raleigh venture 3.0 vs trek 7100?
Im basically looking for a bike to get around town, ride on light trails, and ride for recreation. Riding around town would only be about 10-15 miles each way. Trails would only be 5 miles each way (and probably only on weekends) and recreation would be around 20-25 miles each way. I dont have thousands of dollars to spend, so im looking for the best bang for my buck ((In terms of quality and comfort)) The 2 i was looking at are the raleigh venture 3.0 ((for $389)) and the trek 7100 ((for $439)) For what im going to use it for, what would be the better bike? If they raleigh would work for my purpose, than that would be great because then i can save some money, but i dont want to get it and find out its not going to be easy/comfortable to ride it 25 miles at a time any other bike suggestions are also welcome
Cycling - 3 Answers
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1 :
Either bike would serve your purpose. They are both hybrid or comfort bikes with the same 28/38/48 crankset up front and the same Shimano MF-TZ31 7spd MegaRange (14-34t) gears in the rear. The main difference is, the Raleigh uses more conventional 26" tires and the Trek uses 700 x 35c tires - taller & thinner for more road speed. However...if it were me, I would step up to either the Raleigh Venture 4.0 or a Raleigh Route 4.0. Price - $450 & $460 respectively. Why? Because these bikes use a "freehub" and cassette on the rear wheel - not a "freewheel" hub. Plus double walled rims. This will be your STRONGEST wheel/hub set-up. It will take more use, abuse & last longer. See 3rd link explaining the difference. I know...I've been through it being over-weight. It may be OK if you're on the lighter side. But for a large person (like myself) the only way to go is the better bicycles.
2 :
I would check all of the local bike shops and see what they have. You really don't need shocks for the riding you want to do. The just add weight and eat up energy when climbing hills. I would look at the Raleigh Detour 4.5 about the same as the venture but without shocks. The Trek FX instead of the 7000 series.
3 :
The Trek 7100 is a good all round bike. Cycled from Vienna to Budapest on one and had no problems at all with the bike. Definitely recommend it for the general enthusiast. If you want to do some serious biking then you might want to spend some more and get something lighter and better, but as an all rounder it's spot on.
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