Road Cycling - new bike advice(i know again)

I've been reading all over the forum, and like all the advice i have seen. Here's the trouble, I live in japan. Theres is a good lbs not too far from me. (1.5 hour train ride) I would try to test ride the bikes but, i 'm 6'2" so they don't have an 60cm, or even 58cm frames in stock. so basically i have to order a bike and be stuck happily or not with what i ordered. My price range it that of about a trek 2300. Any recommendation of other bikes. Cannondale doesn't seem to offer the same components at the same price. Any thoughts to help me out would be apperciated.

Originally posted by anikuma
I've been reading all over the forum, and like all the advice i have seen. Here's the trouble, I live in japan. Theres is a good lbs not too far from me. (1.5 hour train ride) I would try to test ride the bikes but, i 'm 6'2" so they don't have an 60cm, or even 58cm frames in stock. so basically i have to order a bike and be stuck happily or not with what i ordered. My price range it that of about a trek 2300. Any recommendation of other bikes. Cannondale doesn't seem to offer the same components at the same price. Any thoughts to help me out would be apperciated. Don't they make good bicycles in Japan that are more widely available?How about a shop that has a Serotta type fit cycle and grarantees fit.If you don't know your size within reasonable limits you could get burnt bad,and even among the same size,there are big geometry differences.A good way to spend money badly.

Don't they make good bicycles in Japan that are more widely available?

OK, Pokey, since you are clueless about this, let me break it down for you:
Few Japanese people are that tall, so selection in frames larger than about 56cm is very limited. Also, most bikes sold in Japan are of the chari variety (around-town commuter), and very few are road bikes.
In fact, many Japanese consider a true road-style bike to be too flashy and anti-social. Moustache bars were invented mostly for Japanese kids, because schools would not allow drop-bar bikes on school grounds, feeling that they promoted reckless riding.
Those bikes that were sold here in the 70's and 80's were made mostly for export, as were most of the Japanese cars sold in the U.S.-none were common in Japan.

Originally posted by D*Alex
OK, Pokey, since you are clueless about this, let me break it down for you:
Few Japanese people are that tall, so selection in frames larger than about 56cm is very limited. Also, most bikes sold in Japan are of the chari variety (around-town commuter), and very few are road bikes.
In fact, many Japanese consider a true road-style bike to be too flashy and anti-social. Moustache bars were invented mostly for Japanese kids, because schools would not allow drop-bar bikes on school grounds, feeling that they promoted reckless riding.
Those bikes that were sold here in the 70's and 80's were made mostly for export, as were most of the Japanese cars sold in the U.S.-none were common in Japan. Well gosh,ya learn something every day doncha. Maybe one should stick with the acceptable norm,or otherwise run the risk of beig thought an 'outlaw'....But try and test ride a big or small frame in this country too.....

Check out www.feltusa.com good components

You could go to www.wrenchscience.com (see: Get fit for Road and Mountain Bikes!) to determine frame size, stem, etc. The numbers may not be exact for a perfect fit but should be fairy close.

Thanks for the advice guys. The guy at the not so close lbs already sized me(thus knowledge of the 60 frame size), he's been very helpful. But the language barrier is still a pain. The bottom most range bike they can ship in my size is the trek 2300. So thats why my price range is around that. Irek. tried to order the trek 1500, but they don't ship that size to japan. Sometimes it all gets fustrating. I think it may come down between Cannondale and Trek.

Originally posted by D*Alex
OK, Pokey, since you are clueless about this, let me break it down for you:
Few Japanese people are that tall, so selection in frames larger than about 56cm is very limited. Also, most bikes sold in Japan are of the chari variety (around-town commuter), and very few are road bikes.
In fact, many Japanese consider a true road-style bike to be too flashy and anti-social. Moustache bars were invented mostly for Japanese kids, because schools would not allow drop-bar bikes on school grounds, feeling that they promoted reckless riding.
Those bikes that were sold here in the 70's and 80's were made mostly for export, as were most of the Japanese cars sold in the U.S.-none were common in Japan.

Interesting... my friend's fiancee is from Japan. He went to Japan with her for the New Year celebrations and he took lots of photos and clued me in on some of the cycling stuff he saw. I can confirm, based on his accounts and photos, that the majority of bikes in Japan of the 'townie' variety.

But get this... he told me that there are public racks with dozens of bikes parked there WITHOUT locks of any kind! What a cultural difference. Out here, even a rusty Huffy will get ripped off in a second without a lock.

His fiancee wants a bike when she settles down in the USA, but she'll probably end up with a hybrid as it is easier to find a quality hybrid than a 3-speed. I didn't know road-racers were considered flashy; are hybrids considered flashy and antisocial, too?

I guess she'll need to learn to lock the bike and get used to the 'disrespect' that cyclists get from the motorists out here.

Fuji make quite good enough road bikes. You may be able to order some of their "export-only" models through a dealer. Do Bridgedale still produce in Japan? Check out Rivendell for the name of some classy Japanese frame-builders. They may be able to help.
Most of the riding I saw in Japan was on the pavement, or in tiny residential streets. There are bike clubs for sport riding, but no-one seems to ride at a pace for normal transport. Their transport journeys are pretty short, often just a mile to the station, where there are large bike parks. The best bike facility I saw was at Hakodate station, where the large bike park had 2 attendants to ensure neat parking.

Yeah this country has many such things, like road bikes being anti-social, that if you try to think about it, it makes your head hurt. Land of contradictions. I live in the inaka, deep country. So lots of road biking, and there is a large lake an hour away(well they drive like 50km/h) that has a tons of it. At the bike shop the guy well put is bikes outside on display or storage new $$$ (like top downhil racing bikes)bikes, no locks or anything. Also many times people will buy high end bikes and barely use. Get them just cause somebody rides them or just to look cool.

I'm heading to the LBS tomorrow to see what i can get.

In Japan, some people keep one townie bike at home, for their ride to the train station, and then keep another at the destination-to ride the rest of the way to work! Most of these bikes are of the "girl's frame" variety, single speed, with a rear disc brake. Go figure. Also, Japanese women often ride 1-handed, while holding a parasol in the other hand!!

Bet you could get a Maruishi Emperor, or Felt import to Japan.

I have a Trek 2300 it is one fine bike, through the years have had several different brands, this is the best, I rode a Schwinn Paramount for about 20 years, of the two I would rather have the Trek 2300 Triple.

Another bike in that price range that is nice is the Lemond Zurich.