Finally getting back into riding after nearly a decade without (my beloved bike was stolen, and it wasn't the right time to replace until now).
The Ozark is currently $258-288 msrp with tales of people scoring them for anywhere between $69-133; I'm not counting on that, but it would be really nice. I'd prefer the drop bar but know the flat bar lends itself better to upgrading, not to mention the 1x vs 2x drivetrain…so I'm torn. While either version is fine as-is, I'm expecting to spend $100-150 on minor upgrades. https://www.walmart.com/ip/1417845974
The Trek FX 2 Gen 3 is on clearance for $449. It seems materially better and closer to 'ready to go' out of the box, so the prices are pretty much equal (unless I score a crazy deal on the Ozark). https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/hybrid-bikes/pctive-fitness-bikes/fx/fx-2-disc-gen-3/p/5258673/
I'd like a bike that will last me 5-10 years. I'm not planning on doing anything crazy – no racing, just casual joy rides and longer ones up to ~30-40 miles on paved roads with the occasional gravel trails (something I could never do on my old road bike, so I'm stoked about that).
Help me out! I've done so much research, and the options are mind boggling. I would be so grateful for any feedback or suggestions, including other bikes not mentioned here. Huge thank you to all of you!
by scoobaruuu
2 Comments
I feel for paved trails the trek will be infinitely better. The Ozark trail is a good bike but it’s mostly good because of its value for money. The only use case I could think of where the Ozark trail would be preferred is if you are planning to do a ton of gravel. The trek has a max tire clearance of 38 mm which is fine but a lot of people prefer wider wheels for gravel. The Ozark trail has a bit more clearance.
The Ozark trail with drop bars I don’t recommend at all unless you are very desperate to get drop bars, they have had to compromise the drivetrain too much to fit the drop bar shifters into the budget. It is also hard to upgrade that drivetrain, the rear hub is different standard so to be able to get the same reliable 8 speed stuff as on the flat bar or as the Trek you have to replace the rear hub, and also replacement brifters are expensive. So you are banking on keeping the seven speed stuff working for the lifetime of the bike otherwise it is not economical.
The flat bar Ozark trail is a solid option but on that sale I would strongly recommend that Trek FX2 instead, if small is your frame size that’s a great deal. Hydraulic brakes, consistent assembly quality, and bike shop warranty and support are the big bonuses. If you do like 1x on the Ozark it is not anything special, it does not have wide range capacity or a clutch to get the most benefit of being a 1x setup. The Trek already has a better rear derailleur and wider cassette capacity, so you can take to front derailleur off and switch to a single chainring quite affordably and have a slighty better 1x setup with the Trek if you want to tinker in the future.