Road Cycling - Suggestions on a new Road Bike

It's been 20 years since a bicycle/motor cycle accident that totaled my road bike and left me not really interested in biking.
I'd like to get back into it, but find myself to be completely out of date regarding manufacturers and technology.

I'm looking to ride evenings and weekends. Perhaps some mountain trip. A run at the Ride The Rockies is in the cards.
I'd like to keep the purchase under a grand.

Can anyone give me some ideas as to which bike I should be looking at - I thought Cannondale was a contender, but now I'm a little nervous with the chapter 11 filing.

Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks

Richard Raedeke

Hi,
It's just a guess, but I think Canondale will weather the storm. It's quite a company. So I would not reject their bikes for that reason.
There are a lot of nice bikes out there. I think the Specialized Seqouia Expert is something worth looking into.The Bianchi Eros looks like a sweetheart,didn't fit me, but it's in your category. You're going to want a triple in the Rockies. You will want something comfortable,
a long day in the saddle with a middle aged back
can be torture if you're bent over too far. In any case, you need to try a bunch of bikes; and you'll see what I mean.

canondale got in trouble for its motorbike division but the bicycle division should be ok. I would look at canondale, trek, lemond, and specialized just to name a few. Check out your LBS first!

How much are u willing to spend? Supergo right now has a good deal on a Bianchi Giro (105 components and Shimano wheelset). If your looking for something nicer, loook at the Litespeed Ti Bikes or a nice italian one like a Pinarello or Eddy Merckx.

Actually "Merckx" frames are built in Belgium!

B1105,i just got the supergo flyer and the bianchi was a sweet deal.They also had another bike,105's throughout for under 1000.

Thanks for all the recomendatins. I've looked at the Supergo site, but am a bit nervous about buying a bike over the net.
1. I'm not quite sure what size I'd need.
2. I'd like to get a good fitting by a LBS.
3. It'd be nice to have a LBS having a stack in my satisfaction rather than dragging a bike in the door that they didn't sell me... in- case there was a warranty or problem with the bike.

Any thought on net purchases rather than local.

Thanks again.

Richard

Raedeke I just picked up the Felt f75 under one grand aluminum frame carbon bladed fork 105 derailluers mavic wheels very nice ride. You can check em out feltracing.com

As I tell all my customers - Come up witha budget and then the parts you want.

This will give you an idea on what to spend on the frame.

Then determine the material you want your frame (steel, ti, aluminum, etc)

If looking at complete bikes I have to say the Fuji, K2 and Felt are the best values out there for the money.

If you're thinking about Ride the Rockies, think about getting your new bike with a triple front crank.

I wouldn't worry too much about the brand. The bike shop, the fit, the setup and the components all are more important to me.

There's a lot of choices to make regarding brands, materials, component sets. But you've made the most important choice already, namely the choice to buy a bike.

Probably a well fit, well made, lower price bike from a good local shop would be the best entry point.

Let your experience riding the first bike be your criteria for your second bike. By then an internet or mail order purchase would be a lot less problematic.

I've got to recommend a Specialized Allez(anyone of them) or Sequoia. Bang for the buck all the way

Nobody's said it, but "get thee to a local bike shop" (LBS) and start to get educated. There are SO many choices out there. Depends on HOW and WHERE you will do most of your riding. Go see what's out there and ask a lot of questions. Test ride. Read. Learn about bikes in mags and on the internet. You're posting this question on the road bike area. I assume you are interested in that style of riding. Check out Specialized for the Allez and the Sequoia. I agree with fubar5 on that one! Great value in sharp looking rides!