Commuting - buying a road bike

Hi... looking for suggestions. I commute on a hybrid. It's great for back and forth to work. But I'd like to add a road bike, one that might carry a load if I need it to (long weekend ride), not looking for racing, just affordable, lighter, more speed... oh, I'm female and only about 5'5", so I usually end up with a smaller frame.

Any ideas?

Yeah, I want one too, for very similar reasons. Also female, 5'3". I've had a Giant OCR1 recommended, but haven't managed to test ride one yet. Obviously something WSD would be great, but they are all pricier than I can currently afford. :(

Best of luck (and I'll be reading the replies too!)

Ellie

Yes, I looked at Trek, as I live in WI. But dang they have priced themselves right out of my market.

What is your budget? We can narrow it down for you a little better.

Some brands with decent lower priced road bikes with rack mounts are
Jamis, Fuji, Bianchi, and KHS.
If I'm wrong assuming that you want rack mounts, I apologize if I'm wrong.:)

I didn't have any money for a new bike, but after testing out a few at different LBSs and seeiing that different brands fit differently, I decided not to buy a used one from E-Bay, so... I just OMG charged it. So we're looking at $100 a month for a little while BUT IT'S WORTH IT!!!!!!

I expect to have a new RB by Christmas. It'll probably be a Trek 1000 since it will be in my budget and comes in 43cm. Also my LBS is a Trek dealer and they're a pretty decent outfit. I have a Trek ATB and love it. Anyone try out the Trek 2000 WSD?

If I do this now, I'd only want to spend about $500, is it worth it to wait and buy a Trek? I would love to have one! But there is something to be said for not spending a ton of money on a bike... then you just worry that someone will steal it.

Help, what is a rack mount?

I want light, quality, speed, and yes, the ability to pack if I need to.

Originally posted by dmiller91
If I do this now, I'd only want to spend about $500, is it worth it to wait and buy a Trek? I would love to have one! But there is something to be said for not spending a ton of money on a bike... then you just worry that someone will steal it.

Help, what is a rack mount?

I want light, quality, speed, and yes, the ability to pack if I need to.


Rack mounts are holes drilled to take a pannier rack. A lot of road frames omit them which means you're limited to a seatpost mounted rack, which won't take heavy panniers.

The ability to mount a rack is really just a set of eyelets on the frame near the rear hub which allows for screws/bolts. Some bikes have more than others and some have none.

You should be able to pick up a Trek 1000 in the $500 neighborhood. It's the entry level Trek road bike. I like it because it's a Trek and because of its 43cm size and my 5'3" frame. Haven't done a test ride though.

Another possibility would be to buy used. You could get a lot of bang for your buck with $500 or even less for a vintage ride in good condition but you really have to know what you're looking at. You could wind up with low end junk if you're not educated about the whole thing.

What I did was buy a cheap obscure vintage ride that was low-end but in great shape just to see if I'd like road biking and to get an idea of what I want in a new bike. So far I'm having a good enough time with that one to get me through at least till Christmas.

A Trek 1000 is the other one I've been looking for. They're £550 in the UK at the minute. My prefered lbs is a trek stockist, and they currently have one hanging in the window to tempt me. :)

I think I may have to test ride one next weekend...

Ellie

Originally posted by Ellie
I think I may have to test ride one next weekend...
Ellie

...uh oh!:eek:

Anyone else try out a Trek 1000? How are the components?

Odds are on the bike. Ellie's gonna be a few pounds British Sterling lighter in the pocket book very shortly.:eek:

I was looking at a trek 1000 here in tokyo last weekend. It had shimano cera gears, which are pretty cheap and nasty. also came in at around 10 kilos. But it looked a pretty sweet ride.

Originally posted by oceanrider
Odds are on the bike. Ellie's gonna be a few pounds British Sterling lighter in the pocket book very shortly.:eek:

Oh well... Who needs food anyway?!! :D

Ellie

here's one for ya!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/fujiace01.html#ace-se


this might just work!