Price Paid:  $800.00 at petrie's

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
jandd racks and panniers, full fenders.

Summary:
This is a great bike. have it built properly by a good mechanic and it will give you no problems. i've ridden mine on tours, on epic rides, on trail,and random crazy adventures totally thousands upon thousands of kilometer and it is perfect.

Strengths:
frame. the details. the ride. the price.

Weaknesses:
can i have it for free?

Similar Products Used:
tested a variety of touring bikes as a mechanic. in 5 years, i found this one to be the best price/performance/dependability compromise.

Price Paid:  $699.00 at Performance Bikes

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Shimano Deore rear derailleur, Tiagra front derailleur, Tiagra shifters, Tektro Oryx Cantilever brakes

Summary:
I absolutely love this bike! It's been a while since I rode steel and I forgot how smooth and forgiving it can be. Add to that 700x32 tires and it barely feels the bumps of the road. So far I have about 600 trouble free miles on it and am getting ready to head out on a 600 mile tour soon. The components on the bike function smoothly are not the totally cheesy stuff you might expect at this price. Great bike!

Strengths:
Good Components
Smooth ride
Tough as nails

Weaknesses:
Heavy

Similar Products Used:
Cannondale Six/13
Rocky Mountain Solo 50

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Bluebonnet Bicycles

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Fuji Touring

Bike Setup:
Stock except: Mr Tuffy Liners, Denatti 5W flood, Dual Rear Planet Bike Superflashers, Planet bike fenders, PINK Speedplay Zero Pedals I inherited (my wife went to pink light actions), Arkel rear panniers. Soon to be xtracycled with a rear disc.

Summary:
Just got back on the road commuting after taking a few horrible years off since I moved to Texas. Finally got sick of the cage and this bike made it possible to reliably commute my meager 11 miles on fast hilly roads. My bike e was just too darn hard to get up to and hold any speed. Plus it couldn't handle the weight.

Strengths:
Smooth ride, strong frame, comfortable at speed, wife loves the paint job, nice wide bars. No broken spokes yet (knock on wood) I had constant spoke problems with my Schwinn Hybrid Disc.

Weaknesses:
Slow off the line I really hate to stop now unlike any of my other bikes. (yes it is pretty loaded but so were my other bikes. Lower end components. 1" Stem/Fork is custom fuji and looks nearly impossible to replace.

Similar Products Used:
BikeE, Schwinn Le Tour, Schwinn Hybrid with Discs 2005 vintage, Diamond back cross campus

Price Paid:  $700.00 at Stanyan Cyclery

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
S.F. to Marin

Summary:
Great bike for the price

Strengths:
All steel frame

Weaknesses:
cheap cranks squeaky brakes

Price Paid:  $550.00 at Performance Bikes at

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Bike Setup:
Shimano M-520 pedals, front rack, forte team saddle.

Summary:
I bought this to do a self-contained cross country tour from Oregon to Georgia. It is a very versatile bike, and the steel frame held up fine.

Strengths:
The value is hard to beat. To have a $550 bike hold up for over 5000mi and still be in fine shape is cool with me. Also, the versatility. I use it for training now. It can't compare with a true road bike, but the rear rack makes it a great commuter as well. The steel frame make it heavy and not as stiff (27 lbs total weight), but it's sturdy and on some roads I was glad to have the extra shock absorbsion.

Weaknesses:
The spokes broke a lot under my 40+ pounds of gear on the rear rack. Apparently, the bikes after a certain serial number have better wheels - I had to get mine rebuilt. The drivetrain has a wide range, but the tiagra and deore components aren't the greatest.

Similar Products Used:
First touring bike!