Road Cycling - Iron Horse Road Bike...

New to road cycling - found an Iron Horse Glory with Kinesis Superlight Frame, clipless pedals, Shimano-105 components for $799 .. Should I buy or fly elsewhere?:confused:

You can do better. I'd pass.

Thanks for the info... Me being a NewBie, what part of this is questionable in your mind.. Also looked at Giant OCR2, and Raleigh M500 to start up on...

Of the three you mentioned, I'd go with the Giant.

Welcome to the forums Mark!

The most important part of a bike is the frame, you can always upgrade the components. That said, the 105 groupo is a great newbie groupo. Just make sure the bike fits you well, a good LBS will help fit the bike to you.

Im going to agree with Ron, the Giant OCR2 is a great entry level bike, however spend some time on the bike, it may not be the bike for you... let us know what you decide to go with!

Joe... Ron...

I don't want to be a pain, but I think you gave a newbie really bad advice.

The Giant OCR2 is a pretty junky bike. It's got a heavy, poorly-made [have you SEEN the welds on these things?] three-sizes-fit-all compact frame, Sora components and a quill stem that makes upgrading and fitting a nightmare. I wouldn't recommend riding this bike on a 20 km jaunt, let alone on a century or in a race. The OCR2/3 are the bikes you buy a noisy kid who wants a "grown up bike" when you don't want to spend a lot of money.

The Iron Horse, on the other hand, has a pretty good frame -- Kinesis Superlite, I believe -- mostly 105 components, a respectable frame geometry...

The only edge that the Giant has over the Iron Horse is the wheels [and that's very slight], the pain job and the fact that Giant has race cred, while Iron Horse doesn't.

The crummy frame and cheaper components of the Giant doesn't even equal a better price.

Thanks to all for your comments... I have however expanded my dollars to $1,200 and am looking at the following...
KHS FLITE 800
IRON HORSE GLORY
TREK 2200
FUJI ROUBAIX
RALEIGH R600
SCHWINN FASTBACK COMP

Feel free to give any thoughts on these or any other bikes up to around $1,200

Thanks in advance!:D

velocipedio, im going to drop by my LBS today and check out this OCR2, maybe im thinking of another bike? I thought this was a 105 groupo bike with a rather nice entry lvl frame.

Hmm, maybe not? :)

As for Iron Horse, i honestly have never spent any time on there road bikes, i can say however i really do not like there mountain bikes.... just a IMHO, but i was not pleased with the quality or feel.

I would say that the Raleigh and Trek are the first to look at. The Raleigh is fairly nice, for a Taiwanese bike, Trek has a large dealer network and makes decent frames, at least. the Schwinn is anotheer fairly nice Taiwanese bike, but Huffy will probably destroy the company, so I wouldn't buy it for that reason alone. Fujis are as heavy as anchors, and the other 2 are off-brands, too. I wouldn't bother with them.

IMO, the KHS is the best bike of the bunch. It's a 105/Tiagra mix, but it has 105 in all the right places, and even has Shimano 105 wheels which are, IMO, a step up from what you'll usually find at this pricepoint [not that Mavic CXP21s are so bad...]. The best part is that it has a REALLY nice 853 steel frame and a CF fork. I'm one of those guys who gets all hot and bothered about steel [particularly when it's Italian, which the KHS isn't] and I don't think there's any better place to start than with a steel frame. I don't know too much about KHS's road rep, but I have some MTB buddies who swear by their KHS steel MTBs. One of them has been riding the same frame for something like ten years now, and it has held up beautifully.

In fact, the KHS makes me think of the Univega Modo Volare [which is in the price range], which is -- again IMO -- the very best value in entry level road bikes. Columbus steel frame, Campagnolo Daytona drivetrain, CF fork, all for around $1100 US. If you can find a Univega dealer, take one for a spin.

Of course, there are a whole lot of aluminum bikes from the big names -- Specialized, Trek, Giant etc. -- in this price range, and they're all quite good. In fact, at the $1,000-$1,200 pricepoint, you'll find that almost every bike you see will be of equivalent quality, usually outfitted with the same components [Shimano 105, Tiagra, a mix of these, or Campagnolo Veloce or Daytona]. The important thing is how the bike fits and how it FEELS to you. Go to a few bike shops and try a bunch of bikes. Take them for test rides [a few miles, not a few blocks].

Take your time shopping. Buying a bike is like getting married; it's important to find a partner that your compatible with, or else there will be a divorce not long down the road. If it comes down to two or three, pick the one that makes you FEEL the best, even if it's just a question of picking the one in your favourite colour. Above all, get a bike that fits.

I'd join in encouraging a look at the Univega. I own a Modo. It's a lower model with Campy Mirage but the Columbus frame. I like its ride alot. Most of the things I don't like about it are corrected in the higher model that's been put forth. If a dealer is handy you should definitely look.

I'd take a look at the Jamis Quest, too. Steel frame. Shimano 105 all around. It lists for $1300 (US) but you might be able to get an end-of-the-year deal.

Hi all,
I wonder why more people are not considering cyclocross bikes.
I feel they make a pretty good all rounder. What appeals to me is the room for a large range of tire sizes not to mention room for fenders. The gearing is more suited for avg road riders.
I have noticed in the LBS's they always have just road bikes or mountain bikes when I feel alot of people would be better served by a cyclocross bike. Am I wrong ?

Ride Safe.....Dudley *S*

Before considering a Univega, keep in mind that the Univega brand has been discontinued. This will likely mean that customer service will soon be non-existant. BTW, Derby made them and Raleigh at the same locations, so essentially a Univega IS a Raleigh.

The Harris Cyclery site confirms the discontinued status of Univega. However their (Univega's) website is still up and the Modo Volare does look good. Perhaps a bit biased but I'd take Campy Daytona over 105 w/o hesitation even though I have no need for a 10 speed set up. I don't recall a true match in the Raleigh lineup (Columbus+Campy) but perhaps the Raleigh lineup will expand now.

Wouldn't the parent company, Derby, have a customer service obligation?

Originally posted by Walter
Perhaps a bit biased but I'd take Campy Daytona over 105 w/o hesitation even though I have no need for a 10 speed set up
I agree, but that's just me... And I have 10-speed on my main road bike. The advantage is that you ALWAYS have the right gear at the right time. It's actually kind of amazing, coming from 8-speed. The other advantage of Campy over Shimano, of course, is that it has a 16t cog. This is a very useful place to cruise.

I actually took a Modo Vincere out for a test spin. I considered buying the Modo Volare, too, but they didn't have a frame in my size in stock or anywhere in my part of the world. [In some ways that saved me the trouble of a wrenching decision, because I really had no need for ANOTHER steel road bike].

The Vincere [Veloce 9sp triple rather than Daytona 10sp] was a really nice ride. The frame[the same one as the gigher model] is Columbus Thron, not Foco or Zona, but it IS a quality Columbus frame, and the ride was very smooth. I found the geometry just SLIGHTLY slack in the seat-tube which, along with the smooth steel ride, would make it a fine long-distance bike, IMO. I imagine the Volare's uprage to Daytona and a CF fork would make this already sweet ride even better.

Wouldn't the parent company, Derby, have a customer service obligation?
Yes. Univega is a brand of Derby, consequently, your contractual relationship would continue to be with Derby.

Even then, it's not like most bike owners ever really interact with the manufacturer AT ALL for service. You get your service from the shop, not the manufacturer, except in those extremely rare instances like frame failure, etc. I have owned many bikes in my time and I have never had a service transaction with the manufacturer.

I bought my wife and myself matching KHS flite 800's. The 2003 version has Ultegra components and is a serious bike for the money.

http://www.khsbicycles.com/flite800spec.html

Thomas