I have had my eye on a new bike from Priority for a few months now and am close to pulling the trigger on a Gotham ([Gotham Bike Here](https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/thegotham)) as they are currently discounted for black Friday but wanted some advice before I pulled the trigger. This will be the first bike I’ve owned since I was a kid almost 20 years ago so I wanted to get some feedback.
I’m around 30 years old, 5’11”, 180 lbs (could stand to lose a couple, who couldn’t lol), 31.5″ inseam and currently living in the Arlington, VA/Washington DC metro area. Fitness level is ok but could be better (hoping this will help get me out of the house more). Where I’m located is a little hilly but generally mostly flat with some slight inclines after I get out of my immediate 2-3 block area. Looking for something to take out for leisurely rides everyday for around 30-60 mins, quick runs to stores less than 15-20 mins away, and longer (1 or 2 hours) rides on the weekend on bike trails with my GF (not looking for a speed machine to leave her in my dust lol).
I’ve been getting around on the Capital Bikeshare bikes which are great for the convenience but REALLY heavy, and the ride quality varies a lot depending on which bike you grab (sometimes brakes are non-existent). I’ve found I really enjoy getting around on them but feel really limited by their weight and inconsistent quality.
Questions I have about the bike:
1. The gear hub can be shifted at a dead stop? You should briefly pause pedaling when shifting? I think this would be a big advantage being able to downshift at a red light and not have to wait for the gear to shift when trying to take off.
2. Would first gear be enough to get me around the moderate hills in my area? I struggle with the Capital Bikeshare bikes going up steeper/longer hills even in first, but I think that has more to do with the weight of the bike, I think the much lighter Gotham would make much easier work of hills.
3. Think I’m going with the Medium Diamond (step-over) based on my measurements but would be curious if anyone would recommend the step-through over the Diamond? The Diamond looks easier to pick up and carry with the top bar being higher and I don’t really have issues stepping over a bar to dismount. The Diamond looks sportier to me but I think that’s just from years of seeing step-throughs marketed towards girls. I do plan on running to the grocery store with this but not trying to load up a weeks worth of groceries all at once so I think the Diamond still makes sense.
4. Is there any advantage to the Brilliant Cooper ([Cooper Here](https://www.brilliant.co/products/cooper?variant=39807792316493)) which is steel compared to the Gotham’s aluminum? They are roughly the same price through a deal on CostcoNext for the Cooper, but at my weight I don’t think I need the added weight capacity of steel. Its only 27 lbs for the Cooper compared to 26 lbs for the Gotham, but if I don’t need the steel the 1 lb difference could help as I plan on adding fenders, rack etc. Not planning on hauling bricks or anything so not going to be biking around with 100 lbs of cargo or anything like that.
I think the Gotham checks my boxes better than other Priority bikes in this range and leaves me some money to add fenders, new pedals/seat potentially, rack, light etc. Reasons I lean towards the Gotham vs the others:
* Turi: I like the disc brakes, included fenders and larger gear range, but not the more upright positioning and most reviews I’ve seen (I’ve read alot lol) describe it as “sluggish” and I think I would like the more nimble position of the Gotham. I think getting up hills in my area while more upright with a sluggish ride would not be fun.
* L-Train: Again I like the optional disc brakes, larger gear range, but it seems like the positioning would be too aggressive for casual riding. I would also need to spend money to add fenders, rack etc. which would push this around $1K which is too much for what I’m looking for.
As I’m hoping this will be sort of like a starter bike that I will be happy with for a while but upgrade down the road I don’t want to spend too much money but also don’t want to cheap out and be stuck with something I outgrow too quickly. Riding some of the Capital Bikeshare E-bikes I think an E-bike is in my cards down the line but want to wait a little to see what companies stay in business through this downturn and what battery/motor upgrades are coming around the corner. So I want to get into cycling to see what style of bike I want to commit a good bit of money towards and the Gotham seems like the move.
Any input or advice is appreciated and feel free to ask any questions! Thanks!
by calvin_fishoeder