>>1357410Neither are the apex of value. Surlys are expensive in their market segment. And the Schwinn is excessively cheap.
$5-800 is the sweet spot for value.
Anything much cheaper, like the schwinn will:
a: have a very cheapy made frameset that is heavy and too stiff, so upgrading will always be polishing a turd
b: have excessively cheap parts that will break
But beyond $800 you're mostly paying from performance, not reliability. And an entry level frameset with a chromoly steel or carbon fork, doable at that price point, will ride comfortably and be relatively light and at that point your choice of tyres matters more for ride quality than any further upgrades to the rest of the bike.
It's basically 8,9,10 or 11 speed, not 7 speed
and a chromoly steel or carbon(composite) fork, not an 'alloy' or 'hiten' steel one.
I would suggest pic related. That IS suited to upgrading over time. And it has a chromoly frameset like surlys. You could even tour on it.
