Between 2 bikes

ChrisA70 said:

I have 2 bikes I am between buying. I can buy a 2009 Jamis Coda road/hybrid, or a 2010 TREK 7.1FX. The Coda is $450 from a seller in a classified, it is new never ridden, he won it and it is too small for him. The Trek is at the Trek dealer right across the street from me. The Coda is steel frame, TREK alpha white aluminum. New at $439+tax.😕 Is Jamis better than TREK, I used to have a TREK Tri series 720 back in 1988 when I raced, I have been out of the cycling world for 20 years. I want to get back into it, but I am looking at going into a flat bar road bike like these. Any recommendations? Thanks.

2009 JAMIS BICYCLES - CODA

Trek Bikes | Bikes | Bike Path | 7.1 FX

'I' would choose the JAMIS because my preference would be for the steel frame [a steel frame can be respaced to 130mm and thereby use most ROAD wheelsets if one so wishes ... which would be the case for me] ... but, I would offer him $400, or less ... maybe, $350-to-$375. Of course, he may be firm on how much he wants.

The Jamis has better components ... if that matters (I think it does).

The 72º head tube angle on the JAMIS would work better for me for the frame size that 'I' would be selecting ... the TREK seems to have a slightly slacker angle for most of the frame sizes.

Some people obviously prefer alloy frames -- if you are one of those, then perhaps you may be happier with the TREK (I would anticipate changing a lot of parts on the Trek at some point).

A deal breaker (for me) would be if the Trek used a Freewheel instead of a Cassette.

alfeng said:

'I' would choose the JAMIS because my preference would be for the steel frame [a steel frame can be respaced to 130mm and thereby use most ROAD wheelsets if one so wishes ... which would be the case for me] ... but, I would offer him $400, or less ... maybe, $350-to-$375. Of course, he may be firm on how much he wants.

The Jamis has better components ... if that matters (I think it does).

The 72º head tube angle on the JAMIS would work better for me for the frame size that 'I' would be selecting ... the TREK seems to have a slightly slacker angle for most of the frame sizes.

Some people obviously prefer alloy frames -- if you are one of those, then perhaps you may be happier with the TREK (I would anticipate changing a lot of parts on the Trek at some point).

A deal breaker (for me) would be if the Trek used a Freewheel instead of a Cassette.

I am really leaning towards the Jamis. You are right it does have much better components. That is a big deal for me for sure.

I have read that the aluminum frames flex a lot and do not absorb bumps well like the steel frames. I am used to the steel Reynolds 520 frames of my late 80's Trek frames. Yes i want a light bike, the Jamis is appx. 26.20 lbs. Trek??? Who knows.

The seller is pretty firm on his price, but the Jamis retails around here at $550-$600, so I think $450 is fair. Of course trek is doing the dealer thing and trying to talk me into the "warranty" thing.

Freewheel or cassette, one better than the other?

Thanks for the help and input.

ChrisA70 said:

I am really leaning towards the Jamis. You are right it does have much better components. That is a big deal for me for sure.

I have read that the aluminum frames flex a lot and do not absorb bumps well like the steel frames. I am used to the steel Reynolds 520 frames of my late 80's Trek frames. Yes i want a light bike, the Jamis is appx. 26.20 lbs. Trek??? Who knows.

The seller is pretty firm on his price, but the Jamis retails around here at $550-$600, so I think $450 is fair. Of course trek is doing the dealer thing and trying to talk me into the "warranty" thing.

Freewheel or cassette, one better than the other?

Cassettes are one of the best things that have happened to cycling in the past 35 years ...

This will tell you almost everything you might want to know about the difference between Freewheels & Cassettes:

[CENTER]Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs, by Sheldon Brown[/CENTER]

I wouldn't personally worry about the warranty ... not too much that could go wrong with the components ... but, get the bill-of-sale from the seller from the shop that awarded/set-up/delivered the bike ... they will probably honor any warranty issues since you would hopefully receive the theoretical bill-of-sale ...

BUT, better yet, do some leg work AND find out what shops in your area are selling JAMIS bikes ... see if they have the particular 2009 bike in stock ... a 2009 bike is a year old and should sell for between 60-to-65% of the suggested retail price (i.e., $330-to-$390 of the $550-to-$600 retail range)... and, the bike shop will provide a warranty + probably at least one free tune-up.

In fact, regardless, you probably want to find out whether or not the shop that he picked up the bike from will honor the any warranty issues before you pony up any money to the guy on CL ...

alfeng said:

Cassettes are one of the best things that have happened to cycling in the past 35 years ...

This will tell you almost everything you might want to know about the difference between Freewheels & Cassettes:

[CENTER]Shimano Cassettes & Freehubs, by Sheldon Brown[/CENTER]

I wouldn't personally worry about the warranty ... not too much that could go wrong with the components ... but, get the bill-of-sale from the seller from the shop that awarded/set-up/delivered the bike ... they will probably honor any warranty issues since you would hopefully receive the theoretical bill-of-sale ...

BUT, better yet, do some leg work AND find out what shops in your area are selling JAMIS bikes ... see if they have the particular 2009 bike in stock ... a 2009 bike is a year old and should sell for between 60-to-65% of the suggested retail price (i.e., $330-to-$390 of the $550-to-$600 retail range)... and, the bike shop will provide a warranty + probably at least one free tune-up.

In fact, regardless, you probably want to find out whether or not the shop that he picked up the bike from will honor the any warranty issues before you pony up any money to the guy on CL ...

Well, now I am going to reconsider the Jamis... The local shop doesn't honor the second hand warranty, and he is really firm in the price. So.... I am going to TREK tonight across the street and ride a few bikes... We'll see. A NEW Jamis Coda will cost $479 WITH a warranty. At least TREK will do the 30 day tune up, lifetime frame warranty, etc. I have only owned TREK and Raleigh. I guess i just keep doing lots of research.

ChrisA70 said:

Well, now I am going to reconsider the Jamis... The local shop doesn't honor the second hand warranty, and he is really firm in the price. So.... I am going to TREK tonight across the street and ride a few bikes... We'll see. A NEW Jamis Coda will cost $479 WITH a warranty. At least TREK will do the 30 day tune up, lifetime frame warranty, etc. I have only owned TREK and Raleigh. I guess i just keep doing lots of research.

Well, if the "NEW Jamis Coda" is a 2010 model AND you get to choose the size (which may be the same, of course), then I would pay the extra to the LBS + your governor's share rather than buying the bike from the guy off of Craig's List.

If the Jamis Coda at the bike shop is a 2009, then it will theoretically be a two year old bike on July 1st ... and, IMO, the shop really should be discounting it more than they are since a 2009 bike is a year old bike at this very moment.

BTW. Check eBay, too.

alfeng said:

Well, if the "NEW Jamis Coda" is a 2010 model AND you get to choose the size (which may be the same, of course), then I would pay the extra to the LBS + your governor's share rather than buying the bike from the guy off of Craig's List.

If the Jamis Coda at the bike shop is a 2009, then it will theoretically be a two year old bike on July 1st ... and, IMO, the shop really should be discounting it more than they are since a 2009 bike is a year old bike at this very moment.

BTW. Check eBay, too.

Well..... Ended up going new, the bike shop the guy got the Jamis from will not honor the warranty, only to the original owner. Not even a tune up for free. No less on the Jamis $450 cash. SO, I went new at Trek, But, I ended up going a step up from the 7.1FX to the 7.2FX. Better frame, better components. Trek Bikes | Bikes | Bike Path | 7.2 FX

Rode them both(7.1 & 7.2) and a Gary Fisher(Zebrano | Gary Fisher Bicycles), the 7.2 felt great to me. The GF felt like a mountain bike which I never cared for. Opted for the 20" frame. 5'9" 33 inseam. I rode a 17.5 and felt like I was on a BMX bike. I was always a road bike rider, and this is my "return to the cycling world pre road bike ...bike". I am gonna go to either flat bar with aero bars or drop/aero bars in the future. It has 700/35's and I will be going to a 700/28's soon. Added toe clips and h2o racks. $550+tax. Lifetime frame warranty... Free service for a year. I think i made the right move. I really did like the Jamis, but...

alfeng said:

Well, if the "NEW Jamis Coda" is a 2010 model AND you get to choose the size (which may be the same, of course), then I would pay the extra to the LBS + your governor's share rather than buying the bike from the guy off of Craig's List.

If the Jamis Coda at the bike shop is a 2009, then it will theoretically be a two year old bike on July 1st ... and, IMO, the shop really should be discounting it more than they are since a 2009 bike is a year old bike at this very moment.

BTW. Check eBay, too.

Well now the guy with the Jamis will take lower on it.... $400!!! So confused. Being I have not taken ownership of the Trek yet only put $20 to hold it till tomorrow, I have to really think today. The guy selling it is going to warranty it to me for 6 months at his cost for any repairs or replacement. NOW WHAT????😕

ChrisA70 said:

Well now the guy with the Jamis will take lower on it.... $400!!! So confused. Being I have not taken ownership of the Trek yet only put $20 to hold it till tomorrow, I have to really think today. The guy selling it is going to warranty it to me for 6 months at his cost for any repairs or replacement. NOW WHAT????😕

As I said before, my preference is for a steel framed bike, so I would reconsider the JAMIS ...

Now that he realizes that YOU are the only person who apparently has any interest in his bike, offer him $375 ... tell him you have to offset the deposit you will lose at the bike shop because of his tardy decision.

If he balks, again, then just get the Trek.

ChrisA70 said:

Well now the guy with the Jamis will take lower on it.... $400!!! So confused. Being I have not taken ownership of the Trek yet only put $20 to hold it till tomorrow, I have to really think today. The guy selling it is going to warranty it to me for 6 months at his cost for any repairs or replacement. NOW WHAT????😕

As I said before, my preference is for a steel framed bike, so I would reconsider the JAMIS ...

Now that he realizes that YOU are the only person who apparently has any interest in his bike, offer him $375 ... tell him you have to offset the deposit you will lose at the bike shop because of his tardy decision.

If he balks, again, then just get the Trek.

alfeng said:

As I said before, my preference is for a steel framed bike, so I would reconsider the JAMIS ...

Now that he realizes that YOU are the only person who apparently has any interest in his bike, offer him $375 ... tell him you have to offset the deposit you will lose at the bike shop because of his tardy decision.

If he balks, again, then just get the Trek.

Well I am picking up the Jamis tomorrow. I got in touch with the bike shop he got it from, they are going to honor full warranty, AND a tune up after I put 100-200 miles on it or when I feel it needs it. SO I think I got a good deal. I'm pretty excited to get it tomorrow, it is going to be a LONG day at work!!!! Thanks for your input.

ChrisA70 said:

Well I am picking up the Jamis tomorrow. I got in touch with the bike shop he got it from, they are going to honor full warranty, AND a tune up after I put 100-200 miles on it or when I feel it needs it. SO I think I got a good deal. I'm pretty excited to get it tomorrow, it is going to be a LONG day at work!!!! Thanks for your input.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Glad to hear that the shop is going to honor the warranty, too, because I know it gives you some piece of mind ...

IMO, the shop ALSO probably figures that there is little actual risk on their part -- as it should be with most bikes which are sold through most shops -- in the worst case scenario (for them), they have to spend the time to contact Jamis/whomever.

alfeng said:

CONGRATULATIONS!

Glad to hear that the shop is going to honor the warranty, too, because I know it gives you some piece of mind ...

IMO, the shop ALSO probably figures that there is little actual risk on their part -- as it should be with most bikes which are sold through most shops -- in the worst case scenario (for them), they have to spend the time to contact Jamis/whomever.

Check this out alfeng......... I went to get the bike, met the guy at a Wendy's in Fort Myers, FL. He has the bike on the rack on his 4Runner. I notice it is black with silver, NOT black with bone as a 2009 model has:eek:. It is a 2010 model!!!!!😄http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/10_coda.html I still paid $400, never bothered to talk him down because I knew it was a 2010. Bike is perfect, not a nick on it, only thing I have to do is do a minor tweak/true the rear wheel, is has a small rub on the pad. I am one happy guy tonight!!! Rides BETTER than the 7.2 Trek, and weighs the same as the aluminum Trek??? Go figure.... I have been sitting here adjusting the heck out of everything, I am going ridin' tomorrow!!

ChrisA70 said:

I notice it is black with silver, NOT black with bone as a 2009 model has:eek:. It is a 2010 model!!!!!

SWEET!

Wow - nice score! [img]home.comcast.netthumb.gifOpen ↗[/img] Post some photos when you get it ready to ride.

cyberlegend1994 said:

Wow - nice score! [IMG]home.comcast.netthumb.gifOpen ↗[/IMG] Post some photos when you get it ready to ride.

Sure will. I'll post them asap. I want to ride today but need to get a melon protector(helmet) tonight. As soon as I get one, I will be ridin' like crazy. I rode without one back on the late 80's as a teenager, but not anymore. Back then anyone with a helmet was considered a dork. Lol....

Yeah, I got a great deal on this bike, love Treks, but I paid $200 less for a bike as good or better....