My old city bike is getting worn out and I'm considering getting a new and better bike. I will use it for my daily commute (paved road - very uneven in places) and the occasional trip outside the city on unpaved roads. I have decided that a cross-road bicycle/29'er is what I'm looking for. I have created a check list with a few points:
- Large wheels (29'er/cross-road)
- Good brakes (hydraulic disc brakes)
- Front suspension with lockout
- Remote lockout of the suspension
For the price/quality level I'm considering it seems that remote lockout is a very special feature. So far I've found a single model with remote lockout (the Trek 8.5 DS) but I'm still undecided if I want better brakes and suspension than this model offers.
I've never had a bicycle with front suspension before but to me it seems like a no brainer to get remote lockout. I expect to have the suspension locked on my daily commute, but I know several places on my route where I would think having an unlocked suspension would be nice.
What are my best alternative?
- Keep looking for a bike that satisfy my needs including having a remote lockout? Being unsuccesful doing this made me come here for advice.
- Look for a bike that satisfy my needs with the possibility of having a remote lockout mounted aftermarket? I don't know if this is possible without a significant cost increase which detracts from this solution.
- Forget about the remote lockout and just keep it locked for my daily commute just as I do today where I have no suspension at all?