Wanting to buy new commuter/hybrid bike

[aliascraig]

Wanting to buy new commuter/hybrid bike (Avanti Discovery 8 or Giant Cypress City)

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Wanting to buy a new bike for city/around town/commuter use and have really decided that I wanted to try and get one of the new Shimano 8 speed hubbed bikes in a hybrid a go. Unfortunately there are not many around, especially with the Alfine or the redline (deluxe) nexus hubset. I really wanted a hybrid type this time with its better riding position as I already have a mountain bike (I find it very uncomfortable I have to lean over too much and can get lower back pains if I spend too long on it) which I keep damaging the derailer on getting it in and out of the car and in and out of the bike racks at uni.



I think that I have narrowed it down to the Avanti Discovery 8 as it has most of the features but doesn’t have mudguards (something that I would really like). This comes with a Shimano Nexus 8 speed hub. The other is a Giant Cypress City which comes with guards but only has a Shimano 7 speed nexus hub (don’t know where they got these from but Shimano no longer makes these) and most people seem to prefer the 8 speed.



My question is which has the better frame The Avanti has an alloy 6061 frame;

http://www.avantibikes.com/comfort/disc ... spx?bid=22

and the Giant has an ALEXX Fluid formed alloy (whatever that means)

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/bik ... 187/31873/


The reason that I ask is that I wanted to try and get this bike to last a long time. I can’t seem to buy what I want (a hybrid with guards and an alfine hub set with disc brakes, rapid fire gear selector etc) but guess that I will just have to buy one of these and replace parts as necessary (or when I just get sick and tired of them).



Does anyone have any good or bad things to say about these brands, frames or hub sets?

Thanks, Craig

[hartleymartin]

If you have the money, you may consider one of Gazelle's products:

2009 Model City Bikes:
http://www.gazellebicycles.com.au/produ ... bikes.html

2008 7-speed model:
http://www.gazellebicycles.com.au/produ ... -city.html

I had a good chat with a fellow on the Sydney Tweed Ride the other day - he was riding a 7-speed model, and he said that the only change he had made was to install a larger sprocket on the back to give him better low range gearing. He described himself as a utility cyclist and used his bicycle for all the various short trips such as shopping and generally getting about town. He didn't ride very fast, so he didn't need higher gears anyway. He indicated to me that a fairly low first gear of about 30 to 35 inches was desirable for hill-climbing.

[Christine Tham]

My friend has just bought an Avanti Discovery 8 (low step version, medium) and I've ridden it a few times. I have a Giant Cypress (ladies version, also medium frame)

Comparing between the two:
- the hub gears roughly compare to the Giant's 2-1 to 2-8 (Shimano Acera), but doesn't step as evenly (large gaps between some gears, very small gaps between others)
- i had trouble climbing hills, unless i use the lowest gear (in comparison, I can climb most hills on the Giant on 2-2 and only the toughest hills require 2-1 and I almost never use 1-1)
- all in all, it did not feel as "fast" as my Giant - this could be due to the tyres
- on the plus side, i love being able to change gears when stopped
- whilst pedalling, changing gears can take a little while to settle - workaround is to stop pedalling, change, then start pedalling again
- the seat tube is a little bit more vertical than on my Giant, which made my legs feel more cramped.
- the front wheel is very close to the bottom tube, where the bottle holding screws are. May have problems fitting a fender (may scrape a bottle or the toes of my feet whilst pedalling)

A lot of these comments refer to the Low Step frame - the normal frame may not have these problems.

I haven't tried the Giant Cypress City, but based on the specs I would think it's a better buy (I think they are both the same price), even though it only has 7 gears. My thoughts are:
- better frame (I'm comparing the ladies/low step versions)
- slicker tyres (Michelin City)
- apparently the 7 gear hub is more "balanced" across gear ratios than the 8 gear hub
- chainguard (quite useful if wearing long pants)
- fenders built in

[aliascraig]

Martin, thanks for that. I had a look at the Gazelle bikes and yes they do seem to have all of the trimmings but at around $2000 they don't seem to give them away. But I will consider them in the future if I continue to ride to and from work and uni. Unfortunately I sometimes have a tendency to buy equipment, use it a few times and just let it sit in the corner so I may be better off getting something more budget lined and if I tend to use it a lot, or wear it out upgrade to something more of better quality.

Christine, thanks a million for that comparison. I did ride both bikes but only for around 100 or so metres (neither retailer was too keen about really testing them) which is why I am asking about these here. I too think that I need the medium frame and it is interesting what you say that about the seven speed. It was the only thing swaying me away from the GIANT but I had a look around on the net and although shimano no longer seems to make the seven speed unit everybody seems to say that the gears are more evenly stepped, even though they don’t have the same range as the 8 speed. None of the bike shops seem to like the internal geared hubs because of the ranges and the fact that they can’t repair them (apparently need to be sent back to shimano) but I was still keen to give them a go. But I have a mountain bike with a derailer which I have damaged several times in bike racks and getting it in and out of cars and never really use all of the ranges , only seem to use the middle ones. I guess that I will really need to travel further around Brisbane and find a GIANT and AVANTI dealer who will really let me take it for a real test, a good kilometre or so on the road, not just 100 metres on a footpath with pedestrians.

Many thanks in return,
Craig.

[Zynster]

Check out Bicycle Obsession in Albert St, CBD. They're a Giant dealer, and have indicated to me that they're happy to let customers test ride bikes around the nearby Botanical Gardens. I haven't bought a bike off them, but they've always been nice and friendly when I've gone in for a browse.

[Christine Tham]

aliascraig, I am surprised that bike shops were discouraging you from internal hubs because at least two bike shops I went to were actively encouraging me to buy them. The key advantages they cited were as you said: low maintenance, and ability to change gears while stopped.

I must admit, I was very tempted, but in the end I went for the Cypress because I couldn't afford the Cypress City, and I was a little worried about hill climbing ability. Most importantly, however, was that the Cypress City LDS didn't come in a medium frame, and was a horrible goldy colour whereas the Cypress has a nice pink and silver frame (VERY important purchase criterion, since I am a lover of all things pink!)

[vader]

Pity, I just bought a cypress city, and can't praise it enough. Even though the hub is meant to bed in only after 500k or so, I thought it was just fine out of the box. All the posts say one of the advantages is being able to change gears when stopped - at first I didn't appreciate why you would need to do that - just change down as you are slowing. I use mine as a commuter, and there are times when you don't want to change down in case you don't need to stop. Now I just leave it - if I have to stop, just change then, otherwise stay in high. As a commuter, the city (and cypress) are very comfortable, and I would recommend them, especially at the price. The city as a little more expensive, however I don't play the gear games any more ie. next hill, need to be in 2,6 flat 3,8 etc. Now, if it is hard to peddle, just shift down. You don't have to worry about crossing the chain. The ratio spread is almost exactly the same as the gears I actually used in my old mtb. In fact it is slightly more (244% compared with 220%).

Just my $0.02

Cheers,
Jeff

[vader]

Depending on where you are, I would say to give Kenmore Cycles a go (western suburbs). They were more than happy to let me go for a test ride. If you want, there are some good hills to test the low gears.

Another point is that I use all 7 (well spaced) gears on the hub. I only ever used 2x4 2x6 3x6 3x7 and 3x8 on my old bike. 1st is slightly lower than 2x4 and 7th is about the same as 3x8. Old mtb was a dawes tamarak with standard altera gear.

Cheers,
Jeff

[aliascraig]

Zynstar, Thanks for that. I checked them out and unfortunately they don't have any in stock or usually carry it but I will have to try Kenmore cycles again to see if they have one in now.

Christine and Vader, thanks again. I have just tried Kenmore cycles again and unfortunately they don’t want to get another one in unless I will buy it (in that frame size anyway). They didn't have one last time I inquired. Yes it is strange that several bike shops have seemed to rubbish these Nexus hubs. They really wanted me to try and get a standard derailer type bike and told me I was wasting money buying that hub as they were unrepairable, and had a very high faulty return rate My search on the net and from comments on the web it seems that while there have been a few which have had problems most have worked well and people are happy with them. They are easily repairable, you can even do this yourself, and they do not need special tools.

Since there doesn't seem to be any problems with the Giant and the subsequent owners are happy and the hubs seem to be what I am after then I really need to try and get a serious test drive. Even if I have to shop around a bit. It looks like the major trouble will be trying to find someone who has one since nobody has one here left in stock over here. They all want a purchase to order one in. Anyhow if I can get away on the weekend I will ring and drive around to see if I can get a good test drive and hopefully buy one (if all goes well).

Thanks for the advice.

Craig.

[cubbie]

Hi Guys I am new here,
Thought I would add to this thread rather than start another. I am buying my wife a bike for a very short (only about 2k) commute to work and the occasional longer ride on the weekend. We are after a Hybrid.

I have looked at 4 bikes. The Avanti Discovery ($539), Mongoose Crossway (599), Giant Innova (500?) and the Giant Cypress (699). I was also told we could get he Giant Farago (699).

700 is probably just a bit more than we want to spend as I doubt we will be in the saddle to much, however I was after some opinons on these bikes. We are looking at a small mens frame rather than the ladies frame (just becuase they look nicer).

I have found it hard to compare these bike because all the stores I been into stock different brands.

One feature of the mongoose I did like was being able to look the front shocks.

Thanks for any advice.

By the way I am in Perth.

[Christine Tham]

Hi Guys I am new here,
Thought I would add to this thread rather than start another. I am buying my wife a bike for a very short (only about 2k) commute to work and the occasional longer ride on the weekend. We are after a Hybrid.

I have looked at 4 bikes. The Avanti Discovery ($539), Mongoose Crossway (599), Giant Innova (500?) and the Giant Cypress (699). I was also told we could get he Giant Farago (699).

700 is probably just a bit more than we want to spend as I doubt we will be in the saddle to much, however I was after some opinons on these bikes. We are looking at a small mens frame rather than the ladies frame (just becuase they look nicer).

I have found it hard to compare these bike because all the stores I been into stock different brands.

One feature of the mongoose I did like was being able to look the front shocks.

Thanks for any advice.

By the way I am in Perth.

You may want to wait for the 2010 models to come out. For Giant at least, the new models appear to be better equipped and significantly cheaper than the 09 models.

My personal opinion of the bikes you mentioned is: the Mongoose is really light and rides really well, the Giant models tend to be better value for money in terms of price/features (though the prices you have been quoted are expensive - the Cypress for example should be selling at approximately the same price as the Discovery or Crossway). The Discovery seems to be slightly under-speced compared to the Cypress (no front suspension locking, cheaper brakes and tyres).

PS - I was warned that front suspension locking is a gimmick as the lock is not very strong and you should not ride with it locked all the time. In any case, I don't find the front suspension intrusive even when climbing hills, so I leave it unlocked all the time.

[cubbie]

Hi Christine,

Thanks for your thoughts. I was looking to buy this weekend or next week, do you know when the 2010 stock is due out? The bike is for my wife's birthday which is August 1st.

Also if anyone knows of any good deals around Perth I would love to hear them.

Cheers.

[AlanAtom]

G'day Cubbie,

The front forks on the '08 Giant Innova and Farrago bikes are also lockable (not sure about the other models). My Innova and Farrago bikes (before I sold it) are solid, refined and comfortable on road, gravel and light off-road surfaces and I thoroughly recommend them. For a weight weenie, they may be heavy at 13kgs. If the bike will be used mainly on road may I suggest flat bar road bikes such as the Giant CRX which are lighter and more agile.

Christine - that picture of your bike looks like it was taken at Homebush Bay!

Cheers,
Alan

[cubbie]

Cheers Alan,

Yeah the wife is a bit of a weight weenie. The bike will mainly be used on the road, though she likes the idea of the front shocks to soften the bumps and to take things off road every now and then.

Looks like the Giants keep coming up as the winner.

[cubbie]

So i have been able to find a Cypress for $600 and also a Trek 7000 for $599.

I was thinking the trek maybe a good option.

[Christine Tham]

Hi Christine,

Thanks for your thoughts. I was looking to buy this weekend or next week, do you know when the 2010 stock is due out? The bike is for my wife's birthday which is August 1st.

Cheers.

Just a suggestion - may not be a good idea to "surprise" your wife with a bike on her birthday.

If that happened to me, I would be pretty cheesed off that I did not get to choose something that I liked.

PS - my birthday is exactly 1 week after your wife's.

[2WheelsGood]

Given that my birthday is also August 1st - I thought I should comment

Well actually - my wife and I just bought some hybrids - and I have a touring bike so I can tell you a bit about weight / sepped / comfort etc.

I think the Giant Perigee is very nice being relatively light would good parts and the Innova is not bad either - but they don't make the Innova in women's frame. They are somewhat expensive.

Hop on bike exchange and see if there are any run out deals on more expensive bikes. I picked up a Merida Crossway 300 V for $599 brand new 2 weeks ago in Melbourne - and that is a nice bike - it is as light as the Perigee and about half the price - it has lockout, deore derailleurs etc. I can recommend Merida - they are the second biggest frame manufacturer in the world and make frames for a few other brands.

Anyway, if you are doing a short distance and plan to do cycle paths then a hybird is the most appropriate. The flat bar road bikes are only advantageous if you are doing long commutes. If you want to go faster on your hybrid, get clip in pedals and change the tyres to 32 or 28mm tyres - you will be amazed at how much faster the bike goes compared to 45 mm tyres. The weight of the bike is not so important on the flat - more so when going up a hill - but if you are not in a hurry then it really doesn't matter that much.

Also most hybrids have attachment points for rear racks which is handy when commuting - make that mandatory.

Good luck!