This is a very unique bicycle. I’ve been riding the red Urbana city bike for about a month now, and you certainly won’t see any bikes that look just like it from any other manufacturers. The Urbana bike is as strong as a tank, a super sturdy U-framed city bike designed to withstand the elements and rigors of everyday commuting and be strong enough to have some fun on also – oh, and haul some serious weight on the strongest rack I’ve ever seen. As the Urbana Bikes website says, this is the “SUV of bikes.”
Urbana is a Canadian bicycle manufacturer whose goal was to build a city/commuter bike that was also fun to ride. Urbana bikes are available in many different configurations – from single-speed sporty bike to the fully loaded 8-speed commuter bike with chainguard, fenders and super strong rack that was sent to me for review. Two very unique components for all Urbana bikes are the U-frame and the hearty 2.6” tires.
Urbana Bike
Urbana Bicycle (headlight, lock, water bottle & cage sold separately)
I had never really ridden a unisex U-framed bike and I was curious how it would ride – most men’s and many women’s bikes these days are shaped like a diamond because that shape give the bike stability, while many step-through frames have a lot of flex in the frame (which is not great for a bike’s handling). However, the Urbana’s aluminum frame is thick and super sturdy, and the bike always felt as strong as a tank. In fact, the folks at Urbana challenged me to treat the bike roughly and try to break it. So I rode the Urbana as hard or harder than I’ve ever ridden any bike, but the bike stood up to every challenge. Briefly stated: this bike feels bullet proof!
The reflective stripes on the Urbana's tires really do a good job!
Adding to this super sturdy feel are the massive 2.6 inch Nid de poule tires that are made especially for the Urbana bikes. With these tires, the Urbana bike makes light work of potholes, bumps and road debris. And I liked the fact that the tires held air for days on end so I could just hop on and ride – maybe check the air on weekends (and they were still fine). Another feature of the tires that I really like is the reflective stripe around each side. It’s amazing how brightly these reflect light, which is really a great safety feature for commuting by bike at night.
The Urbana has a disc brake on the front wheel and a drum brake on the rear, which together bring the bike to a stop quickly. I have to also mention the saddle – specially made for Urbana – which may be my favorite bike seat ever. The Urbana saddle is cushioned enough to make commuting on bumpy roads comfortable, but shaped nicely to stay out of your way during vigorous riding. I also like fenders on commuter bicycles, and the Urbana fenders kept me dry through some big puddles.
As I mentioned, my Urbana review model had the 8-speed Shimano Nexus internal geared hub. Shifting was smooth and the gear range was great for riding around the hilly parts of my town. For those not familiar with them, internal geared hubs are hearty in that they require little maintenance and, unlike derailleur-equipped bikes, they do not get clogged up if riding through snow. While the Urbana’s strong frame makes it a heavy bike, once I “found my stride” to make the most of the Nexus gearing I rode many of the same roads that I often ride on my road bike and was able to clip along at a surprisingly good pace – and the Urbana certainly has much more cargo capacity than my road bike.
The unique Urbana rack is made to accomodate shopping bags.
The Urbana rack is rated for 120 pounds of dynamic weight – so this bike really is like a bicycle truck or SUV. The rack also has a super design feature in that it can accommodate hanging shopping bags securely on the rack – especially good for popular reusable grocery bags. In fact, the Urbana is so practical that as the summer progressed the Urbana became my go-to bike for trips to the town swimming pool, rides with my kids, even some hard riding for exercise. As my time with the Urbana draws to an end, I have to say, I’m going to miss this bike.
The Verdict: The Urbana is a great commuter bike that feels as strong as an ox and has the cargo carrying capacity to match, and the Urbana is as fun to ride as it is practical.
The Giant Sedona is a prime example of what most people mean when they talk about a “comfort bike” or a “path and pavement” bike. What these terms usually mean is that the bike is built on a frame similar to a mountain bike, where you can ride in a more upright position than on a road bike, and these bikes usually have a suspension fork on the front wheel and often a suspension seat post to help smooth out bumpy roads and trails. I recently had the opportunity to ride a Giant Sedona comfort bike, and the following is my Giant Sedona Review:
Like a traditional comfort bike, the Giant Sedona is built on a mountain-bike-like frame with frame geometry that allows you to sit mostly upright with your hands on the handlebars. Before we go further, let me clarify that the model I rode is the aluminum frame “Giant Sedona” — Giant is the brand name, and they also make a Sedona ST (cheaper, with heavier steel frame and no suspension fork and a more expensive Sedona DX (more expensive, a few upgraded components). I believe the regular Sedona (with MSRP of $380) has all of the features that most beginner cyclists want or need, at about $120 lower MSRP than the DX model.
The Sedona drivetrain is a triple crank (three big gear rings where the pedals attach) with a seven gear “cassette” on the back gear, giving you 21 possible combinations (so it’s a “21 speed”). I found the 21 speeds to be quite adequate for all of my needs, having a good gear range for climbing hills and cruising along quickly also. Shifting is done by twisting the handlebar grips, and I found the shifting to work smoothly.
Giant Sedona
As for the bike’s ergonomics, I liked the saddle even better than the comfortable seats on my Giant Cypress and my Giant Simple. The saddle has a cut-out section to keep pressure off of your more tender parts, and has enough padding to be comfortable yet did not get in my way when riding more vigorously.
The Sedona has tires that are somewhat in between mountain bike tires and city bike tires. These tires strike a good balance, and gave me a bit of extra grip on gravel and off-road, without adding too much drag when I was riding on pavement. The tires, coupled with the suspension, make this bike suitable for some off-road riding (honestly, probably as much or more than most people will actually ride off road) and also make the bike comfortable on bumpy city roads.
The Verdict: The Giant Sedona is a great all-around bike. The Sedona can handle enough off-road riding for 95% of the population, while still still being good on pavement. The Giant Sedona is a good beginner bicycle choice.
I was prepared to not like this bike. Sure, I’ve only been riding a bike for about a year now after over twenty years without riding, but I’ve gone from a hybrid bike to a road bike and have been focusing on getting stronger and faster on my road rides, and wasn’t real sure what the Electra Townie 7d bicycle could offer me. But, almost from the moment of getting on the bike, my mind began to change. So, with that preface, here’s my Electra Townie 7D review:
What started to change my mind quickly was the fact that the seating position on the Townie is a both upright and relaxed, giving you a feeling more like you are on a chopper motorcycle — it just feels like fun. One of the key reasons for this is the position of the pedals on the Townie is a bit forward of the seat tube, unlike most bikes. So you can sit a bit closer to the ground and still get the full extension of your legs while pedaling. An additional benefit of this seating position is that you can place both feet flatly on the ground when you come to a stop, which is a secure feeling — making this a good bike for beginners. The long chain guard keeps your pants clean, too.
Electra Townie 7D (fenders and water bottle cage are sold separately)
The drivetrain on the Townie 7D is fairly simple, one gear on the crank (that round thing connected to the pedals) and 7 gears on the back wheel, shifted by twisting the right hand-grip. I found the 7 gears to offer a great range of gearing for most riding situations. Though you’re not going to pass the Tour De France riders up any mountains on the Townie, the one super low gear on the Townie 7D should keep you spinning up most inclines. The brakes on the Townie are dual hand brakes that worked well to bring the Townie to a stop quickly and consistently.
I found the saddle on the Townie to be very comfortable, being a good combination of sufficient padding and not so big as to be in my way during more vigorous riding. That, coupled with the big tires and the relaxed riding position made for a very comfortable ride, both on paved roads and also on the gravel trails that I took the bike on. In fact, though I had intended to ride at a more leisurely pace, I found myself burning up the trails quicker than I would have expected — with gravel occasionally pinging inside the optional Electra Townie fenders. Despite my initial inclinations, I was falling for this fun, comfortable bike.
The Townie 7D performed great on the gravel trail.
The verdict: It’s now been a few weeks since I rode the Electra Townie 7D, and I have to say — I want one! The bike was just a ton of fun to ride. No, it won’t replace my road bike for hard and hilly workouts, but the Townie is a great bike for riding around town, riding down trails, riding with the kids or add the optional rack on the back of it and use it for commuting. In fact, I recently included several Townie models in my Affordable Commuter Bikes article.
The men’s version of the Electra Townie 7D is available for $399. There are also several women’s Electra Townie versions to choose from. I hope that my Electra Townie review has been of some help to you. If there are any specific bicycle reviews that you would like to suggest, please use the comment form below.
If you are a beginner cyclist looking for a starter road bike, you have to navigate between the big-box-department-store cheap bikes (that will likely start having problems within the first month you own them) and local bike store (LBS) road bikes that can be thousands of dollars. However, to get a beginner road bike that will be suitable for vigorous training, group rides and local races, you don’t have to spend $1,000. There are some bikes out there that can be great beginner road bicycles for a beginner to get started with. One of these is the Fuji Newest 3.0 road bike. Here’s my Fuji Newest 3.0 review:
If I use some terminology in this review that you aren’t familiar with, please take a moment to see my Tips for Buying a Beginner Road Bike for explanations. As I mention in that article, although I am a cheapskate, it is hard to get a decent road bike for less than $700. The Fuji Newest 3.0 retails for around $780, but can sometimes be found during sales at Performance Bike for big savings.
As for the specifics of the bike, the front crank (by the pedals) is a triple crank — meaning it has 3 different chain rings, which allows for some easy gearing helpful for beginners. The “cassette” of gears on the back wheel has 8 gears, so you have 24 speeds possible in all. When riding the bike, I thought the gear shifting was just as good as the shifting on my Giant Defy 3.
While most road bikes these days are made with only one set of two brake levers that also serve as shifters (so you have to have your hands on the shifter hoods to brake), the Fuji Newest 3.0 also has brake levers “on the tops” of the bar. This allows for easy braking while riding in a slightly more relaxed position. While serious racers would worry about the extra weight from the second set of brake levers, this set-up is really nice for beginners. I have to admit, when I was riding the Newest 3.0 it made me wish that my road bike had an extra set of brake levers.
Everyone has different preferences in bike saddles, but I found the seat on the Fuji Newest 3.0 to be very comfortable as far as road bike seats go — as with all road bikes, you will still need to wear either bike shorts or padded liners under your normal shorts or pants (you don’t have to wear spandex to ride a road bike!). The Newest 3.0 comes with flat platform pedals that are really not optimal for a road bike, so eventually you will probably want to upgrade to something like Shimano M324 pedals that allow you to either ride on a platform or locked in with shoes with cleats. However, most starter road bikes don’t come with those types of pedals, and I’d suggest getting comfortable riding a road bike first before making that upgrade.
The verdict: I think the Fuji Newest 3.0 is a nice-riding road bike that (at its normal price) is a good value, and when you catch it on sale it can be one of the best values out there for a beginner road bike.
That concludes my Fuji Newest review. If you have any questions or comments, please use the form below.
So, you’d like a bike that was fast and nimble like a road bike, yet had more of a traditional upright riding position — instead of the more bent-over riding position and curved “drop” handlebars sported by modern road bikes and the “10 Speeds” of years ago. Luckily, a lot of other people are in the same boat, and these days there are many bikes like this called a variety of names such as “hybrid bikes” (sometimes confusing with bikes with electric motors also), “fitness bikes” and “flat-bar road bikes”. Bicycle manufacturer Cannondale has a line of bikes in the genre called the Cannondale Quick bicycle. The Cannondale Quick comes in many different variations, but we’ll focus on the Cannondale Quick 4 — which, with its aluminum frame, carbon fork, and upgraded shifters, is a nice upgrade from the Quick 5 and Quick 6 models. Here is my Cannondale Quick 4 review:
First, let’s discuss what the Quick 4 is not — this is not a “comfort bike”. That’s not to say that the Quick 4 is uncomfortable, however if you are looking for a big cushy cruiser seat and suspension fork and seatpost to smooth out your ride, this is not the ride for you (that would be more of a “comfort bike”). The Quick is much more of a “flat-bar road bike”, so like a sports car you feel the bumps in the road, but in return you get very nimble handling and the bike is (as its name implies) quick. The saddle is contoured and padded, but it is more of a road bike seat for vigorous riding, so I would recommend wearing either bike shorts or padded liner shorts when riding.
The Quick 4 has three chain rings on the crank and 8 gears on the “cassette” of gears in the rear, so 24 “speeds” in all, plenty of gears to choose from to get you up the steepest hill. Shifting is crisp with Shimano trigger shifters, which many people find smoother to ride than the grip-twist shifters of some bikes in this price range (around $600). The 700×35 tires with a protective kevlar belt roll faster than mountain bike tires, but are still wider than most road bike tires, so you can do a bit of trail riding on them (but this bike’s real forte is on-pavement riding and fitness training).
The verdict: The Quick 4 is a good bike for those looking for a nimble, fast ride with a more upright riding position than a road bike. It would be fine for fitness training, group road rides with your local club, some mild off-road excursions, and could make a good commuter bike. The bike is also available in a Women’s Cannondale Quick 4 model with a frame that’s a bit easier to step over. I hope you’ve found this Cannondale Quick review helpful. Please post any questions or comments below.
