff I really don't know which one will.

Any input, opinion or suggestion would be appreciated....thank you.

The top 3 list:
GIANT Sedona DX

NORCO Citadel

TREK Navigator 200

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by borg

TREK Navigator 200

I have the TREK Navigator 500 which I bought 2-3 years ago. I had TREK mountain bike before that because they hadn't started making comfort bikes yet. I was happy with both of them.

I can't speak to the lower budget 200 that you are looking at just that my research pointed to TREK as the best bang for the buck.

[booger]

I'm in the same boat as you, not a huge bike fanatic, but I do like what I have to work properly.

Two years ago my wife got a new Giant, not sure of the model or the components (too many tla's and numbers).

It has been the most reliable bike of any in the garage. It seems that I'm always adjusting a shifter or brake or something on one of the bikes, but her's has been solid.

So I like it in that respect and she seems to like riding it.

And that's all I got to say about that!!

[desertpilot]

Did you take a look at Cannondale? They should have comfort bike models. They're light and strong made out of 6061 aluminum (aircraft grade).

I have two Cannondale cross country hardtails with front mono suspension, the older one is a black F1000 and it's about 9 years and my second one is a yellow F type frame with Shimano XTR and Coda racing components and it's 8 years old now. My friend also have the same brand but his is a dual suspension downhill bike. They're a little pricey but they are strong and should last longer.

Trek and Giant should be fine also. I had a Trek before and it was OK. I built a Giant cross country bike that my nephew bought. He got a Giant aluminum frame and bought all the components separately, when he got all the parts, I did the assembly for him on my bike repair stand. He loved it.

Whatever bike you decided on just make sure you have good Shimano components on it, at least a LX model or better. Good luck.

[colorider]

borg, when you were researching the Giant offerings, did you check out this one? More than a bit more expensive, but it has some neat ideas!



It also comes in the BEST color too!!!

[copilot]

for about 3 years now. Had been out of biking for 30 years. Both my wife and I got one and love it. No problems of any kind. There are probably better comfort bikes out there; but for the money I don't think you can beat the Navigator 200. We didn't want to spend any more $ until we decided we would really keep up with biking after so long of a lay-off. I was down at the local bike shop last Sunday and another guy offered to buy my bike for almost what I had paid for it 3 years ago. We rode a LOT of bikes before we settled on the Trek-Gary Fisher, Cannondale and some of the less expensive ones at the sporting goods store. We bike about 5-6 hours per week from April until November and it has stood up well.

[borg]

Thanks everyone for your recommendations, I've narrowed it down to either the Trek or Giant. They are very similar with slight differences, Trek uses Shimano Alivio while Giant has Shimano Acera's. It's not Shimano LX components but any bike with that on will definitely push the cost over my budget especially since I'm planning on buying one for my wife as well.

There are a few small things that at this time is swaying me more towards the Giant such as better seat post & fork suspensions, 8 speed grip shift & self sealing anti puncture tires. I want to buy the bikes by Saturday so I will need to make a decision quick.

I would have checked out Cannondale's since my old mountainbike is by Cannondale & has been bullet proof, but as I've said I dont feel comfortable riding it anymore (must be getting old). Unfortunately there is no longer a dealer in my area so I wasnt able to check out their comfort bikes.

The Giant REVIVE DX in Sandstone looks to be a great bike, alas it's over my budget plus I dont think I can get used to the radical design.

[bcclements]

I have have a Trek 300 and my wife has a 200 (she liked the color better.)

The 300 has a much better rear derailer, almost silent when coasting, while the 200 has the typical click, click, click rachet sound.

Both are good bikes, but get the 300 if you can spare a few extra bucks.

[rockman19762001]

I bought a Trek 300 one year ago and it has been very comfortable to ride and trouble free. Like an early post by bcclements, If you go with the Trek line spend a little more for the Trek 300.

[ollicat]

I know that everyone likes to be seen on a mountain bike of some type but lets face it, very few of us are riding down mountains. In fact, most of us never leave a nice trail or the street. Therefore, I got myself a cruiser. It is tremendously comfortable and brings back the joy of riding my bike as a kid instead of the pain in my wrists and rump like on my mountain bike. Check out www.electrabikes.com. I bought the Custom. Sweet wheels!

[desertpilot]

Here are some more suggestions on some components that would be useful on comfort bikes:

• Gel seat
• High rise handlebar
• Stem with high angle
• Suspension seat post

Borg, your question about comfort bikes made me think to convert one of my old mountain bike to a comfort bike. By just getting these noted components, it would be an easy transformation. I could just start with the high rise handlebar and gel seat first then later finish it with the suspension seat post. I might have to replace my off-road to street or combination type of tires, if the vibration of the knobby tires bothers me.

Here's a pic of a suspension seat post. There are several manufacturers that make these type of seat post.


Suspension seat post reference link

[borg]

Wow, two more endorsements for the Trek, it's going to be a tough decision choosing between Trek & Giant.

The link to electrabikes.com is not working

Great suggestions on the must haves for comfort bikes, the two bikes I'm looking at do have those components except for the gel seat
but I can add that at a later time. That's an interesting idea turning an old mountain bike into a comfort bike, if i was more mechanically inclined & had more time I might have looked at turning my old Cannondale mountain bike into a comfort bike.

Thanks again for all your input, I will be making a decision tomorrow & I will surely post the outcome.

[florida_guy]

Originally posted by borg
Wow, two more endorsements for the Trek, it's going to be a tough decision choosing between Trek & Giant.

...

That's an interesting idea turning an old mountain bike into a comfort bike

My last bike (that was stolen) started out as a mountain bike and I transformed it similar to what desertpilot described. They didn't have comfort bikes when I bought that one.

As for my endorsement of Trek remember that my last 2 bikes were Treks and before that I had a 1970's vintage Schwinn. I bought the Treks based on research and a few test rides. I have limited personal experience with any other brand than Trek.

The reasons you listed earlier for preferring the Giant seemed like good ones. It may be that Giant is better in the lower price range and Trek is better in the higher price ranges. I don't know.

One other thing... I hesitated on buying my Trek 400 (I told you 500 previously) because it came with the push button vs. the grip shift. Other factors out weighed it and now I prefer the push buttons having had one of each. YMMV

[desertpilot]

Originally posted by borg
...SNIP...

The link to electrabikes.com is not working

...SNIP...

Here's the (working) link to electrabike.com


http://www.electrabike.com/

[borg]

Originally posted by desertpilot


Here's the (working) link to electrabike.com


http://www.electrabike.com/

Thanks for the link, cool bikes......no electra bike dealer in my area but I found one that sold Del Sol's. It looks very similar to the electra bikes & WOW....what a sweet ride. If I were looking for a bike strictly for city riding I probably would have bought two on the spot.

Although my family & I do most of our riding on bike paths, we do venture off the beaten path when we go camping. So it was back to the Giant vs TREK.

I did go out & buy two bikes last Saturday, had a chance to go for a short ride but then two days later we get our annual spring snow storm which brought a foot of snow. Needless to say the bikes have been in the garage all week.