Review of Columbia Journey DX Women's Comfort Bike (16-Inch Frame)

Columbia Journey DX Women's Comfort Bike (16-Inch Frame)
By: Columbia Sportswear Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 11
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Riding in Style

On: 2007-06-12

I bought this bike because of the favorable reviews I read on Amazon. Let me tell you, it is a beautiful bike. It is comfortable to ride and light enough for me to carry it up and down from my apartment. As everyone else mentioned, the assembly instructions are terrible. Not at all helpful. But I just took it to my local bike shop and they put it all together, tested the gears and brakes and even put on a kick-stand for me, all for under $50. I am extremely happy with this purchase.

Great value + reasonably easy to assemble

On: 2007-06-01

I ordered this bike for my wife for bicycling tours with our 8-year-old daughter and for driving around our village, which has quite a few very steep roads. The delivery was fast (i paid for faster delivery), no damage to the packaged bike parts, and assembly was reasonably easy, although a schematic assembly description would clearly have been helpful.
The bike drives very well, the gears work fine (important for the hills here) and the bike is relatively light for a "Comfort Bike". Like previous reviewers, I added a bike stand and may add some battery driven lights in the back and in front for better visibility at night. Some reflectors are included, but I dont consider those sufficient. I really appreciate that fenders are included and the back-wheel one is already installed. Where I grew up we bicycle for most of our short-distance trips rather than taking a car (like the daily commute to the train station) - and you cannot know, whether the streets will be wet or it will be raining on your way back. Your cloths will be a mess driving your typical retail bike here through wet weather conditions - bikes are not simply a leisure instrument, but can be practically used in every day traffic, and thus need to be quipped with decent fenders. I have installed plastic fenders on racing and mountain bikes, and it is a pain in the ..., and they dont last long. So, this is a real plus for this very reasonably priced bike!
Adding a simple assembly description would have earned this bike 5 stars!

Very Nice Bike!

On: 2007-05-30

Even without instructions it was fairly easy to put together. It is probably a little heavier than a more expensive bike, but that shouldnt be an issue for the type of rider that would buy this bike anyway. It appears to be very well made and entirely suited to neighborhood and paved-trail riding.

Cruisin' in Style

On: 2007-05-03

As others have mentioned, there are no instructions to put this bike together. My husband is a mechanical designer and it still took us around an hour or more to assemble our bikes--from removing from box, assembly to adjustments. I dont think i could have put it together on my own for sure, but i did it with his help and as i followed his leads as i watched him put the mans versions of the same bike together. We figured it out but if you arent a mechanical engineer you might get some of the washers and screws in the wrong places--it took us some juggling. You might want to take it to a bike shop to have it assembled without worry. The bike looks and rides great, but the seat is a bit hard. The rear book rack that comes with it is an extra bonus and nice to have. These bikes are perfect for cruising around the streets or if you want to take a bumpy offroad trail. I would definitely recommend and almost went back to buy my daughter one but the price went way up in a couple of weeks from when we purchased ours, so i think ill wait or look at other options.

This is an amazing bike

On: 2007-04-23

Right out of the box you can tell this in a great bike. 21 speed sram shifter that shifts like a dream, omni fork on the front that has plenty of give and take, and an activa seat that is comfortable. It is one smooth ride.

True there was no instructions on how to put it together, but it was a snap. The only thing you had to do was attach the handle bars, the front tire, the front fender, the seat, and screw on the peddles.

Everyone who has seen this bike asks about it - one person even turned around on the trail to ask me.

Super value

On: 2007-04-14

I purchased this Womans DX for my wife. The description on Amazon identified it as a 7 speed, it was actually a 21 speed. We received it with a slightly bent rear fender, and a rear derailleur that was slightly pushed into the spokes of the rear wheel, because of the rough handling by UPS. Both items I straighten fairly easily, and it didnt hurt the smooth operation of the shifting mechanism. The bike assembled easily, and were thrilled with the high quality of the entire bike. However, I have to wonder why no kickstand?
I would suggest Columbia consider finding a carrier that would respect the instructions on the box, or request that UPS instruct their employees to stop putting the bikes on their side. One of the two I ordered had unnecessary (albeit minor) damage as a result of rough handling by UPS.

13 yr old's first 'adult' bike

On: 2007-03-28

i bought this bike as a gift for my cousin. she liked the overall look of the bike & i liked the comfort features, and included rack & fenders. my boyfriend put it together and said that it was a complete no brainer. the only catch was that there was no kickstand, but it cost all of 7 bucks to get one. i also added 2 black folding baskets to the rack so if she decided carry things, shed have space. i think its perfect for a young lady in middle school to grow into and perhaps keep in to her HS and even early college years. great value!!

CYCLING TO CRUISING!

On: 2007-03-26

My friend and I purchased these bike March 20, they arrived March 23 and that was with the Super Free Shipping. I dont know the first thing about putting together a bike but I tried it. Oh, did I mention there were no instructions (just an owners manuel)? I think I did pretty good for an amatuer. This bike was flawless straight out of the box. The rack and back fender already attached. Easy right? The ride is smooth like butter. My friend and I took them to our local bike shop to get kickstands and wider seats because we both have alot of junk in our trunks, so we need extra cushion for the pushin, but other than that I love our new bikes. Getting in shape for our cruise just got easier!

lovely bike

On: 2007-03-08

I got the bike in the box, assembled it and rode it.
I took it offroad, it works as well as my husbands mountain bike.
I feel I do not need all this gears, but hey, they do not cost anything additionally.
Finally I can ride in comfort, without being bent over, and can carry my gear on the rack. The mud guards come in handy too. Great value, great bike.

Good bang for the buck

On: 2007-03-07

I actually purchased this bike from a retail store for the same price. No assembly was required, so I cannot testify to the ease or difficulty of putting this bike together. However, I was surprised to see that this bike came with some better components, especially considering its price. The Selle Italia seat is extremely comfortable, and the Shimano derailleurs shift gears quite smoothly. It also comes with fenders to control the splashing of water and mud, and these usually run an extra $30-$40 at a bike shop. The back seat rack is also included and is very useful for day trips; this usually does not come included with most bikes and costs about $15-$25 at a bike shop.

This bike is great for someone who is either getting back into the sport or looking for something to ride on city roads, smooth dirt paths (i.e. carriage roads or portions of the Erie Canal Trail). I would NOT recommend this bike for someone looking to race it competitively or develop speed...the wheels are wide and bulky (this IS a comfort bike), and I may replace them with hybrid wheels for some of my longer rides. The frame is also thicker than my husbands hybrid, and overall the bike is heavier. However, its sturdy, comfortable, and easy to maneuver, so I would recommend it to anyone looking for a comfort bike. Also keep in mind that bikes with the same or similar features may not include the rear rack and the fenders, which are worth an extra $45-$65.

Surprised on the upside

On: 2006-12-24

I ordered two bikes to give for Christmas, both for adult women, both at around $100. I assembled both of them. The other one was a Kulani 7-speed cruiser. This one, the Columbia, right out of the box was far superior. Unlike the Kulani, this one had no scratches, all equipment was easy to find, and it looked solid right away. I expect the recipient of the other one will request a return, to exchange it for this one. This requires a little bit of bike assembly or general mechanical experience, and it comes with no instructions (the other didnt either, mostly theyre pretty easy) but wasnt hard. You have to string the brake cables through the front brakes, and that was the toughest thing, once you figure out the orientation of the handlebars which are a little funky. But I was very impressed with the quality--- a very nice bike for the price. I expect a few things to go wrong with a bicycle that is shipped this way: damaged paint, a bent fender, that sort of thing, but that was not the case; it was solid, and the tires are rideable right away. It ought to have a kickstand, especially useful for assembling at home. Bottom line, Ill buy more stuff on line, if they come out like this one (I got the other one at a store, just had to assemble it myself). No regrets at all.