# Considering buying a bike online. Suggestions/advice?



## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

Okay, here's what happened.

I bought a bike from REI, and it was too big. They had no fitter there to properly assess me so I went somewhere else. I returned the bike, got another, and this one had rubbing disc brakes. Through the next 48 hours, I found out that the REI in Southside in Pittsburgh only has two mechanics who actually know anything about hydraulic disc brakes, and they don't work all the time there. One guy bled the brakes, and when I came to pick up the bike they were still rubbing, and another guy was there. This guy basically messed around with the bike for 40 minutes tightening and recentering the assembly, and the bike would spin well in the repair stand, but then on test ride the brakes would still rub. Then he said this was "beyond" him and told me that the person who came in the next day would fix it and call me. I never got a call, became aggravated with the lack of experience and customer service, and returned that bike as well.

I have a road bike, but I want a hybrid as well to ride in the winter. I want something I can put through its paces now in order to dial in fit and deal with cable stretching and other issues before the snow and rain and horribleness hits. I don't want to pay LBS prices because they're generally higher, and they generally don't have liberal return policies and if something goes wrong with the bike and I find the LBS to be incompetent (which is what happened with my road bike, which I am currently maintaining just fine myself) I am going to be very angry all over again.

So that leaves the option of buying a bike myself (hopefully at a ridiculous deal) and maintaining it myself. Problem is I'm not too into the idea of buying a used bike because I don't want to deal with 20 problems in the first year, I'd rather deal with like, say, 5. I don't have the know-how to look a bike over and say "good" , "great" or "bad" yet, and I don't have friends who ride bikes. I mean nobody I know does what I do. (Finding group rides etc is proving to be a bit time consuming and inconvenient considering my work schedule) So I was thinking I should buy a new bike online, and assemble it myself.

Here's the TYPE of bike, and price range, at which I was looking:

Focus Corrente Tiagra City Bike 2011 > Complete Bikes | Jenson USA Online Bike Shop

-Disc brakes
- Aluminum (or steel), rigid
- Flat bar
- Clearance for fenders and ice tires and all that crazy winter nonsense that I threw on the first bike I bought 

Now I can't tell objectively whether this is better or worse than the other bikes I bought:

Novara Big Buzz Bike - 2014 at REI.com
Marin Muirwoods 29er Bike - 2014 at REI.com

But I can tell you that, if I buy a bike I have to assemble, I have tons of time with which to assemble it properly (winter is not for another 5 or so months) Also, if I own two bikes, maintaining or building either one can be done on my schedule, and will facilitate my education.

What does everyone think of this approach?

PS: Previously, I was somewhat stoked about getting the first and then the other bike that I did, test riding them was fun and I thought the second bike really would do quite well. Now I'm not in a hurry, nor am I particularly excited, about buying a bike. I just want something that works, has my broad component requests, and is offered at a price that isn't a complete skewer-job. I want the Toyota Camry of winter commuting bikes.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Two things come to mind here... You returned a bike because (unbeknownst to you) it was ill fitting, then bought another that had disc brake issues, which no one could fix, so you returned it.

With those two issues in mind, why do you think 1) you'll be capable of sizing yourself and buy online, and 2) if the disc brake rubs, who'll fix it? If you're going to do your own wrenching on this online purchase, why not fix the second bike you bought, rather than lose faith in customer support and return it? 

Not trying to be critical here, but (TBH) not following your logic, either.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

If REI had fixed the brake problem AND called me back like they said they would, then I would have kept the bike. I don't see the benefit of buying a bike in a store that has useless mechanics and poor customer service, because I feel as though part of the price of the bike goes toward paying them. Personally, I went home and checked my blue book, and I thought they could have reset the brake pistons. If I had a shot at the bike, that's what I would have done after trying to recenter the brakes. 

In terms of sizing, I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to size a bike for myself, but I figured I could test ride two or three bikes, take note of their measurements and try as best I can to match them by checking measurement charts posted for bikes online.

I liked the Big Buzz in terms of general size category, and so I looked at the sizing chart for that bike and figured I would use it as a benchmark for sizing on a bike I bought online. The Focus bike I pointed out, for example, in size S, has a top tube that's 1 cm longer than the big Buzz's, which I think would work because I felt considerably upright on the Novara bike. Also, on the big buzz, the seat had to be raised to fit me, and the Focus S size has a seat tube that's already longer than that of the Big Buzz, which I think may work in my favour.

Does this sizing chart comparison thing make sense or should I just try at an LBS, or get a fitter to size me for a bike? Or this is just overall a terrible idea?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

I don't think this is a terrible idea, and I get your point about paying for a service and not getting it. 

But (again TBH) I don't like the idea of using a LBS's inventory to hone in on sizing requirements, then buy online. Besides being unfair, you can easily mislead yourself into thinking you need an incorrect frame size. 

If your intent is to buy online, your idea of being upfront with your LBS and paying for a standard fitting is the better route. 

Also, be aware that there's more to determining reach than JUST the effective top tube measurement. When comparing geo numbers, you also have to factor in STA, HTA and HTL. All affect reach. This is why it's best for the uninitiated to work with a reputable shop when buying online. They can asssist you in getting a correctly sized bike.


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## adjtogo (Nov 18, 2006)

Go ahead, buy the bike online. Once it come in, and it again doesn't fit or there's a problem, just use it as an expensive coat rack. Or, hang it by the rear wheel in your hallway like Jerry Seinfeld did and walk past it everyday as a reminder of the money you wasted buying online. It might help you to remember to buy at a local bike shop the next time, where you'll get professional service and a professional sales staff who can help fit you to the bike properly. 

I hardly consider REI a professional bike shop.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

A couple observations:
REI charges LBS prices. You don't save money going there.
REI is not a bike shop. They're a general outdoor sports store.
Without help, you chose the wrong size. You don't get to test ride an online bike.
Trek has super-liberal return policies. Many other local shops will meet you halfway on purchase mistakes, though not to the extent that REI or a Trek dealer will.

So here's what I think you should do. Buy this bike.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/town/fitness/fx/7_4_fx_disc/#

Flat bars, hydraulic discs, a short top tube, and a liberal return policy. I don't usually make specific bike recommendations, but you bracketed your desire pretty tightly; this is the only one that meets all that and doesn't have a crappy suspension fork.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

So this was a very constructive post, PJ's posts were as well.

Q: I combed the trek store website and they mentioned a 30-day return policy, could you elaborate on the company's liberal return/exchange policy?

There's a trek store 10 miles from me, its not quite 'local' but I think its worth visiting after work on Thursday. I'm gonna check in with a few other LBSs too, get a feel for what they're putting out, and also collect info on getting sized if that's the route I end up going. This trek is slightly out of my budget, but when weighed against how much I'll use it I don't think it will matter much.

One thing that has certainly changed is the time frame for this purchase. I'm going to start looking on Thursday, but I leave for Thailand for two weeks on Friday. Back may 11th, might look for another two weeks and pull the trigger but if I wait until June 1st, night shift for two weeks then, so may not end up pulling the trigger until July. I'm not concerned about that though, not looking to rush into anything.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

You probably already know more about Trek's return policy than I do at this point. Basically, it's a Trek-backed no-questions-asked kind of a deal, so the shop doesn't lose in the way that they do if you return a bike they've had to buy and that doesn't have that backing from the manufacturer. But I'm really not enough of an insider to know the ins and outs. Bring it up with the dealer. I thought there was a more liberal guarantee, but am too lazy to try to track it down now. Anyway, I bought my wife some tires for her hybrid based on the idea that I could return them if they didn't fit. They did, so I haven't tried to exercise it.

I don't think 10 miles is such a bad distance. It's not walking distance, but it's easy enough by bike or car. The shop that sponsors my team is about 80 miles from where I live. That's not local.  I still take some of my business there.

You can probably go less expensive on the FX if you give up hydraulic for the disc brakes. Mechanicals can work really well, and I find them easier to maintain. However, I have no idea how they perform in snow. I could see it being a problem, similar to how derailleurs sometimes get clogged. On the other hand, mechanical disc brakes have a ton of mechanical advantage going on. So it might be kind of a braking/dragging situation, which isn't that big a deal, not a no braking situation, which is dangerous.

Given the 30-day thing, maybe buy the bike in May and start commuting on it. If between riding it a bunch and maybe seeing the fitter again it seems right, I think you're unlikely to find a problem after the return period.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> You probably already know more about Trek's return policy than I do at this point. Basically, it's a Trek-backed no-questions-asked kind of a deal, so the shop doesn't lose in the way that they do if you return a bike they've had to buy and that doesn't have that backing from the manufacturer. But I'm really not enough of an insider to know the ins and outs. Bring it up with the dealer. I thought there was a more liberal guarantee, but am too lazy to try to track it down now. Anyway, I bought my wife some tires for her hybrid based on the idea that I could return them if they didn't fit. They did, so I haven't tried to exercise it.
> 
> I don't think 10 miles is such a bad distance. It's not walking distance, but it's easy enough by bike or car. The shop that sponsors my team is about 80 miles from where I live. That's not local.  I still take some of my business there.
> 
> ...



So I cut away some time and went to the Trek store today. There's actually a closer branch than 10 miles out. The manager used to be a mechanic at a different Trek store, and he recommended hydraulics for the winter for several reasons which I had already read online. I told him I wanted a flat bar hybrid for the winter commute and, interestingly enough, he actually narrowed it down himself to the 7.4.

Trek's policy is that, if you don't like the bike, you can return it within 30 days, but you can't have ridden it outside. If the bike has the slightest imperfections or indications of use on it, you won't be able to return it. When you buy the bike, you get 6 months of brake and derailleur adjustments (tune ups in essence, which I can do anyway, probably not as well as a mechanic but I was planning on doing them anyway) and then it's your problem thereafter. Something like a wheel truing costs $10 at their store, tune up starts at 50.

If you leave a bike there for work in the winter, they'll turn it around in two days. In the summer they may be backed up for two weeks. I plan on doing my own wrenching, honestly, so I didn't care that they take an absurdly long time with their work in the summer, but I care that the store manager was 100% honest about it, didn't make any quick-service guarantees that later turn out to be nonsense.

After any bike is purchased, the manager performs a free static fit, where fit is observed and stem length, fore/aft position, KOPS and all this is thoroughly vetted, and then anytime the customer wants a fit adjustment they can come back to get dialed in at no charge.

I test rode the bike, and I thought it rode quite well. Things I did:

- rode in and out of the saddle
- Fast corners
- Curb hopping
- Mild potholes and gravel
- No-handed riding
- All gears
- (Store model didn't have disc brakes, so braking was not really assessed)
- Listening for noises
- Liked the ergonomic handles

----BOTTOM LINE ----

I liked the bike and I thought 17.5 in this bike was the appropriate size for me, and there is a fitting, and the guys at the store are all nice. 

There's no store warranty (aside from Trek's frame warranty, and one year drivetrain, and then purchaseable 3 year anything-happens warranty for $150, for the drivetrain) and there's no free services (not that I planned on using them anyway) but then if there's none of that, I'm basically throwing $880 at just the bike.

So my question to you is, having suggested the bike because it fits my needs, do you think, looking at the components and the build, that the bike is actually worth $880? 

I'm only asking because after fenders and ice tires I'll have an $1100 bike. I have a $660 bike right now, and I guess by now I'm into it for a total of $840 or so, but I have a new seat, carbon seatpost (fitter had it lying around, thank goodness), new handlebars and a new Mavic Aksium back wheel (previous wheel had words with a car, Mavic Aksium was on sale at Performance, got it for 117, don't know if that's a deal or not but it seemed like one at the time). But anyway, I have this bike, and it's been a while and now it's 840, but this new bike I'm talking about buying up front for 1100, I just haven't done this before, wanted to know if you think it's actually worth it.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

I thought you returned both of the flat bar bikes you've had?

Given that the after-sale support doesn't appear to have any special backing after all, maybe buying from the fitter you've already worked with makes more sense.

Does a static fit mean you're pedaling, on a trainer? Or not even that?

What bikes do you actually have at the moment? Keep in mind that I haven't memorized anyone's catalog, and model names may not mean anything to me.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Just as an aside, I suspect there's some confusion in regards to Trek's liberal policies.

They once were known to have one of (if not THE) strongest warranties, but that's no longer the case.

In general and IME, it's the LBS's that set return policies, not manufacturers.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I thought you returned both of the flat bar bikes you've had?
> 
> Given that the after-sale support doesn't appear to have any special backing after all, maybe buying from the fitter you've already worked with makes more sense.
> 
> ...


So I bought two, one after the other, and returned them both. Currently I have one road bike, the '12 Garneau Exalt which I bought in Canada for $580 plus tax, plus all that other stuff. That's my entire "catalog" haha.

That fitter I worked with in the past is in Canada, so buying from him would be impractical at the moment. I went to a fitter here to talk about bike sizing in terms of "is this bike too big for me", but I didn't actually attend a fitting session with him. 

Static fit from this store normally costs $40 , I don't know whether it's in the trainer or not but I'd assume (which I know I shouldn't do, but I just forgot to ask) that would include time in a trainer.

Alright so I guess we've established then that the bike is NOT worth the money, at least that's what I've gathered from your last post. I'm gonna look around a bit, the sizing did work quite well so I can at least keep that in mind. Got the morning off today because of a scheduling mishap so I'm gonna maybe check out a couple of stores after I finish packing for Thailand.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Given my distaste for both hybrids and paying retail, I don't think you should place any weight in whether or not I think a retail hybrid would be worth the money for me. You really need to figure it out for you. It just doesn't seem to me that buying Trek per se is worth any premium.

You may not be able to get a disc brake hybrid new, and the opportunity to test ride it, for less than the ones you're currently looking at.

As an aside, disc brakes often drag. When they get wet, they also make noise. I don't think it's worth stressing out about either of those unless they're actually exerting enough pressure on the disc to generate braking force. That can be depressing - "Why am I fighting to keep up with my friend who's weaker than me??" - but IME, it's pretty easy to tell the difference between minor drag and actual engagement.

Do you know how many miles you have on the Garneau?


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Given my distaste for both hybrids and paying retail, I don't think you should place any weight in whether or not I think a retail hybrid would be worth the money for me. You really need to figure it out for you. It just doesn't seem to me that buying Trek per se is worth any premium.
> 
> You may not be able to get a disc brake hybrid new, and the opportunity to test ride it, for less than the ones you're currently looking at.
> 
> ...


Do you ride cross in the winter? I called a couple of other stores and one of the guys tried to convince me to ride cross. Honestly I'm more comfortable on flat bar than I am on drop bar in snow over ice, but I do remember spending a winter riding my road bike through mucky Toronto roads. Problem is out here the roads aren't necessarily always soggy wet in winter, sometimes they're fresh-covered with snow, and beneath that snow is ice that could drop me. Road bike doesn't have clearance for studded tires, but it may have clearance for raceblades. I should probably buy some and try putting them on.

There aren't a lot of disc brake hybrids on Pittsburgh's craigslist unfortunately, and if mechanical disc was okay for winter use then I guess I'd buy that. I'm not sure if mechanical is okay for me though. I think I'll start a quick thread in the components section for a ruling.

Probably 2500 milles, but let's safe estimate that I've put 2000 on the Garneau so far. 560 of those were commuter miles.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

'Cross was the first kind of bike racing I tried. It's funny, though - I feel like I get worse at it every year. My current 'A' road bike is a 'cross bike, though, a Kona Jake. It's an '09, so it shipped with cantis. I could never make them work and finally gave up and got mini-Vs.

When I got it, I thought, "Wow, this is what hybrids should have been." It's certainly not as capable off-road as my mountain bikes, but it's fast and handles well on the road and I could swear it's more predictable off-road than a hybrid. Certainly it has lighter handling.

In the snow, I'd prefer one of my mountain bikes. It's a slower riding situation, and I feel like I get better low-speed stability on a mountain bike. They're also more tolerant of plowing the front wheel over and through a lot of chopped up stuff. And I've only ever used up to a 35 mm knobby on my 'cross bike. 2.1" to 2.3" tires tolerate soft and inconsistent surfaces like they're made to. Go figure. I also recover a skid better on a mountain bike, though I've had good luck lately when it's come up with one of my road bikes.

So if you think you're more comfortable on flat bars in the conditions you expect this winter, I think you should go with that. In general, I think mountain bikes are a better platform, but if a 17" hybrid is big for you, a lot of adult mountain bikes will be worse and the suspension fork on a $800 mountain bike makes the ride worse, not better. So a hybrid may be more "you."


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

Thanks for individualizing Andrew, I'm impressed. You should be selling these things. To be fair, the trek was a 17.5" that I felt fit great, but yeah the Marin was impossible at 17", or at least quite detrimental. 

Specialized has a bike called the Sirrus Sport Disc, it comes in at 770, a good 110 less than the Trek bike. It seems comparable in terms of general features, though I acknowledge that acera is not deore. Do you think the components on the trek are worth the extra hundo vs on the specialized ?

Specialized Bicycle Components
I'm gonna go test ride it today.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Dunno. Comparing components is kind of nit-picky. You can always copy-paste them into a spreadsheet or place them side-by-side on bikepedia.com.

I do see Deore as a level one might leave on a bike for 5+ years and Acera as a level at which some parts may crap out early. It's definitely worth comparing the hubs and brakes too.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

Okay so I went to another bike store, and this guy had some interesting stuff to say. First he said that disc brakes really only provide a fraction of a second advantage in stopping ability compared to rim brakes, which really is pretty negligible considering I'm commuting through a winter vs. blasting down a mountain with them. Then he said that, if I wanted a bike just to use for the winter, I shouldn't buy a nice bike, at all. He recommended I just buy a bike that I can beat the snot out of from November to March, with fenders and ice tires, and then go back to my road bike once the weather gets better.

These were very reasonable points of view. The only thing stopping me from trying to pull a $100 bike off craigslist at this point (which may have its own share of other problems, though) is what bruce said about me using a bike to commute. I've been commuting by bike for a while now, and that's not something I would necessarily want to stop. Along those lines, when my road bike is down, I'd want a fast second bike while I repair it. In the winter, a nice bike would get the snot beat out of it too, but then I'd clean it and wipe it down and replace the necessary brake pads, and I'm assuming the cables on a new nicer bike would last just as long as the cables on an older, under $500 bike. This would mean the maintenance costs are going to be the same regardless.

So in summary, now I'm thinking of a flat bar rigid hybrid with rim brakes, that will fit fenders and ice tires. I think my price point just dropped by about 250-300 bucks, which is nice. He didn't have any bikes in my size to test ride though, so I think this may take a bit more time.


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## mtrac (Sep 23, 2013)

jfd986 said:


> First he said that disc brakes really only provide a fraction of a second advantage in stopping ability compared to rim brakes, which really is pretty negligible considering I'm commuting through a winter vs. blasting down a mountain with them.


As someone who had a car turn left in front of him on a rainy day earlier this year and vowed his next bike would have disc brakes, I would take every fraction of a second I could get.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

There are a couple things I like about disc brakes. It's true that rim brakes sort themselves out after about a rotation, although I feel like rear brakes are often worse. But now that I have the choice to have brakes that come on with almost all of their stopping power right away, I like it and I'll choose it. And I like that I shouldn't have to replace so many rims. I'm putting a new wheelset on my nicer road bike later this spring because winters and 'cross races have worn the old rims concave. I don't feel I need disc brakes. But I like having them on my bikes that do.

I would agree with the idea of getting an older, cheaper bike and not worrying about beating it up. I think $300 is a little better pricepoint - my $100 bikes have all been a lot of trouble. But it doesn't seem like buying used has worked out for you well yet. Riding a nice bike through the winter has its depressing points. But they work better in the wet too, not just in the dry. Not sure which one wins on COO, but I want my bikes to be reliable.

It seems that you want something a little more reliable, kicking in the time and mechanical work to get that out of an older bike is problematic for you, you want it to fit but aren't very confident in fitting your own bikes. So the value-added aspects of buying retail seem very much in play.

Or, work your way around to the head space that a commuter need only go, stop, and shift. Let the fit be more of a strike zone and don't worry about things that don't work as well as they could, so long as they, at least, work. It can take a little discipline, but I think I lost, at least, less, when I broke my last commuter by trying to stick to changing parts that were actually broken, not just starting to make a weird noise or getting a little fiddly or requiring of a bit more hand force or whatever.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

A couple of thoughts....

Last time I crashed, it happened so fast I didn't have time to even reach for the brake lever, so it didn't much matter what type of brakes I had. Of course, YMMV.

Out of sheer curiosity, I've test ridden bikes with disc brakes. In each instance, I walked away questioning the need. Added weight (fact), added mechanical complexity (my suspicions) and no perceptible difference in stopping power (IME). 

I'll qualify the above with the fact that my experiences are limited to test rides. OTOH, I log about 6K miles annually, not all in great riding conditions, and I've yet to experience what I'd call appreciable deficiencies with rim brakes.

That said, I think the shop owner is pretty much on track with his advice to you. However, I'd take a middle of the road approach and get a moderately priced NEW hybrid for the value added services (mainly sizing/ fit assistance) that this route would offer. 

Hybrids (even new) are relatively cheap, and you certainly don't need a higher end model for your uses. Should be able to find one in the $400 range. The Raleigh Cadent being one example.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

In my humble opinion the justified hoopla over disc brakes is in their buttery smooth modulation. I had hydraulic discs on a hybrid some time ago and it was nice to have very fine control over bleeding speed for red lights or cooling it on descents without that initial brake bite. 

they do warp though - or perhaps it was just the budget model I had - and require more maintenance than the tried and true.

Canada? Flat bar winter beater, fenders, spikes, disco ball, bullhorns and panniers.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

So now I've been looking at the Jamis Coda Sport and the Jamis Allegro Sport. The guy I talked to at the LBS today said that, if I was gonna get a new bike, to get something like that. I'm leaning more towards the Coda, because of the steel frame and because of the RapidFire shifters, but I still have to test ride obv, which will happen after I get back from Thailand, they didn't have anything in my size anyway.

JAMIS BICYCLES

JAMIS BICYCLES

You guys are right about me not having a great deal of time to wrench, I've been getting a squeaking noise out of my crank for the last three weeks and I haven't bothered to address it. I believe the order of problem differential is to first tighten the chainring bolts, then the crank bolts, then the pedals, and then if it's still creaking take apart the bottom bracket, clean and regrease the threads and the frame. I can read about all of this all I want, but yeah the reality is I currently just don't have a ton of time to go about attempting most of it.

So new hybrid is definitely in, in terms of rim brakes vs. disc ....... honestly I prefer to use rim brakes if there's no real appreciable difference for the price point. I know they're different, I can feel the difference, but do I feel more safe? For now, I sincerely. doubt it.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Bear in mind that at the end of the day, there's also not a ton of difference from hybrid to hybrid. They're going after the same customer. Lately, some hybrids have a crappy suspension fork and some have a narrow-clearance carbon fork and sidepull brakes, so avoid those variations if you can, but otherwise, differences will be pretty minor.


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## jfd986 (Jul 17, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Bear in mind that at the end of the day, there's also not a ton of difference from hybrid to hybrid. They're going after the same customer. Lately, some hybrids have a crappy suspension fork and some have a narrow-clearance carbon fork and sidepull brakes, so avoid those variations if you can, but otherwise, differences will be pretty minor.


Having said that, would you feel the bike I posted to be appropriate in terns of benchmark for hybrid? And then shop around for different brands with same or lower cost?

Looking more at the coda sport, also posted the allegro sport


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

A few thoughts...

Jamis Coda: I think it's a good bike for the money. It would be my first choice if I was shopping for a hybrid frame that is already built up.

REI Southside: Avoid at all costs. My sister just bought a bike there and I spent an hour making adjustments and tuning... even little things were wrong, the front reflector was terribly off center and the rear reflector was upside down. The v-brakes weren't adjusted. The seat was at the most absurd angle I've ever seen. This is how it came set up out of the box. The "mechanics" at REI obviously didn't even give the bike a look over. They just unboxed it and sent it on its way. You can get away with that with a Trek, maybe, but not a pos schwinn. 

Trek store: I really like the crew in Robinson. The store in East Liberty is good. They also sell Kona which you might want to consider. I don't hesitate to recommend that store.

Hydraulic disc brakes: Junk. Junk, junk, junk. At least, at the introductory level. I've had two sets of Shimano hydraulics which were both intro level and I couldn't keep the pads from rubbing with either of them. I have easily spent ten hours per bike bleeding, resetting the pistons, realigning the calipers, checking rotor trueness, etc. over and over and over again. I'll get it tuned in for a day and then I have rubbing again. I doubt it was the mechanic's fault that he couldn't fix it, the brakes are just garbage. They should stick with mechanical disc brakes like avid bb5/bb7 for the sub $1000 hybrids instead of using garbage hydraulics that don't work.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

jfd986 said:


> Here's the TYPE of bike, and price range, at which I was looking:
> 
> Focus Corrente Tiagra City Bike 2011 > Complete Bikes | Jenson USA Online Bike Shop
> 
> ...



It's has odd frame geometry... I have a Focus Maleta, it's the same frame. It's very long in the toptube, even compared to other bikes that are long. You'd probably want to size down but then you have a shorter than ideal headtube, which means you are leaning too far forward for a commuter in which case you'll probably want a steep angle stem to dial in comfort. I'm really not a fan of this frame.

The frame itself is questionable, from a quality standpoint. I've been having a hard time keeping the rear wheel centered in the frame. It seems to have a tendency to go off-center which I can only assume is due to a frame alignment issue. I'm still trouble-shooting it but I needed to pick up a few parts to swap out and see if it makes any difference. I've had a lot of issues with it, in fact. I didn't realize how off center it was for over a year, I just figured that the factory installed fenders were off center when they were actually installed correctly. Once I realized the wheel was out of alignment, I fixed that and took multiple measurements to verify... but then I had to adjust the disc caliper which was also installed off-center at the factory. I adjusted that, but then the wheel went off center again. So, I realigned everything and put more force on the quick release skewer to hold the wheel in alignment. I've never had another frame where the wheel didn't sit right and keeps going out of alignment. It could just be that I have a bad frame, but I've had a bad enough experience to say ordering it from an internet seller is a bad idea if you encounter similar problems to mine.

Either way, I'd plan on swapping out the brakes if slight rubbing gets on your nerves. Functionally, the brakes are fine... as long as you don't mind the noise that they are bound to make. 

Personally, I think disc brakes are over rated, even for a winter bike used in Pittsburgh. If you want discs, get something with Avid BB7s or equivalent (or plan on replacing them once you wear out the pads/rotors).

Gearing isn't ideal either... you'd probably want a smaller chain ring than a 30t (although, it's sufficient, that's what I ride in pgh). The 52t is definitely bigger than you need. A hybrid crank with 48/38/28 is definitely better for Pgh.


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