Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

darylpicard
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Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby darylpicard » Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:30 pm

Hi all
I need to get a halfway decent road bike just for travelling to uni (about 10km each way) and don't really want to spend more than a few hundred dollars. So after looking at many websites and too many google searches to count I've narrowed it down to 2 bikes which are just 10 dollars apart. The first is the Momentum R120 Shimano Tourney for $259 and the other is the Reid Condor Road Bike for $269. I've looked through the specs and they both seem pretty comparable but I don't know which one is better. I know very little about either brand and not much info is to be found on them. I also don't want to get something that will totally put me off cycling either, that said I'm looking to stay in the <$300 price range at the moment. So can anyone help tell which of these two bikes is better or suggest anything better in that price range? Thanks in advance for any help.

PS: just googling either of the bikes will bring up their spec page in the first 1 or 2 links

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rodneycc
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby rodneycc » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:02 pm

Lobstermash is the expert in this category (that's meant to be a compliment btw). But I wouldn't go near the Condor. Any other Reid road bike is good value except the Condor I think is the general consensis (well a consensis of one or two!). Others may disagree but I'm a big fan of going online (ebay and gumtree) in your price bracket (always a few good cheap Giant defy's out there).

Good luck.
Last edited by rodneycc on Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby Mulger bill » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:06 pm

Hey Daryl, thanks for popping in.

Not a big distance there, are you sure you need gears? There's more'n one nice little SS/FG in your price range.

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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby lobstermash » Fri Mar 14, 2014 6:56 pm

If they were my only bike, I wouldn't go for either of those. Shaun's got a good point re a SS or fixie. They're very cheap and reliable.

If you must have gears, for a short commute like that, you'd be just as well off getting a mtb or (I hate to say it) a hybrid. My wife has a Reid X229 and it's a pretty damned good bike for the money. There's a sale on Reid's mtb range atm, which doesn't extend to the 'urban' (read that it's the same bike but with slicks) bikes, but I bet if you went to a Reid store they'd do an 'Urban' version for the same price. Literally the only difference is the tyres. Maxxis Overdrive are decent commuting tyres too.

If a road bike's your solid preference, mid-80s/early 90s steel roadies are a dime a dozen on Gumtree. Look for bikes with downtube or bar end shifters, quick release skewers on the wheels and preference 700C wheels for the best availability of replacement tyres.
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darylpicard
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby darylpicard » Sat Mar 15, 2014 5:10 am

Thanks for the replies guys. I chose those two bikes based on price alone but nice to know they're not very decent.

I would like to buy a nicer second hand bike like the giant defy but, and I probably should have mentioned this earlier, I need to get two bikes of similar specs, one for myself and one for my partner. Since finding a decent bike second hand in my size is hard enough I figure finding a smaller one for her as well is going to be no easy task.

The road I'll be taking to uni might not be very long but seriously, it's like a roller-coaster with steep hills and big downs so that's one reason I'm leaning towards gears and a light frame. The other reason is that down the line we want to go on the occasional day trip with the bikes like riding along Beach Road or similar. If we like it and want to continue we'll probably look at upgrading to better bikes and these bikes will still be our commuters to uni. Also another reason I want to stay cheap is these bikes are going to be left unattended for most of the day in isolated areas and it wouldn't be the first time bikes have been knocked off so the cheaper they are the less money I'll lose if this happens.

I've had a bit of a read around on the forum and have came to a few conclusions which may or may not be right so please correct me here: I believe it's better to have a full group-set rather than bits and pieces taken from several generations of gears as they'll work better together and deliver a better experience or does it make little difference? Is it better to have carbon forks for long rides as they make for a smoother experience (by dampening road vibrations) or do they do nothing but reduce weight (the vibrations are going to travel through the rest of the bike anyway)?

Finally I may have been a little hopeful in trying to find something for less than $300 so I've stretched the budget a little and come up with a few other options. The first is the Momentum R330 for $399 the second is the Cell 2014 Otway 1.0 also for $399. I did see that the Cell S2200SE was also at $399 but based on my understanding of what I said above about having a whole groupeset I didn't consider it much, should I and is it better than the previous two at the same price? Again if anyone has some other bikes to add to my list or specific things to look for in a bike I'm all ears. At the end I know it's going to come down to what I like best on a few test rides but I'd at least like to get something half decent to start out with.

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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby bychosis » Sat Mar 15, 2014 8:17 am

Your last post seems to be a little at odds. Want a cheapie for locking up unattended. Looking at nicer parts/bikes for a better ride. I guess only you can ultimately make those decisions. the nicer looking the bike the worse it is for theft, regardless of how cheap it was to start with.

My 2c is that a basic reid, cell etc will suffice, but def wont be a lightweight frame no matter how much marketing spin they put on it. It will however be better than a kmart bike and if bought from a shop (not online) have some after sales service. I'd still say looking out for second hand will be better 'value' and if its a bit knocked around but mechanically sound will be better for a lock up bike.
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby koshari » Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:56 am

bychosis wrote:I'd still say looking out for second hand will be better 'value' and if its a bit knocked around but mechanically sound will be better for a lock up bike.
I would say many are taking your advice.
The cost of half decent 2nd hand bikes on ebay seems to be a bit more exxy lately.

Before chrissie I picked up 3 absolute bargains all under $100.

All needed just a little attention but turned out to be keepers with about $50 spent on each.
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby rodneycc » Sat Mar 15, 2014 11:02 am

No harm in going a secondhand Giant defy for yourself and a Reid X229 for the partner. You can always justify it by saying "but yours is brand new honey and cost the same!" :-)

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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby darylpicard » Sun Mar 16, 2014 4:56 pm

I like the advice rodneycc. I guess the best option is to go second hand than. bychosis I'm a little confused, are you saying a nicer (newer) looking bike is more likely to be stolen? Also to answer your question bychosis I'm looking for the best bike I can get brand new for the least amount of money (second hand seems best option now though). It is unlikely to be stolen but possible so I don't want to buy my dream bike and have it nicked. That said I still want a half decent set of wheels (by decent I mean get me from a to b and still work after a year and be a bit better than your average kmart bike).

Just for the sake of knowing, between the Momentum R330 for $399, the Cell 2014 Otway 1.0 for $399 and the Cell S2200SE for $399 are any of them actually worth the money and which do you think is best (probably wont be getting one but just curious)? Also if anyone knows of second hand bikes that'll suit my needs please let me know, meanwhile I'll hit ebay and gumtree. Thanks for all the tips guys, really appreciate it.

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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby rodneycc » Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:16 pm

Out of the 3 of those I think I would go S2200se. But if you are in Melb or Syd I think you should on into yhe Cell shop and try it out along with x2 city bike hybrid which is a better spec and value for money at $499.

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-X2-Hyb ... ory=258691" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Maybe also look at the flat bar version of the s2200a at $350.


Edit: fyi I like the spec on the s2200a better than the s2200


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darylpicard
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby darylpicard » Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:35 pm

Out of the 3 of those I think I would go S2200se. But if you are in Melb or Syd I think you should on into yhe Cell shop and try it out along with x2 city bike hybrid which is a better spec and value for money at $499.

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-X2-Hyb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... ory=258691

Maybe also look at the flat bar version of the s2200a at $350.


Edit: fyi I like the spec on the s2200a better than the s2200
I can't seem to get your link to work nor can I find the s2200 or s2200a you mentioned? Also Cell's website is being a little strange atm, could be just my computer though.

I've dug up a few giant defy's for pretty cheap so I'm gonna have a look at them this weekend. The seller reckons they're 2013 defy 1's but based on the pictures they have sora group sets so should be defy 3's according to Giants website. Unless they're are some other editions that I don't know about.

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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby rangersac » Tue Mar 18, 2014 1:54 pm

darylpicard wrote:I've had a bit of a read around on the forum and have came to a few conclusions which may or may not be right so please correct me here: I believe it's better to have a full group-set rather than bits and pieces taken from several generations of gears as they'll work better together and deliver a better experience or does it make little difference? Is it better to have carbon forks for long rides as they make for a smoother experience (by dampening road vibrations) or do they do nothing but reduce weight (the vibrations are going to travel through the rest of the bike anyway)?
The whole idea of a complete groupset was a clever bit of marketing by the bike companies to make you think this. There's nothing wrong with having a drivetrain/ brakes made up from an assortment of components, this was basically the norm before the mid 90's. Most components are cross compatible until you get the 11sp road or 10sp MTB bracket, which is not an issue you are going to have given your budget. The front derailleur is a good example, at the end of the day it's just a cage that shoves the chain left and right. I used possibly the cheapest FD going for several years on a commuter, a DNP worth about $5 new. It never missed a beat in the time. What does matter is the quality of each individual component and the condition it's in.

Carbon forks: There's more to it than them just making a ride a smoother experience, as it depends on the type of weave, rake of the fork etc. However as a general rule carbon or steel forks can often more feel comfortable than alloy forks, as they have inherently more flexible properties.
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Re: Momentum vs Reid any good for a cheapie?

Postby rodneycc » Tue Mar 18, 2014 3:43 pm

darylpicard wrote:
Out of the 3 of those I think I would go S2200se. But if you are in Melb or Syd I think you should on into yhe Cell shop and try it out along with x2 city bike hybrid which is a better spec and value for money at $499.

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-X2-Hyb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... ory=258691

Maybe also look at the flat bar version of the s2200a at $350.


Edit: fyi I like the spec on the s2200a better than the s2200
I can't seem to get your link to work nor can I find the s2200 or s2200a you mentioned? Also Cell's website is being a little strange atm, could be just my computer though.

I've dug up a few giant defy's for pretty cheap so I'm gonna have a look at them this weekend. The seller reckons they're 2013 defy 1's but based on the pictures they have sora group sets so should be defy 3's according to Giants website. Unless they're are some other editions that I don't know about.
Yeah the Cell website always screw my links. I forgot to remove the end bit. Try these.

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-X2-Hybrid-City-Bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.this link is broken/Cell-2013-SS200a-City-Bike" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And yeah a Sora defy will be a defy 3, They are still a good bike. You can usually tell by the colour scheme as well. One of those for 300 or $400 in good condition or a defy 2 with tiagra are really good bikes (and they would be my first choice to be honest for you).
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