Time to bite the bullet and start another bike search

[lordofthemark]

Emerging from the stage of bike theft grieving called “denial that I need to shop for a new bike”

I loved my Dew

But now its time to start over. Still want a bike mainly for commuting, though I will for the indefinite future also be using it for any long recreational rides I take. Still don’t want to spend more than $500 or so.

1. I like being upright in traffic. I fear being even less confident in traffic if I were not upright. Though I want to at least test ride a road bike. It’s time.

2. In general the road and trail conditions are not really that bad (some of the worst on my commute have been repaved recently). I am thinking a hybrid that is lighter, and less mountain bikey than the Dew. That might help me on hills and longer rides.

3. I know somewhat more about bikes and their maintenance then I did 3 years ago. I am thinking that buying used should be less intimidating now – though I still could not tell by looking at it the issues a bike might have.

I will of course look for sales, and do test riding. But your ideas are appreciated.

Topic

[wheelswings]

Here is what I bought, per Dismal’s recommendation. It’s a good bike, and the price is right.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/cafe_sprint.htm

[Crickey7]

For $200, just buy your bike back from the people who stole it.

[Judd]

@wheels&wings 150298 wrote:

Here is what I bought, per Dismal’s recommendation. It’s a good bike, and the price is right.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/cafe_sprint.htm

Counterpoint: only ridden twice.

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[DismalScientist]

@wheels&wings 150298 wrote:

Here is what I bought, per Dismal’s recommendation. It’s a good bike, and the price is right.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/cafe_sprint.htm

I don’t think it is actually available any more at bikesdirect. The $300 was the final clearance price and you get an error if you add it to your cart.

15 inch models are available at bikeisland.com for $275, but it has scuffed cranks and dropouts. (Oh, the horror…)

@Judd:
w&w may have only ridden it twice, but I think her offspring has requisitioned it from her.

[KLizotte]

REI carries some very reasonably priced commuter bikes with all the bells and whistles. If I recall correctly, they market them under their own brand names or something similar.

If you really loved your Dew, you could just look for another one of the same year. Would be cheap at this point.

[peterw_diy]

@lordofthemark 150295 wrote:

I like being upright in traffic. I fear being even less confident in traffic if I were not upright. Though I want to at least test ride a road bike. It’s time

Try a cyclocross bike with interrupter brake levers, if only to see how they let you ride upright with drop bars and retain instant access to your brakes. Interrupters are available for all common mechanical brakes – disc, V/linear pull, and standard sidepull/cantilever.

I spend the vast majority of my commuting time “covering” the brakes by either riding on the brake hoods or riding on the flats within reach of the interrupters.

[ShawnoftheDread]

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/5914677078.html

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[Sunyata]

While I know how scary it is to transition from flat bars to drop bars (I am still getting used to them on my Warbird), you might want to look at a gravel/adventure bike that has rack and fender mounts. I think it is a good alternative to the hybrid geometry without going full roadie. (Never go full roadie!)

Check out the Jamis Renegade, Salsa Vaya, and the Surly Crosscheck or Straggler. While they are all a bit above $500 new, you could probably find them for about that price point used.

[TwoWheelsDC]

I’ll throw in a recommendation for Fuji…they kinda get forgotten, but they are great bikes for the price and are carried by a lot of shops. The Absolute series I think would fit your needs well, and they now come standard with disc brakes, which I think you might find easier to deal with than the V-brakes that I assume were on your Rove.

[EasyRider]

If ~$500 is the limit, I’d say scour Craigslist for something that cost $1200 new, but also put the Jamis Coda Sport on your test ride list.

It is very similar to your Dew – it’s an upright flat bar commuter/fitness bike. At a glance, the biggest differences are that some of the components are a bit higher quality (shifters and wheels), it has a steel frame and a steeper head tube angle (72 or 73 degrees vs the 70 of your Dew, so will likely feel a bit sportier) and comes with 32mm tires instead of 35mm. I would guess it could fit 35mm or 38mm. The Jamis costs only a little more, like $30. IMHO, the biggest thing the Jamis has going for it is that it’s very similar to say, a Surly Cross-check with a flat handlebar, except at half the cost.

[vvill]

I’d look at a disc brake flat-bar road bike. Upright position and easy enough to make a little more aggressive with a different stem later. They often come with 28-32mm tires nowadays (so you could clear wider than that, and studded tires, etc.) and they’d fit your price range.

My first dedicated commuter bike was a flat-bar road bike and it amazed me how much faster it was compared to the MTBs I used to invariably ride. I think I paid £300 and it was still a lot faster than my $1500+ MTB.

If you’re tempted to try a drop-bar bike just keep in mind that modern drop-bar shifters, components, etc. are going to add to the cost for a comparable flat-bar bike. So if you find a $700 drop-bar bike and a $500 flat-bar bike and you really like both, I wouldn’t worry about spending the extra $. It does take some time to get used to riding drops but I think it’s worth it.

[ian74]

Why don’t you just go buy another Dew? The MSRP of the Dew according to the Kona website is $499. If it works, and you loved it, why not just get another?

[vvill]

@ian74 150374 wrote:

Why don’t you just go buy another Dew? The MSRP of the Dew according to the Kona website is $499. If it works, and you loved it, why not just get another?

BOR-ring

[lordofthemark]

Wandered into Spokes. Asked for a hybrid lighter and maybe more aggressive position than the Dew. They suggested an FX 2 for $550.

They have Trek 7-3 (I think it was 7-3, not 7-2) on sale from $650 to $500, but none in that store in my size.

I was tempted by the cheapness of the FX at only $350, (plus helmet and water bottle) but they said it would not be good for the regular use I as a commuter would have.

[Emm]

@lordofthemark 150578 wrote:

Wandered into Spokes. Asked for a hybrid lighter and maybe more aggressive position than the Dew. They suggested an FX 2 for $550.

They have Trek 7-3 (I think it was 7-3, not 7-2) on sale from $650 to $500, but none in that store in my size.

I was tempted by the cheapness of the FX at only $350, (plus helmet and water bottle) but they said it would not be good for the regular use I as a commuter would have.

I’ve tried the FX series bikes. They are good bikes. Revolution Cycles also carries the series, as do a number of other stores so someone else locally may have your size. I would go for the 2 or 3 personally so I agree with them in that regard–there’s a few upgrades between the models that makes it worth it. They also end up on craigslist alot since they’re pretty common bike around here, so look there too for used models.

Also, the specialized Sirrus is a good option if you like the FX, but I think it’s a little above your price range. It has a disc brake option which is nice.

[Author]

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