Recreational Cyclist Seeking Bike Suggestions



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Gary Welch

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I'm recreational cyclist who's retired and I would like suggestions on a bicycle in the $300-400
range. Here's my situation:

I generally ride 3-4 per week 15-30 miles each in good weather.

About 80% of my riding is on bike paths where a road bike wouldn't be very suitable. I live on one
path, in one direction it's stone dust in good condition. In the other direction the path is paved
but the first 4-5 miles are in poor condition with lots of roots. An upgrade of the latter is
planned but not yet scheduled. I occasionally do slower road rides but expect that most of my riding
will continue to be on paths. There aren't any significant hills in my immediate area.

I currently have an ATB that's too small for my 6'3" body but haven't had much problem with aches
and pains. I much prefer an upright riding position. I generally average 14-15 mph. Recreation
rather than performance is my primary goal.

The following are three possible bikes:

Gary Fisher Tiburon: A nice bike at a good price but it didn't feel quite right to me, perhaps more
adjustments would have helped.

Trek 7200: Comfortable. The most expensive of the three. The front shifter had extra clicks for each
gear to better align the front derailleur to the angle of the chain as the rear gear changes, a
feature that I didn't find very intuitive.

Jamis Aragon: A comfortable bike at a very good price. Some of the components appear to be a step
above those on the other two bikes. I wasn't previously familiar with Jamis, only one bike shop in
my area sells them.

The bikes that I tested were all the correct size (22"-22.5") for me.

Does anyone have any experience with these models, especially the Jamis?
 
"Gary Welch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm recreational cyclist who's retired and I would like suggestions on a bicycle in the $300-400
> range. Here's my situation:
>
> I generally ride 3-4 per week 15-30 miles each in good weather.
>
> About 80% of my riding is on bike paths where a road bike wouldn't be very suitable. I live on one
> path, in one direction it's stone dust in good condition. In the other direction the path is paved
> but the first 4-5
miles
> are in poor condition with lots of roots. An upgrade of the latter is planned but not yet
> scheduled. I occasionally do slower road rides but expect that most of my riding will continue to
> be on paths. There aren't any significant hills in my immediate area.
>
> I currently have an ATB that's too small for my 6'3" body but haven't had much problem with aches
> and pains. I much prefer an upright riding position. I generally average 14-15 mph. Recreation
> rather than performance is my primary goal.
>
> The following are three possible bikes:
>
> Gary Fisher Tiburon: A nice bike at a good price but it didn't feel quite right to me, perhaps
> more adjustments would have helped.
>
> Trek 7200: Comfortable. The most expensive of the three. The front shifter had extra clicks for
> each gear to better align the front
derailleur
> to the angle of the chain as the rear gear changes, a feature that I
didn't
> find very intuitive.
>
> Jamis Aragon: A comfortable bike at a very good price. Some of the components appear to be a step
> above those on the other two bikes. I
wasn't
> previously familiar with Jamis, only one bike shop in my area sells them.
>
> The bikes that I tested were all the correct size (22"-22.5") for me.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with these models, especially the Jamis?
>

I bought the Jamis Aragon last summer on the recommendation of the owner of my local bike shop. My
riding habits seems to be very similar to yours. I ride mostly on the paved bike trails in our area
but have done rides on crushed limestone(Katy Trail) with it and had no problems other than near 100
temps and lots of dust<g>. I've been very pleased with the bike and like it much better than my
other one which is a Gaint Cypress. The Jamis seems much sturdier. My longest ride on it so far has
been 40 miles and I found it very comfortable.

If you want any more info just ask....

Beverly
 
>Trek 7200: Comfortable. The most expensive of the three. The front shifter had extra clicks for
>each gear to better align the front derailleur to the angle of the chain as the rear gear changes,
>a feature that I didn't find very intuitive.
>
>Does anyone have any experience with these models, especially the Jamis?

I have a Trek 7200 that I outfitted with fenders and toe clips and use as my everyday commuting and
around town bicycle. It is a hybrid with 700x35 tires and if I were going on more bumpy paths, I'd
probably put slightly wider tires on it. For general back and forth to work, it has done fine,
though had the following items come up in the past year (of ~1500 miles of riding this bike):

-- left shifter broke, replaced -- broke three or four spokes -- wore through original rear
tire that came with the bike -- esge fenders I have somehow still seem to leave a stripe --
replaced the chain as it stretched

As a basic bike for riding, I've been happy and it has let me keep my touring bikes for longer
rides. I don't own an automobile, so it has seen a bit of every type of weather and a moderate
variety of roads.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen
 
I have the Gary Fisher Zebrano, which is one model up the food chain from the Tiburon you mentioned.
I paid $375 for it new in Scottsdale, AZ, so it would also seem to be in your price range. It has a
couple of upgraded features from the Tiburon, in particular it has an 8-speed cassette instead of a
7-speed. My riding style is very similar to yours in terms of surface, distance, and ride frequency.
At close to 60 years old, I also want the upright riding style of the hybrid bike. I'm not as tall
at 5'11", but weighed 245 lbs when I started 6 months ago. (Have now lost over 20 lbs largely due to
the bike riding!). I have been delighted with the Zebrano and my cycling improvement has been so
notable that four of my cycling buddies have been motivated to buy new similar bikes. Two of them
bought the same Gary Fisher Zebrano model and are also happy with their purchase. Two of them spent
more money - one of those bought a Trek 7300 for $500 and now says that he wished he had got the
Zebrano instead. The last guy spent a lot more for a Trek 7700 and is happy. We are all happy with
the hybrids.

I think the important thing is to have the LBS spend time fitting the bike to your frame. The
Zebrano has lots of adjustments available to move the seat and handlebars in several different
dierections to get the fit perfect for you. (I have no knowledge of the Jamis you asked about) Dave
Ford "Gary Welch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm recreational cyclist who's retired and I would like suggestions on a bicycle in the $300-400
> range. Here's my situation:
>
> I generally ride 3-4 per week 15-30 miles each in good weather.
>
> About 80% of my riding is on bike paths where a road bike wouldn't be very suitable. I live on one
> path, in one direction it's stone dust in good condition. In the other direction the path is paved
> but the first 4-5
miles
> are in poor condition with lots of roots. An upgrade of the latter is planned but not yet
> scheduled. I occasionally do slower road rides but expect that most of my riding will continue to
> be on paths. There aren't any significant hills in my immediate area.
>
> I currently have an ATB that's too small for my 6'3" body but haven't had much problem with aches
> and pains. I much prefer an upright riding position. I generally average 14-15 mph. Recreation
> rather than performance is my primary goal.
>
> The following are three possible bikes:
>
> Gary Fisher Tiburon: A nice bike at a good price but it didn't feel quite right to me, perhaps
> more adjustments would have helped.
>
> Trek 7200: Comfortable. The most expensive of the three. The front shifter had extra clicks for
> each gear to better align the front
derailleur
> to the angle of the chain as the rear gear changes, a feature that I
didn't
> find very intuitive.
>
> Jamis Aragon: A comfortable bike at a very good price. Some of the components appear to be a step
> above those on the other two bikes. I
wasn't
> previously familiar with Jamis, only one bike shop in my area sells them.
>
> The bikes that I tested were all the correct size (22"-22.5") for me.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with these models, especially the Jamis?
 
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