Rode Some Things, Took Everyone's Advice.

"Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness" (long-voyager-2nd-edition) 09/06/2019 at 10:17 • Filed to: bikelopnik

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Went to one of the local bike shops last night.

Eric’s Bikes of Madison. They carry mostly Specialized bikes. The salesman was very helpful.

Started on a Specialized Pitch:

I liked it quite a bit, very light/responsive and comfortable.

Then he put me on a Sirrus:

With some better tires I think this could be a great contender. It fit perfectly, was comfortable, and felt amazing.

Just had my phone, so you get potato today. This weekend we plan on going to the other bike shops in Madison to check out more options. Giant has an entry level model that looks enticing, so I want to check one of those out, otherwise we’ll see what pops.

Thanks to everyone on the advice and info, it’s greatly appreciated.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 10:28

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Great news. The pitch is a very solid bike, as is the hybrid. If you are not ridding trails much the Sirrus would probably be the direction I would go. It looks like you you could put 1.5" tires that have knobs onto it for better dirt road action if you wanted, the Sirrus with rim brakes will also be easier to hook up a trailer than the pitch as it doesn’t have a disc brake in the rear drop out to interfere with a trailer connection .

benjrblant > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 10:32

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Heck yeah son!

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 10:33

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i know this isn;t for performance and with a trailer, you probably wont be riding in the rain, but the difference between the rim brakes and discs is amazing.  I was going down a ski slope in the rain one summer and needed to stop.  i hit the brakes and stopped in a reasonable distance.  by cousin with rim brakes went shooting past me at scary speed not being able to get any friction between the rim and brake pads since they were soaked.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 10:33

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i know this isn;t for performance and with a trailer, you probably wont be riding in the rain, but the difference between the rim brakes and discs is amazing.  I was going down a ski slope in the rain one summer and needed to stop.  i hit the brakes and stopped in a reasonable distance.  by cousin with rim brakes went shooting past me at scary speed not being able to get any friction between the rim and brake pads since they were soaked.

TrickJos > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 10:38

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Giant makes nice bikes. I have a Giant Defy 3 that I absolutely love, although I haven’t ridden much lately. I know several other people that ride Giants also. All seem to be very pleased with their bikes. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/06/2019 at 11:12

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Excellent point about the trailer hitch. I lost a perfectly good frame and wheel to a trailer hitch that came loose. When the hitch let go, the safety strap guided it into t he rear spokes. The spokes carried the hitch arm up and over the axle where it wedged between the frame and wheel. The wheel made at least a couple of rotations before coming to a stop, damaging every spoke on the left side. The hitch arm pushed out on the middle of the left seat stay, bending it and leaving a nice dent. I was going around 25 mph on a fast downhill when it happened, so I feel lucky that I kept it out of the ditch when the rear wheel locked. The skid ground a nice flat spot in a perfectly good slick. I had used the trailer to transport my work clothes to work that morning, so the trailer was empty at the time. I’m even more thankful that it didn’t happen with the kids on-board. That could have been bad.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 11:32

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You’re looking at some decent bikes! Think about your use-case. If 90% of your riding will be on roads or other paved surfaces, go with a hybrid or get a mountain bike and swap the knobbies for a set of slicks. The slicks will make the bike faster, smoother, and more comfortable for pavement riding. Slicks also keep you from wearing out expensive dirt tires on pavement.

When I could have only one bike, I rode a full-suspension MTB with a nice set of slicks. I bought a second set of wheels so I could swap on knobbies for trail riding on the weekend without having to remount tires.

smobgirl > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 11:41

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Awesome! I didn’t want to push you before because it’s very easy to get elitist about bikes, but I’m glad to hear you’re giving some of the name brands a shot. I hope you find something that works out! I rode a cheap  Cann ondale for years as sort of an all-around, do everything bike and it was worth the upgrade from what I had before. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > smobgirl 09/06/2019 at 12:17

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All-around, do everything bike is exactly what I’m looking for right now.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/06/2019 at 12:19

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I was actually thinking about keeping the street tires that come on the Sirrus and just getting another set for when we do trail ride. Otherwise the “knobby” tires they offer aren’t overly aggressive, kind of a nice mixed use tire, so I would just get a set of those and run them all the time.

See, sometimes I listen to advice ;)

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/06/2019 at 12:26

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We actually just snagged a Trek tow-behind like this last night:

So we’ll have a post mount instead of the frame mount like our trailer. Hopefully this will work out well, seems to have decent reviews from what I can find, I figured for $10 I’d give it a shot, if we don’t like it we’ll be getting a Wee-Hoo as well.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 12:37

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That’s a good deal for a tow behind. Those can be fun or sketchy depending on the kid and their sense of balance. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 09/06/2019 at 12:39

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Ya, we’ll have to see how it goes. Will definitely be an experience at first.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 09/06/2019 at 12:45

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Hybrids will get you most of the way there. Ask to see an inexpensive cyclocross bike. They usually have more tire clearance so you have more room for larger tires when off-roading. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > TheRealBicycleBuck 09/06/2019 at 12:59

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Will do.

Thanks again for all the help, it’s much appreciated.