Nishiki vs Scott vs Kona vs White vs ......

[ibikeforfun]

hello all,
I moved to Stockholm for work a month back, so unfortunately I can not speak Swedish but I hope English is ok.
I am loving the bike culture in Stockholm and would like to be a part of it. I will be commuting 7 kms each way, and I am looking for a cyclo cross or a hybrid. I can stretch the budget upto 10,000 SEK but the cheaper the better.
There are so many bikes and brands to choose from. I am so confused which ones to go for. So my questions:
1. Will I really need dampers on the front? 80% of the journey is asphalt but the remaining 20% could be rough.
2. Apart from the known brands, which I have put in the title, are there any other brands which I should consider?
3. I would like to go for a theft insurance as well, does anyone know where in particular to go?
4. What should I look for while trying a bike? I know that I will not buy a bike online, I have already read many posts where the bike delivered was faulty, and sending it back and forth is very costly.
5. Are there any alternatives to the 4 brands i mentioned?

Any help will be appreciated, thank you!

 

[Deleted member 80092]

I can recommend Länna sport, various bikes to try out. If they dont have one in particular as a demo bike put together, you could order one online, they put it together and email you when its ready, go there, try it. And if you dont like it you dont have to pay for returning it :)

Ive been buying bikes (and other sport gears) there for the past 30 years, never had any issues. Including the price its also a document, which your home insurance need to cover a theft, no need of additional insurance around 10k. You also get a free service within a year, to make adjustments/tighten the chain or other stuff. The stoore has been around for ages compared to many others, always friendy and helpful staff.

My last purchase there was my daily commute, Nishiki Rush and I love it! Its slightly over 10k at 11,5k. I also had a budget of 10k for my daily commute, but spending slightly more and you get a lighter bike which makes up for the wide tyres. And it works as good on asfalt as gravel/forrest trails ?
It works great winter time as well on winter tyres, feels like its a quality bike from Sweden, made to work in our climate + I really like the darker matte color irl, which is far different from the pics online.

Welcome to Sweden :)

 

[ibikeforfun]

I can recommend Länna sport, various bikes to try out. If they dont have one in particular as a demo bike put together, you could order one online, they put it together and email you when its ready, go there, try it. And if you dont like it you dont have to pay for returning it :)

Ive been buying bikes (and other sport gears) there for the past 30 years, never had any issues. Including the price its also a document, which your home insurance need to cover a theft, no need of additional insurance around 10k. You also get a free service within a year, to make adjustments/tighten the chain or other stuff. The stoore has been around for ages compared to many others, always friendy and helpful staff.

My last purchase there was my daily commute, Nishiki Rush and I love it! Its slightly over 10k at 11,5k. I also had a budget of 10k for my daily commute, but spending slightly more and you get a lighter bike which makes up for the wide tyres. And it works as good on asfalt as gravel/forrest trails?
It works great winter time as well on winter tyres, feels like its a quality bike from Sweden, made to work in our climate + I really like the darker matte color irl, which is far different from the pics online.

Welcome to Sweden :)

Hi Mr_Mike,
Thank you for your reply.
Lanna sports indeed have a good bike collection, but it is too far away from the city, I live in Kista and will be moving to Sundbyberg, if there are any troubles with the bike, it would be rather difficult for me to reach there. Do you know of similar bike stores within Stockholm limits? Also what do you think about Crescent?

 

[Deleted member 80092]

Hi Mr_Mike,
Thank you for your reply.
Lanna sports indeed have a good bike collection, but it is too far away from the city, I live in Kista and will be moving to Sundbyberg, if there are any troubles with the bike, it would be rather difficult for me to reach there. Do you know of similar bike stores within Stockholm limits? Also what do you think about Crescent?

Its about half an hour by bus from Stockholm city and then a 5 min walk. But yeah a bit annoying maybe to bring a bike in rush hour. But on the other hand, it takes a while to get to other places too, which might not be customer friendly.

Closest for you would be the bikeshops at Bromma blocks, cykloteket. But I have no experience with the service at other places.

Then there's the new bikester stoore in Sickla, like cykloteket they have a big selection. Maybe there are some reviews here to search about them.

 

[BAPEsta]

I can't talk to much more than my experiences with the bike shops I've frequented in Stockholm as someone who has also moved here.

I have a White Hybrid that I use for commuting and I have done a few bikepacking trips on it too. It was about 8000. Very happy with it and I have had very few issues with it. And when I've had issues with XXL have been incredibly swift and sorted it out quickly. Service is cheap and good. I would always recommend buying a decently priced bike from them. Their store in Barkarby, quite close to Kista has fantastic staff. They are worth building a relationship with. I know big box store brands are usually unpopular here but I think it's usually nonsense and more that people just want the "fancy" brands. My white has served me well.

I also have an XC MTB that I bought at Cykloteket in Häggvik. Their best employee has unfortunately quit a while back to work in their Fork service department. The service is expensive and waiting times are longer compared to XXL but the staff is friendly and bike parts in their web shop is usually decently priced.

 

[ibikeforfun]

Its about half an hour by bus from Stockholm city and then a 5 min walk. But yeah a bit annoying maybe to bring a bike in rush hour. But on the other hand, it takes a while to get to other places too, which might not be customer friendly.

Closest for you would be the bikeshops at Bromma blocks, cykloteket. But I have no experience with the service at other places.

Then there's the new bikester stoore in Sickla, like cykloteket they have a big selection. Maybe there are some reviews here to search about them.

Hi,
Thank you, you have convinced me to pay them a visit at the very least. I was browsing through their website and came across "Specialized Sirrus X" https://www.lannasport.se/sv/articles/2.4716.211703/specialized-sirrus-x-20-2021 . It is well within my budget and seems to have same specs like Nishiki, I cant comment on the quality of components. Please can you comment on this bike, and also Crescent bikes?

 

[ibikeforfun]

I can't talk to much more than my experiences with the bike shops I've frequented in Stockholm as someone who has also moved here.

I have a White Hybrid that I use for commuting and I have done a few bikepacking trips on it too. It was about 8000. Very happy with it and I have had very few issues with it. And when I've had issues with XXL have been incredibly swift and sorted it out quickly. Service is cheap and good. I would always recommend buying a decently priced bike from them. Their store in Barkarby, quite close to Kista has fantastic staff. They are worth building a relationship with. I know big box store brands are usually unpopular here but I think it's usually nonsense and more that people just want the "fancy" brands. My white has served me well.

I also have an XC MTB that I bought at Cykloteket in Häggvik. Their best employee has unfortunately quit a while back to work in their Fork service department. The service is expensive and waiting times are longer compared to XXL but the staff is friendly and bike parts in their web shop is usually decently priced.

Hi,
That is very good to know. Sure I will pay them a visit as well along with Lanna sports. Also what do you think of the Sirrus bike and crescent? Is there any other brand I should look for? What about the Stadium brand called Occano? That is a volley of questions, and your comments will be appreciated!

 

[BAPEsta]

Hi,
That is very good to know. Sure I will pay them a visit as well along with Lanna sports. Also what do you think of the Sirrus bike and crescent? Is there any other brand I should look for? What about the Stadium brand called Occano? That is a volley of questions, and your comments will be appreciated!

I have no experience with Occano and Sirrus. I would probably stay away from Stadium bikes, I don't think they actually have proper bike shops in their stores so I wouldn't expect them to be able to help you in-store if you need any mechanical help.

Crescent is an old Swedish brand and as far as I know it's very high quality. People still ride around on their Crescent bikes from the 80s and 90s. I doubt you'd have any issues with their bikes.

To be fair I think it's less about brand and more about the specs of the bike and that it has fairly modern and easily serviceable parts. Also hugely important in my mind: The shop you buy it from. A great shop that takes care of you after you buy the bike is invaluable unless you want to do everything yourself.

 

[ibikeforfun]

I have no experience with Occano and Sirrus. I would probably stay away from Stadium bikes, I don't think they actually have proper bike shops in their stores so I wouldn't expect them to be able to help you in-store if you need any mechanical help.

Crescent is an old Swedish brand and as far as I know it's very high quality. People still ride around on their Crescent bikes from the 80s and 90s. I doubt you'd have any issues with their bikes.

To be fair I think it's less about brand and more about the specs of the bike and that it has fairly modern and easily serviceable parts. Also hugely important in my mind: The shop you buy it from. A great shop that takes care of you after you buy the bike is invaluable unless you want to do everything yourself.

Hi,
A very well put reply, I will keep the after sales service in mind. Lanna sport is one shop for now, but I would also like to know more experiences about different bike shops in and around Stockholm. I hope other members list their experiences as well!

 

[ibikeforfun]

Hello All,

So I have narrowed down to three bikes:
Nishiki Comp-X 9: https://nishiki.se/hybrid/herr/comp-x-nine-pg-1835
Scott SB Cross 40:https://www.scott-sports.com/se/en/product/scott-sub-cross-40-men-bike?article=286596008
Merida Crossway 20 or 100: https://www.tcmcykel.se/crosshybrid/merida-crossway-20
I do not really understand the difference between Merida Crossway 20 and and 100; if anyone can point out the differences then that would be great.

Basically I have chosen bikes with less aggressive or racing posture (the handlebar is roughly inline with the seat), and one which have dampers on the front since I will be traversing through a bit of forest. All three are also within my budget.

Now the questions are: Which one of these three would you recommend and why?
Also after a bit of research, people like the service of TCM, but unfortunately they dont have Nishiki. Anyway, apart from Lanna sport, XXL does anyone know other bikeshops which you have experienced and have a good after sale service?

 

[ibikeforfun]

Hello All,

So I have narrowed down to three bikes:
Nishiki Comp-X 9: https://nishiki.se/hybrid/herr/comp-x-nine-pg-1835
Scott SB Cross 40:https://www.scott-sports.com/se/en/product/scott-sub-cross-40-men-bike?article=286596008
Merida Crossway 20 or 100: https://www.tcmcykel.se/crosshybrid/merida-crossway-20
I do not really understand the difference between Merida Crossway 20 and and 100; if anyone can point out the differences then that would be great.

Basically I have chosen bikes with less aggressive or racing posture (the handlebar is roughly inline with the seat), and one which have dampers on the front since I will be traversing through a bit of forest. All three are also within my budget.

Now the questions are: Which one of these three would you recommend and why?
Also after a bit of research, people like the service of TCM, but unfortunately they dont have Nishiki. Anyway, apart from Lanna sport, XXL does anyone know other bikeshops which you have experienced and have a good after sale service?

Seems like Nishiki bike is available only at Teamsportia, any experiences with Teamsportia?

 

[BAPEsta]

Seems like Nishiki bike is available only at Teamsportia, any experiences with Teamsportia?

Nishiki is a good Swedish brand but Team Sportia is just like stadium, a general sporting goods store so I don't think they have the ability to service the bike in-store. But that could have changed since they were one of the major chains in like the late 90s/early 00s.

One LBS to check out could be Sportsson. I have no personal experience with their service but friends are happy with them. They also have a store in Barkarby, so fairly close to your location.

Price wise I think most shops will have a hard time to match the prices of XXL. They charge 199 SEK to swap a few spokes and true the wheel (plus about 15-20 SEK in material cost per spoke) while for example Cykloteket would charge 600 SEK (+ material costs) for the same job on the same wheel.

When it comes to the bikes you've picked out I think all of them look fine. I'd probably pick the Scott but I don't know about the fork, never really seen that brand. But I honestly don't think you need a suspension fork. Unless they have proper lockout you'll lose power when pedaling. It's better that you learn to ride smoothly even when the ground isn't smooth. Look at some videos of MTB techniques for riding smoothly.

 

[ibikeforfun]

Nishiki is a good Swedish brand but Team Sportia is just like stadium, a general sporting goods store so I don't think they have the ability to service the bike in-store. But that could have changed since they were one of the major chains in like the late 90s/early 00s.

One LBS to check out could be Sportsson. I have no personal experience with their service but friends are happy with them. They also have a store in Barkarby, so fairly close to your location.

Price wise I think most shops will have a hard time to match the prices of XXL. They charge 199 SEK to swap a few spokes and true the wheel (plus about 15-20 SEK in material cost per spoke) while for example Cykloteket would charge 600 SEK (+ material costs) for the same job on the same wheel.

When it comes to the bikes you've picked out I think all of them look fine. I'd probably pick the Scott but I don't know about the fork, never really seen that brand. But I honestly don't think you need a suspension fork. Unless they have proper lockout you'll lose power when pedaling. It's better that you learn to ride smoothly even when the ground isn't smooth. Look at some videos of MTB techniques for riding smoothly.

Hi,
I was narrowing down to sportson, but in the reviews in the past two years seem to be rather bad. XXL has always had good reviews, but there bike collections is bad. I am looking to invest in good known brands like Merida, Nishiki, Scott, Trek etc. and XXL just has Scott in their list. So this is what I am thinking, buy a bike from a store, and for the servicing thereafter, I will try to find another bike shop. Is it mandatory to get it serviced at the same store as where one purchases the bike? Lanna sport is too far away, although they have a nice collection, but it would be a lot of trouble to get little things fixed. I will go on a tour of bike shops today.

 

[Audioholic]

Intersport have some stores that are bike specialists. I would not hesitate to buy a bike from them if they had something I wanted. You can always go elsewhere for repairs..

 

[stigmarodören]

Intersport have some stores that are bike specialists. I would not hesitate to buy a bike from them if they had something I wanted. You can always go elsewhere for repairs..

The same goes for Team Sportia, my local Team Sportia has opened a dedicated bikeshop next door to their normal store.

 

[Sulfaten]

I recommend Fix my bike in Hammarby Sjöstad, they are good at Kona and Orbea.

 

[ibikeforfun]

Intersport have some stores that are bike specialists. I would not hesitate to buy a bike from them if they had something I wanted. You can always go elsewhere for repairs..

Thank you, I never looked at intersport

 

[ibikeforfun]

The same goes for Team Sportia, my local Team Sportia has opened a dedicated bikeshop next door to their normal store.

Thank you, will check it out.

 

[ibikeforfun]

The same goes for Team Sportia, my local Team Sportia has opened a dedicated bikeshop next door to their normal store.

Unfortunately their bike selection is limited

 

[ibikeforfun]

I recommend Fix my bike in Hammarby Sjöstad, they are good at Kona and Orbea.

Fix my bike is an interesting option to get the bike serviced

 

[ibikeforfun]

Hello all,
I bought a Merida Speeder 400 from Cyclotheke, it is a super light bike, and very very responsive. I am looking forward to go for a longer ride once the weather improves. Thank you all for your help, and I will let you know how service at Cyclotheke goes.