Road Cycling - HELP! Buying bike for my gf.

Hey guys. I know next to nothing about road bikes. My girlfriend rides 20 miles or so 3-4 times a week, and she really needs a new bike. The local bike shop has Oryx 2200's on sale for 850. Is this a good bike for the money? I can't find much in the way of reviews online. It has Shimano 105 components all around, all aluminum frame, and weighs 21 lbs.
Thanks

If not this bike, what would you recommend I get her in this price range?

That is $US, I guess. Sounds like a good deal for Shimano 105.. the frame is not the lightest, but hey is still a bargain.

Oryxes have a very good reputation among roadies in Quebec. They're made in Canada, though rumour has it they outsource their framebuilding to Devinci. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, since Devincis are quite nice bikes and the frames they make for Argon 18 are, if anything, even better.

On the other hand, the Oryx 2200 is pretty much the same as any other Aluminum 105-equipped bike from a major manufacturer. The frame geometry, except for the compact design, is the same as a whole lot of other bikes and, like a lot of other bikes in the price rancge [it lists for $2000 Cdn], it weighs about 21 lbs [54 cm].

Having said all that, $850 [@ $1300 Cdn] is an excellent price for the 2200. It would be a lousy price if the bike doesn't fit, though, so your GF should spend a lot of time at the shop seeing if they can get the bike to fit right.

Yeah, they said she can bring it back to get the right size, fitting, etc. She is out of town for two more weeks, and I want to put it in her garage so she sees it when she gets back.

I guess they got a good deal from the manufacturer, they have a ton of them, and said they would normally retail for 1300-1400.

I think she'll be thrilled, but I suggest that you'd be better off taking her to the shop and letting her try the bike and they letting the shop fit her. The surprise factor can be fun, but what happens if she just can't GET the bike. I mean, bike fit is a very complex thing; some people just can't get comfortable on a frame, no matter the sizing, stem length, etc. If the bike doesn't fit, it could end up spending a lot of time propping up a wall.

One more thing... the 2200 has an aluminum fork. This is not abad thing, but your GF may prefer to get carbon filber...

Ok, what would the cost on that be, just in case she does.

Lol, as you can tell, I don't have a clue about these things.

WildHare is right. You should be able to get a pretty good CF fork at a pretty good price [$75 or so] when you buy the bike. They carry some margin on them, and they'll usually be willing to sell the fork at cost if it helps them make a sale on the bike.

Originally posted by Capa
Ok, what would the cost on that be, just in case she does.

Lol, as you can tell, I don't have a clue about these things.

A carbon fork off the net can be found starting at $50.00 US (Supergo.com) and up, up , up. The bike shop might cut you a deal since you are buying the bike from them so you may want to start with them.

In all honesty, I think you should take your GF to the shop if you want to get her a bike. The surprise factor isn't the same, but you'd be taking a huge risk because bicycles are such a personal choice. I don't think it's a good idea to spring a bike on someone unless you already know exactly what they want.

I thought I was in a time machine when I read "Supergo". I miss that company.