Currently riding a Jamis Boca hybrid- not my photo, but this is the model bike.
I like that it’s on the smaller side, has many gears, and I like the riding position.
It’s definitely time to upgrade though as this bike is old and heavy.
I have tried a lot of bikes but am struggling to find the right fit at the right price point (<1000)
Looking to do some short casual races (10 mi) but also longer rides (20/30 mi).
I want something I can maybe put slightly bigger tires on, not just slim road tires.
So far the bike I’ve ridden and liked the most was Norco Indie 2, but not the latest model. And they sadly do not ship to the US.
I have also tried things like Trek FX2 which I liked but wasn’t 100% sold on, and the Liv Avail 3 road bike which I did not feel very comfortable on.
Seems like a bad time to buy new since everything is out of stock but still looking new and used.
Please let me know if you have any advice!
by emmapann
1 Comment
It definitely is not a bad time to buy a bike do not lose hope, it is actually a buyers market compared to the last several years! It was unthinkable that there would be any meaningful sales in the spring and summer but here we are, it does mean that some brands are cutting back but it is still beneficial for buyers.
I would recommend you try gravel bikes, these will have drop bars like a road bike but will be a little more upright for comfort and also have wider tire clearance like a hybrid. The catch here is that they are not cheap since they are always drop bars with disc brakes which results in the most expensive style of shifters.
My first recommendation Salsa Journeyer Claris (or advent). It is relatively quite upright for a drop bar bike so it should be easier to get used to than the Liv, it has full aluminium frame and fork for less weight and wider tire clearance like the indie. It is a bike that has well designed XS and S frame sizes if that is what you need some brands just scale everything down and they handle weird. Other similar options would be the jamis renegade A1, Kona Rove Al, and I have seen specialized diverge e5 on sale for 999. There is also online only options like state 4130 all road and Poseidon X Ambition but then of course you can of test ride.
As a last note your old jamis Boca is a solid quality bike and could last forever with the necessary maintenance, it’ll obviously never be fast but it can certainly someone’s basic transport for a long time yet don’t send it to the trash!