# Bikes Similar to GF Montare and Cannondale Bad Boy?



## swimman (Sep 29, 2010)

I'm considering an 'all around' bike to use for commuting, riding with the kids and toying around. I currently have a nice road bike that I ride often and an older mountain bike that gets little use. I want something in between the two and have been considering the Montare and Bad Boy. 

Any thoughts on these two as well as recommendations for other bikes I should put on my list. Budget is around the $1300 that the Bad Boy will cost. Would like a bike with disc brakes and a front shock. Not interested in an internally geared rear end or single speed. 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## whistlesglimberg (Jun 25, 2011)

I was looking for a Bad Boy, but couldnt find one in my size as they were all out of stock. I ended up settling on the Trek PDX which doesn't have a great component set, but gets the job done for less money! It also doesn't have a front shock.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

New mountain bike, and some slick, inverted tread tires or racing tires - whatever works for the amount of pavement vs. dirt you ride. If you really want the 700C wheels, either get a 29er or get a 26" bike and a set of road wheels for it. 26" bikes don't fit especially big road tires, although how big is going to depend on the frame. I think a 29er with skinny road tires is a little wrong, in a similar way to a 26" bike with really little slicks. (Not that I wouldn't do it, of course.)


----------



## Brtrooper06 (Jun 23, 2011)

Sounds like you're drawn to the Montare and Bad Boy because of their flat black paint schemes.

I would spend $760 on the Trek Utopia and then put about $300 into upgrading the components. The components on the Montare and Utopia are both equally crappy and the frames are the same.

Only real difference between the two is HYDRO brakes vs MECH brakes and they are both very bad quality ones at that.

I ride a Utopia to work 5 days a week (7 mi one way), all paved and I could not be happier.

When I was looking at bikes I came down to the Montare/Utopia vs Bad Boy as well and picked the Trek after riding them. Just liked the way it felt better and because the Cannondale Dealer around only wants to help you if you are buying a $4000 road bike.


----------



## jseko (Jan 25, 2011)

I had considered those in the past also and ended up with a Marin Point Reyes 29er. It has a carbon fork instead of suspension though.


----------



## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

Brtrooper06 said:


> I would spend $760 on the Trek Utopia and then put about $300 into upgrading the components. The components on the Montare and Utopia are both equally crappy and the frames are the same.


Hi. Newbie here.

What exactly have you upgraded or want to upgrade? I may do the same as I have been looking at Montaro and Mendota.

Thanks!


----------



## jseko (Jan 25, 2011)

marchone said:


> Hi. Newbie here.
> 
> What exactly have you upgraded or want to upgrade? I may do the same as I have been looking at Montaro and Mendota.
> 
> Thanks!


On the Montare and Mendota, I'd probably change out the crank. But then again, I might just wait until it wears out to change which might be years down the line. The Alivio crank isn't the lightest compared to say Deore or LX, but it is perfectly usable. Personally I'm happy with Deore setup on my commuter since it's perfectly serviceable. I'm sure others will argue otherwise. Deore isn't the best or lightest either, but sitting at the bottom range of the enthusiast component group, it's components present a good value and are a workhorse. Deore components are those starting with number 5, eg M590 derailleur.

Above Deore, a lot of what you are paying for is weight reduction such as Hollowtech II cranks, exotic metals/alloys, etc. I think Deore has hollow crank arms too, but they are manufactured using an older, possibly less expensive, process so they weigh a bit more and cost a bunch less.

If you like those two bikes, then I'd say go for it. If you aren't able to do the labor yourself, then paying a shop to do it could make upgrading the Utopia very expensive.


----------



## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

Thanks. I'd probably upgrade brakes on a Montare but now I'm looking at gear hubs instead of derailleurs. Shimano Alfine, not Rohloff Speedhub. Have to price a build out on a Karate Monkey and see how it compares. If I do that I just increased my budget from under a thou to under two.:madman:


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

How do you want to use this bike?

It's very easy to overspend trying to build the perfect/ultimate/whatever commuter. While internal hubs are appealing to me, too, I feel like the hardtail MTB and light touring categories really encompass most people's needs already.

Keep in mind also that complete bikes are almost always more cost-effective than building.


----------



## jseko (Jan 25, 2011)

I have not built a bike or done any major modifications on any bikes.

My guess is that it's kind of like building a computer. Most of the time it's not as cost effective as buying one off the shelf or even customizing one from Dell. In the end, it's a hobby and you feel good about building something. That's what it seems like at least. Well with bike, you need more (specialized) tools. A computer can usually be assembled with a only a flat head and Philips screwdriver.


----------



## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> How do you want to use this bike?


New York City commuting and transportation. Rough streets, potholes, cobblestones, curb jumping. No trails but plenty of dirt.

I want something reliable with less maintenance than chains and derailleurs will demand. I know that a build will be pricier even if I assemble it but I'm not likely to. It's all down to cost and the will to compromise.


----------



## jseko (Jan 25, 2011)

I am loving my Marin Point Reyes for San Francisco commuting. I'm not familiar with NYC terrain, but here it's hills every way I look. I did look at IGH, but found the gearing didn't get low enough. About 1/2 mi of my commute is done in 26-32, about 22 gear inches, and that's the only part of my commute where I get sweaty. No way to avoid it since my office at the top of said hill.

I ride pretty much exclusively on pavement. Some of it is in pretty bad shape. One road I use in Golden Gate Park is seldom used by cars so it's probably not a high priority to fix, but the lack of cars is what makes it so attractive for riding. I guess it's kind of like riding through Central Park, but GGP is larger.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I remember doing that.


skankbike 001 by Andrew183, on Flickr

This was an intermediate form for this bike. I bought it as a 10-speed for under $200. It wasn't worth that, but I didn't have a lot of time on my hands, and figured paying a little extra not to deal with Craig's List was worth it.

Mechanically, it wasn't brilliant. But I started throwing things out, and once I'd replaced the pictured freewheel with a BMX driver, I had a reliable bike. Geared drivetrains weigh a ton! It was a lot lighter, and had much snappier acceleration too.

If you're ever going to have to lock your bike outside, definitely knock a zero off your price. And, rough streets, pot holes, cobbles, curbs, and road bikes have all existed since long before there were nicely paved, asphalt streets. Something with a little clearance for a 28mm tire would be good for a smoother ride.

If you decide you don't really need a bunch of gear ratios to ride NY (you don't, IME,) there are a lot of off-the-shelf solutions. I'd be looking at a catalog bike from Performance, or one from bikesdirect.com. But I've been riding for a while. Fit is really important, and if you don't have a reference to get you there, buying local has the advantage.


----------



## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

Thanks for your answers, guys. It's good to have a forum like this where newbies can get a start.

I'm now leaning toward a Surly Karate Monkey Complete. Maybe a singlespeed is all I really need. A Rohloff Speedhub can come later.


----------



## swimman (Sep 29, 2010)

Well, I found a basically new 2011 Montare on Craigslist which was advertised as a Large and at a great price. However, upon getting it home I noticed it was an XL (21") which is slightly large for me. I sold the Montare about two weeks ago and made $100 on it. Now I'm leaning to a 2012 Bad Boy which should be in the LBS the middle of next month. I'll probably upgrade components at some point as I can never leave well enough alone but there's still time to select 'the' bike. Currently, the Bad Boy is on the top of the list.


----------



## marchone (Aug 16, 2011)

I considered the Bad Boy as well till I decided to stay away from derailleurs. This will be my first bike in more than a decade and I always loathed their trickiness. I'm a low maintenance kind of guy.

I just posted a question in the Beginner's Forum about forkends. Please take a look.


----------

