Rookie Road Biker... needs opinions

Scorpion

I have a budget of $900-$1200. (max and wife WILL kill me)...

I am looking for suggestions for an aluminum bike (carbon fork)

So far:

Trek 1500 ($999)

Specialized Allez Elite (same)

Felt?

Cannondale?

Also, for that price, what is the most important.. components?
wheelset?

name brand?

HELP!!!

Thanks!

JAPANic

You might get more for your money at that price going for a noname brand....

I live in Japan and not sure about other countries but Bridgestone make a bike here called Anchor.

http://www.anchor-bikes.com/bikes/03bikes_index.html

They look great and being made by a Japanese company have been made to perfection and copied form all the best the world has to offer. Nothing wrong with them at all except they are not a fashion brand....

Do they have any brands like that where you are from?

DiabloScott

My advice is to ignore any advice you get about buying used or mail-order. You should find a bike shop with a decent selection and great sales people who will listen to what you want to do with a bike and will sell you one that fits well and meets your needs.

Trek and Specialized are good, Cannondale is worth looking at, I'd be surprised if Felt had something to offer in that range. You didn't mention Giant or Lemond, and there are others I'm sure that you'd be happy with.

I think the most important thing is that the overall package is what you want - nice selection of everything, not concentrating costs on wheels or components. People sometimes get caught up in the idea of upgrading in the near future but that gets expensive, better to be happy with what you buy for a long time and then upgrade when something needs to be replaced - or buy a pair of special wheels for the big day.

__________________


http://diabloscott.blogspot.com

oneradtec

They are all important. Go to coloradocyclist.com and check them out. I think they are running a few specials on their Douglas bikes with Shimano 105 or Ultegra. The Douglas line of frames are pretty good. This is a good time of year to get some 2003 close out specials everywhere.

Aussie cycler

You won't get a much better bike for $1000 than the Trek 1500. 105 group set is very good and the Bontrager wheels are good too unless you are heavy. If you are on the heavy side and will be doing a fair bit of riding, look at getting a set of cheaper training wheels like Mavic CXP33's. Bring out the Race-Lites when you want to race or are going on a serious ride.

Good luck with your decisions, it's a fun job choosing a new bike but not very helpful when each shop pushes their 'own' brands!

__________________
'It never gets easier, you just go faster'

trekchic

I concur about the TREK 1500! A lot of bike for the money! I have Ultegra and 105 components on mine.......it is a smooth bike! I am brand new to cycling, so I went to the most highly recommended bike shop in my area. I talked with the owner for about 2 hours one day about the difference in racing and touring and the different needs each has. Then, we chose the TREK brand for me (he carries Felt, Cannondale, Bianchi, Lemond, and some others I can't remember). I had to wait a few weeks for the bike to come in........but it was worth it! Go ride one, you'll be hooked!

The Dubliner

Go big my friend. Max out the credit card, get a really good rig, and when your wife sees the bill, get on it and hammer the pedals to save your skin.

On the other hand, you could try and get her hooked on riding. I got my wife turned on to racing and now have carte blanche when it comes to spending money and time on the bike. I haven't figured out how to sort out the bank manager yet. Suggestions welcome...

Daremo

Giant is almost impossible to beat for value and reputation ...... they are the largest supplier of bikes in the world after all ........

Plus their bikes come well equipped, and offer a lot of good features.

Definitely go to a shop, have a bike fit to your size, and do it right. If they try to upsell you on something you don't need, leave ........ find a better shop. Their are tons around.

__________________
'05 Aussie version Giant TCR C Zero ...... finally went over to the dark side and riding a carbon bike. But you can't beat a 17 lb. ride!!

Eagleman 70.3 half ironman - 6/11/06 - here I come!!

Mark Andrews

Buy second hand...

I have a $4,500 racing bike that I paid $1,600 for.

I have Campy record etc. and have a bike that is pro level...

Kez Deale

I'm getting a Giant OCR 3 soon, and there a nice bike by the look of it... my budget is $1000 AU, and that's a bike that I like

Kez

Loony2nz

I'm looking at the Giant OCR 1 or the OCR 2 depending on the deal I get.

I'm a light rider. ~145lbs. So this bike would do me well.

--Chris--

mjolnir2k

My advice is always to get the best possible frame for your budget and worry less about the components. The frame is the heart of the bike and EVERYTHING else can be swapped out if you choose.

Also, don't be fooled by what you "think" is a complete grouppo. Most bicycle manufacturers hide the cheap parts where they think you won't notice. Check out the Bottom Bracket, Headset, Hubs, Stem, Cassette and Seatpost. These are the most common places to find cheap parts that are poorer quality and which are very HEAVY.

Just because it has an Ultegra rear derailleur does NOT make it an Ultegra Grouppo. In fact almost all manufacturers upgrade the REAR Derailleurs to 1 or even 2 levels above the rest of the componentry found on the bike because thats how the bike shops sell them to you "See this bike has Ultegra" and they know the consumers have been trained to look at the rear derailleur to identify the parts grouppo.

In addition, most manufacturers have their own brand of "House" parts that they integrate into a parts grouppo to keep costs down. TREK (as an example) uses either their "Icon" stuff or the "Bontrager" stuff to fill out a grouppo (check out the cranks, stem, seatpost, bars and wheelset on the Trek 1500)

So get the best frame you can afford, check out what's really "under the hood" and then ride, ride, ride and be happy with your new bike!

Hope that helps.

__________________
KUOTA Kredo: 14.5 lbs
Dura Ace Controls
FSA Carbon Pro Team Crankset
C.A.T. USA Brakeset
Kuota Carbon Post / San Marco Carbon Saddle
Cinelli RAM Bar/ Stem
American Classic Carbon Tubular 700c
Tufo S3 Lite 215 Tubulars
**Team SMCC Racing**

TourdeForce2424

Check out www.fujibikes.com

You will find a good deal on a Fuji, trust me, and you will be very pleased.

SLS

I am partial to Trek over any others I have tried, right now one of my bikes is a 1990's TREK 2100 and it is still going strong. The most important part for the price would be the feel and the ride. Components and wheel sets you can upgrade later if you really feel the need. I would lean towards the components over the wheel sets any day though from your price point question. If you get serious about racing you will probably want a second set of light weight race wheels & train with the original rims. Besides one to many potholes aken wrong and you are looking for new rims anyways. No matter which bike you choose you are going to get a really decent bike - not top of the line, but a really good bike.