# The Right Bike for Me Pt. 2 (Trek VS. Giant)



## DecafPoetess (Jun 19, 2005)

Hello again! In researching my bike purchase, I have realized that I need to change my criteria a little bit. I checked out Trek and Giant bikes online and found 8 that tickle my fancy. The price range for these bikes is approximately $280-$470. I think that the bikes of both brands are equivalent. Let me know if you have an opinion!

Giant
Sedona, Sedona DX, Sedona LX

VS.

Trek
Navigator 100, Navigator 200, Navigator 300

ANNND!

Giant Simple 7 VS. Trek Calypso

Also, how do I decide between the Sedona/Navigators and the Simple 7/Calypsos (i.e. between comfort and cruiser)?

These are women's bikes of course!

Thank YOU!

*Edit -- I'm also checking out the Giant Cypress series; thoughts welcome!


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## SJBiker (Jan 22, 2004)

*Good decisions*



DecafPoetess said:


> Hello again! In researching my bike purchase, I have realized that I need to change my criteria a little bit. I checked out Trek and Giant bikes online and found 8 that tickle my fancy. The price range for these bikes is approximately $280-$470. I think that the bikes of both brands are equivalent. Let me know if you have an opinion!
> 
> Giant
> Sedona, Sedona DX, Sedona LX
> ...


You're making some good decisions here. You need to remember though that your bike needs to be a low-profile bike if you'll use it around campus. I've had oodles of fun on used (or found in dumpsters lol) bikes that I fixed up with less than $10 of parts and rode with abandon, knowing that if it got stolen, it wasn't much of a loss for me, but only a minor inconvenience. That being said, considering what you defined yout preferences as in your other thread, I'd definitely go with a comfort bike. A cruiser has coaster brakes (where you push the pedals 'backward' to brake, which you don't want) and a cruiser will NOT accelerate like you want to. However, a comfort bike has handle-bar brakes and maybe a shifter or not (depending on your gear range preferance) and can have accessories added to it such as a basket etc. A comfort bike will of course accelerate faster than a cruiser and you'll be able to do a much more productive workout on a comfort bike than a cruiser. I'm going with at least the Trek Navigator 200.


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## RodeRash (May 18, 2005)

DecafPoetess said:


> Hello again! In researching my bike purchase, I have realized that I need to change my criteria a little bit. I checked out Trek and Giant bikes online and found 8 that tickle my fancy. The price range for these bikes is approximately $280-$470. I think that the bikes of both brands are equivalent. Let me know if you have an opinion!
> 
> Giant
> Sedona, Sedona DX, Sedona LX
> ...



I think Trek over Giant in terms of brand and mfg warranty reputation. You know, Trek -- Lance Armstrong, Tour de France . . . 

You're looking at the bikes that will fit your needs. Comfortable with gears. The Navigators are variations or hybrids on the mountain bike design. The Calypso is a multi-geared version of the "cruiser" -- heavier tires and more relaxed rider position. 

But "rider position" is a trade off. It's like the difference between a Lazy Boy recliner and an office chair. The former you can sleep in while the TV is running, but it's not designed for sitting in front of the computer. The office chair is great at the computer, but you don't want to sit in it to watch TV. 

But from ALL the choices you're looking at, it seems you're inclined more toward the office chair than the Lazy Boy. Navigator . . . middle weight tires, comfortable, but efficient frame, intermediate rider position -- efficient, but not extreme like a racing bike, not "laid back" like a cruiser. 

The Calypso is a "style" bike . . . like a PT Cruiser or tassled loafers. It's stylish, but you're going to give up speed and distance on a Calypso. A Navigator will get you a bit more speed and more distance on a ride without a lot of compromise on comfort. 

You're narrowing it all down. What do you think?


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## RodeRash (May 18, 2005)

SJBiker said:


> You're making some good decisions here. You need to remember though that your bike needs to be a low-profile bike if you'll use it around campus. I've had oodles of fun on used (or found in dumpsters lol) bikes that I fixed up with less than $10 of parts and rode with abandon, knowing that if it got stolen, it wasn't much of a loss for me, but only a minor inconvenience. That being said, considering what you defined yout preferences as in your other thread, I'd definitely go with a comfort bike. A cruiser has coaster brakes (where you push the pedals 'backward' to brake, which you don't want) and a cruiser will NOT accelerate like you want to. However, a comfort bike has handle-bar brakes and maybe a shifter or not (depending on your gear range preferance) and can have accessories added to it such as a basket etc. A comfort bike will of course accelerate faster than a cruiser and you'll be able to do a much more productive workout on a comfort bike than a cruiser. I'm going with at least the Trek Navigator 200.



Yes!!! 

Jeez, I remember all the horror stories on campus about stolen bikes. Campus bikes are a huge theft target. Bike thieves head to campus because that's where the bikes are. 

So, on campus . . . and you're going to be their for four years, not a long time in the scheme of things . . . maybe cruise the thrift shops and used bike shops to find something funky, pragmatic, efficient. 

Bikes don't really wear out. You might find, in a college town, some sweet ol' bike that got sold when the student graduated and moved on. Some mechanically sound, nice old bike is great on campus. 

Take a look at the "retro bikes" in these forums -- Some nice old stuff. 

Used old bikes have a certain charm, but they don't get targeted by the bike scoundrels on campus because they're not shiney and expensive.And they have a panache like faded Levis. 

Then, when you graduate . . . and get on with the poetics of your life, you can take your "college bike" have it bronzed and displayed in the corner of your study. And get yourself a nice new, shiny bike for the rest of your wonderful life. 

*G* 

That make sense?


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## Jett (Mar 21, 2004)

RodeRash said:


> I think Trek over Giant in terms of brand and mfg warranty reputation. You know, Trek -- Lance Armstrong, Tour de France . . .


Please don't let Lance Armstrong be a deciding factor in choosing a brand. Lance rides whatever his sponsors give him. Giant is one of the big boys too. They're actually largest bike manufacturer in the world. If you want to throw names around Jan Ulrich rode a Giant in the Tour de France when he was with T-Mobile.


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

Jett said:


> Please don't let Lance Armstrong be a deciding factor in choosing a brand. Lance rides whatever his sponsors give him. Giant is one of the big boys too. They're actually largest bike manufacturer in the world. If you want to throw names around Jan Ulrich rode a Giant in the Tour de France when he was with T-Mobile.


Ullrich is *still* with T-mobile, and prior to starting their sponsorship of T-mobile in 2004 Giant was sponsoring ONCE until 2003. ONCE then became Liberty Seguros-Wurth and switched to BH bikes instead.

Regardless, Giant makes nice bikes, and probably is a better value than Trek bikes of the same MSRP. Almost every bike that the original poster is considering at her price point is made in Taiwan, so why not go with an actually Taiwanese company like Giant rather than pay for Trek's expensive advertisements and endorsement of Lance Armstrong? ;-)


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

Jett said:


> Please don't let Lance Armstrong be a deciding factor in choosing a brand. Lance rides whatever his sponsors give him. Giant is one of the big boys too. They're actually largest bike manufacturer in the world. If you want to throw names around Jan Ulrich rode a Giant in the Tour de France when he was with T-Mobile.


Well, Ullrich is *still* with T-mobile, and prior to starting their sponsorship of T-mobile in 2004 Giant was sponsoring ONCE until 2003. ONCE then became Liberty Seguros-Wurth and switched to BH bikes instead.

Regardless, Giant makes nice bikes, and probably is a better value than Trek bikes of the same MSRP. Almost every bike that the original poster is considering at her price point is made in Taiwan or that part of the world, so why not go with an actual Taiwanese company like Giant rather than pay for Trek's expensive advertisements / endorsement of all things Lance Armstrong, and their American bureaucracy? ;-)

Per the law of supply and demand (and bike lust), celebrity-endorsed things can usually be priced a little higher for the same quality, or have lower value for the same price.


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## Jett (Mar 21, 2004)

orange_julius said:


> Ullrich is *still* with T-mobile, and prior to starting their sponsorship of T-mobile in 2004 Giant was sponsoring ONCE until 2003. ONCE then became Liberty Seguros-Wurth and switched to BH bikes instead.


You're right, Ullrich is still with T-Mobile. Brain doesn't work very well at 4 in the morning.


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