J
James Howe
Guest
I'm interested in getting some opinions/recommendations on a new lower-end road bike to replace my
two-year-old Trek 7300 Hybrid. Overall I've been pleased with the 7300, but I find that I really
miss the drop handlebars. My riding is mostly fitness and recreational and occurs mostly on paved
roads. However, I do have a need for a bike which can handle packed dirt roads without suffering
severe tire/wheel/frame damage. Typically I only ride 50+ miles a week over flat to moderately hilly
terrain. I'm also not inclined to spend a fortune on a new bike. Ideally I would like to spend less
than $1000 and probably no more than $1500.
I've been looking at some of the new 'comfort' road bikes produced by Trek and Specialized. In
particular the Trek 1000C/1200C and the Specialized Sequoia series. I've also read good things about
the Bianchi Volpe. They all seem to be in the right price range and seem to be closer to a hybrid
bike than a road bike. Are there other bikes by other manufacturers which are similar? One question
I have about all of these bikes is how wide of a tire I could put on them. They seem to come with
700x28C tires by default. My hybrid has 700x38C tires. Could I put 700x38c tires on any of these
bikes? I'm also not sure how to evaluate the different equipment groups which come on these bikes.
For example, the Trek 1000C uses Shimano Sora components and sells for around $600. The low-end
Specialized Sequoia uses Sora components but sells in the $800 range. The 1200C and the Volpe, which
are closer to the $900 range, use Shimano Tiagra. The mid-level Specialized Sequoia uses Shimano New
105 components and sells for $1200. What are the major differences between these components and
would a casual rider such as myself really benefit from spending hundreds of dollars more for better
components? Obviously one thing to do is try the bikes out to see which feels the best, but I'd
still like opinions about what people like and don't like about the various components.
I'm interested in any opinions that people may have on bikes which may meet my requirements.
Thanks.
--
James Howe
two-year-old Trek 7300 Hybrid. Overall I've been pleased with the 7300, but I find that I really
miss the drop handlebars. My riding is mostly fitness and recreational and occurs mostly on paved
roads. However, I do have a need for a bike which can handle packed dirt roads without suffering
severe tire/wheel/frame damage. Typically I only ride 50+ miles a week over flat to moderately hilly
terrain. I'm also not inclined to spend a fortune on a new bike. Ideally I would like to spend less
than $1000 and probably no more than $1500.
I've been looking at some of the new 'comfort' road bikes produced by Trek and Specialized. In
particular the Trek 1000C/1200C and the Specialized Sequoia series. I've also read good things about
the Bianchi Volpe. They all seem to be in the right price range and seem to be closer to a hybrid
bike than a road bike. Are there other bikes by other manufacturers which are similar? One question
I have about all of these bikes is how wide of a tire I could put on them. They seem to come with
700x28C tires by default. My hybrid has 700x38C tires. Could I put 700x38c tires on any of these
bikes? I'm also not sure how to evaluate the different equipment groups which come on these bikes.
For example, the Trek 1000C uses Shimano Sora components and sells for around $600. The low-end
Specialized Sequoia uses Sora components but sells in the $800 range. The 1200C and the Volpe, which
are closer to the $900 range, use Shimano Tiagra. The mid-level Specialized Sequoia uses Shimano New
105 components and sells for $1200. What are the major differences between these components and
would a casual rider such as myself really benefit from spending hundreds of dollars more for better
components? Obviously one thing to do is try the bikes out to see which feels the best, but I'd
still like opinions about what people like and don't like about the various components.
I'm interested in any opinions that people may have on bikes which may meet my requirements.
Thanks.
--
James Howe