I hope my title has attracted some of our cycling enthusiasts. I'm in the market to get a decent road bike for the coming years and I though it would be use to quiz you all before heading the bike shop and being confronted by those scheming used bike salesmen. I just moved about a mile away from my classes at school and plan to use this bike to get back forth from my room to central campus along with some weekend riding with friends and maybe a triathlon or two a year if I can be talked into it. Here are my requirements in a bullet point format: Needs: - Road bike - 5 miles everyday riding - 3-5 event type uses a year - Checking account balance >$0 - 6'0", 175lbs, 33 inch inseam, adonis physique That's basically it. I did some research and REI has a "What bike is right for you" pdf which was helpful and is yielded the following conclusions: - Sport geometry - Aluminum frame (see the checking balance note above) - Some gearing (shifters integrated into brakes) - Two wheels So now is where you guys come in, because beyond what I have written i am pretty clueless. What are some good brands to look at in the price range of $0-$750. Is $0-$750 a good budget to be looking for a road bike with these attributes? What about pre-owned bikes? I appreciate any direction. Thanks, Reed
Go to performance bikes when they are having a sale. Typically they will be cheapest since they are a national bicycle store. They will also match online prices as well if it is the same in stock item. The drawback is that the people that typically work there are not always the most knowledgeable. You should be able to get an aluminum fuji in your price range there. Go look and report back on a few models you like and I can help ya out with pickin up the best bang for the buck.
Thanks for the quick advice. The only time I would be going over gravel or dirt would be the occasional cross from road to walking path "commuting".
Cool. Then a straight up road bike would be good. The reason I asked is because CX bikes are becoming increasingly popular for commuters due to wider tires and a little bit slacker geometry for rough roads, gravel roads, etc. They are used to race on dirt. Might be worth looking into as well.
Well said, Eddie & Rob. One can also get pretty good spec of parts for a given price point; sometimes even one or two levels above a name brand bike. My sister started in the cycling segment of tri-athlons with one of their house bikes we picked out for her.
Right on. I'm planning on heading up to their shop this Sunday once I get back in Atlanta. I did some quick searching on their website and came up with this Fuji. It's 39% off due to the new 2014 models and from the quick reading I did on it it seems like a deal. Fuji 1.5 Sportif I'm also doing some looking through craigslist, but probably won't go that way as I am not 100% sure what I am looking at.
If you have $1k to spend, this is a pretty smoking deal for a carbon bike. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_533667_-1___205254 One of my teammates races this frame right now with our bike sponsor's stickers on it since his original bike went back for warranty.
If performance buy the membership and get the 10% credit and then go back and use it for shoes tires and helmet. Additional 10% on Tuesday lunch time You may walk out with extra$ in pocket.
So I ended up jumping on this bike when it popped up on craigslist. Blue performance T-14 54cm carbon frame, FSA carbon crank and areobars and some other nice little bits and bobs. I got it on the cheap because it had a crack in the aluminum seat clamp that was bonded into the frame so the seller though it was done for. Luckily, I'm working for a body shop this summer that specializes in teslas and other aluminum cars and we welded that thing right up. Now to get some shorts that won't leave my crotchal region on fire like I experienced after riding this weekend. DSC_0169 by Reed.Jackson, on Flickr
that's a tri bike and terrible to ride on regular roads and I definitely wouldn't attempt a road race with it. the tri bikes have a different geometry so you can save your legs for the run portion of the race which makes them rather twitchy/less stable than road bikes, not to mention the brakes being in one spot and the aero bar end shifters that are less than ideal... i would suggest selling it and then buying a road bike with your original money + profit from the fix
That's about pretty much what I read before I bought the bike. I figured since I am new to this biking world I would just jump on this deal for now and see how it all feels. I can read all the articles on biking blogs and listen to the opinions of the guys at the bike shops, but opinions are like assholes, everyone has one. So, I'll put my butt on this bike for a few weeks and see if anything can be made better. Are the areobars not optimal for shifting/braking? Is the frame geometry uncomfortable for rides >30 miles? Is my crotch on fire after a ride? These are all questions I hope to figure out, experience is the best teacher. That being said, I do appreciate the advice you all have volunteered so far. I'm sure it's all coming from the right place and is more than likely true. In the meantime, the bike will be on craigslist because everything is for sale for the right price, right?