General Cycling Discussion - If you had a $2,000 budget

What bike would you buy? I am in the market for a new bike (converting from MTB) and have probably done too much research on frame types etc. Would you but a high end alum. or Ti of CF? I am not a weight weenie but do not want a 30lb bike either, lol. I am 6'-4" and weigh 235. Would be doing shorter club type rides to start with with the goal of doing some centuries later on. I have the mind-set of dont waste your mone on a middle of the road bike when you can spend a tad bit more and get what you wanted in the first place.

Bikes I have considered/looked at are: Trek 5200, Trek 2300, Felt F35, Cannondale R1000, Litespeed Firenze. Did receive some literature on the very cool bikes from Seven, but thoase are just a little too pricey for my budget, just the frame is $2400.

Let me know what you guys would do if you were in my shoes.

Thanks

Cannondale R1000 would be my choice. I have one that I have been riding for 5 years now and love it. The new ones use the Caad7 frame.

Waterford frame and build it up from there.

here in the UK (slightly smaller than Oregon) we can get far eastern imports dead cheap and just as good as the pricey "name" bikes. seriously, they're okay for anyone, even top level racers.

only down side is that there's no trendy name on the down tube.

Felt's are going to be the best "buy" for your money. Their frames are well made and with the components they strap on are incredible deals.

Personally, I like the feel of a steel frame (chromoly) and I chose a LeMond Zurich (no longer avail in steel). I'm no racer boy, yet couldn't afford titanium. I've ridden several CF bikes and just didn't like the feel of them.

L8R

I'm with Sam, and will suggest the Cannondale, Handmade in the USA, lifetime frame replacement warranty, light and strong. What more could you want?

For $2000 I think you will be fairly hard pressed to get a "good" CF or TI bike. Steel or aluminum gives you a lot more choices. For the amount of money you want to spend the last three bikes on your list are all good choices. I really don't think you could get a 5200 for $2000 unless it was used.

I probably would buy a Rivendell, however I may need more than 2k.

Zeltar - is $2K your absolute limit? Colorado Cyclist has the Litespeed Tuscany, full Ultegra, on sale right nor for $2399 +27 shipping. I've been riding one for about a year and a half now and love it. I'm not a small guy either at 6' and about 220 and have no flex or strength issues with it.

Rode a metric century this summer, my first, on lots of chipseal roads and was so thankful for the Ti. I would have quit had I had an aluminum bike! It's fast and comfortable. Worth the extra reach, in my opinion, if it won't break your bank!

Zeltar - is $2K your absolute limit? Colorado Cyclist has the Litespeed Tuscany, full Ultegra, on sale right nor for $2399 +27 shipping. I've been riding one for about a year and a half now and love it. I'm not a small guy either at 6' and about 220 and have no flex or strength issues with it.

Rode a metric century this summer, my first, on lots of chipseal roads and was so thankful for the Ti. I would have quit had I had an aluminum bike! It's fast and comfortable. Worth the extra reach, in my opinion, if it won't break your bank!


What size did you get? I looked at an online (BikeFarmer) and was leaning toward the 04' Firenze. It is a Ti based on the Tuscany for $1999.
I also have note been able to test ride a Ti bike. It kind of scares me to put that kind of $ down on something I have not ridden. Also the largest size that Litespeed makes is a 61cm. I know you can adjust with stem length etc, but wonder if that messes with the "handeling" at all? I wouldnt have a problem with the x-tra $400 it will just make my x-mas shopping a little more frugal.
I checked the website and the largest the have is a 59cm. :mad:
thanks for the advice though.

You might like to consider a cyclocross bike. They are not quite as delicate as a regular road bike. They have wider tires, stronger wheels, and usually at least some parts of a mountain bike drivetrain. A good example of this type of bike is the Bianchi Axis or the Fuji Cross, both well under your budget amount.

Dan


Dan

I am normal sized just like you, being 6'3" and hitting the scales at 235lbs this morning. My budget was $2000 until I got an unexpected bonus. The bike at the top of my $2000 budget list was the R1000. The Trek 2300 and Lemond Buenos Aires, when it was all steel, were tied for second.

The R1000 went to the top of my list after much research and many talks with different bike shops. My LBS stated in no uncertain terms that for a guy my size who tends to mash the pedals a bit, the R1000 was the best bike. I am, however, trying to reform from masher to lower gear/higher cadence.

With my "bump", I was looking at moving up to the R2000. But, then, I "discovered" the carbon Trek 5200 and the steel/carbon Lemond Zurich. All can be had for about $2500. According to my LBS, all three are of equal value.

Now, its just a matter of test riding them and getting past all the bad publicity of Cannondale's abysmal customer service record.

What bike would you buy? I am in the market for a new bike (converting from MTB) and have probably done too much research on frame types etc. Would you but a high end alum.

I wouldn't spend 2 grand or more on a bike unless I was a pro-racer. It would definately not be AL. Instead I'd probably buy a Gitane or Gios frame and modified it to accept an 8-sp cassette and other components. I wouldn't sink more than a grand into it.

Regards.

For my money, the Lemond Buenos Aires would be the best bet. Should be able to find one for between $1900 and $2000. The ride is awesome, the weight is low as it's a steel/CF hybrid. You won't find it on their website, but the steel they are using is True Temper OX Platinum, the same stuff Waterford used to build the first sub-3 pound steel frame. http://www.lemondbikes.com/bikes/2004/buenosaires.html
Of the bikes you listed, I would go with the Felt. Best bang for the buck and best ride with aluminum. The Cannondale is alright, they just never really got me excited. The talk about their poor customer service is more related to the dealer with whom you are dealing (IMHO); we never had any problems with their service while our shop was dealing their bikes. With regard to the Trek, I really did not care for the feel of that bike-it felt dead and unresponsive. Others will disagree with me there. One other problem I have with the Treks is that I have seen a fair number of them with cracked frames. While Trek was quick to take care of these customers, I'm still leery of the bike. Litespeed makes good stuff; my problem with them was that our customers that purchased them tended to be the yuppy non-rider type. I know it's a negative stereotype, but at least in our area it was almost universally true.

A custom steel Landshark from www.gvhbikes.com. It comes with Ultegra parts. You'd be very very happy with it. I'd prefer Campy parts, but Ultegra "will do."

At this point in my life, a Rivendell Atlantis frame and I'll build it up.

If you had the money I would go with the Trek 5200. For me, the 5200 is the ultimate riding machine. Fast, so responsive it was at first scary, lite, stiff where it needs to be, and absorbs the harsh shocks.

If you want to stay within the $2000 the Trek 2300 for 2004 seems like an excellent choice as it has a carbon fork and carbon seat stays. My wife is drooling over one of these as I type :-)

Allan

At your size, stick to conventional wheels with 36 spokes--most "designer" wheels are designed for 150 lb. riders. Look at the Rivendell Romulus--a bike @$1600 with a first-class frame and good for everything including some racing. Remember, at your size a bike that isn't fashionably underbuilt is still a relatively small part of your body weight. Steel or titanium will outlast any other frame materials and in your price range there are a good number of steel bikes available. Check the steel Bianchis, too.

Hi,
you may have noticed the replies are all over the map. You didn't mention what you 'really want'. There are racers, occasional racers, sporty bikes, all rounders, tourers, and more. Prob the best thing to do is soend some time going to several bike shops, and trying some bikes. This will give you a better idea of what will work for you. There are a number of bikes, like the Specialized Allez steel, that will be under budget. You should evaluate them carefully. ALso if you do that you can upgrade the wheels and tires, which is cheaper to do when new.

I was faced with just your decision earlier this year. $2k to spend and what to buy? As another poster mentioned, the right answer could depend on what your goals are. Speed an any cost? Comfort? Lightest weight?

My goals were formed by my love for the Tour (sorry le tour) and all things Italian. Oh and also a special movie called Breaking Away.

With this in mind, I shopped around giving each cycle shop I went to my three requirements: Italian made, Campy components and Steel.

I ended up with a Colnago Classic with Campy Veloce components for about $1800. It's not the lightest bike around (about 20lbs.) but I simply love it. It looks great, feels great and so far has been very reliable.

Lots of guys in my group ride Colago's (one costing over $7000) so it's not exactly a unique ride. But it is one purchase I will never regret.

I'm with Sam, and will suggest the Cannondale, Handmade in the USA, lifetime frame replacement warranty, light and strong. What more could you want?
same here, I would go for Cannondale, lifetime warranty handmade in the US of A

Clicky (http://home.comcast.net/~zeltar03/cross-low.JPG)

A Rivendell Romulus. Check out http://www.rivbike.com/html/bikes_romulusframes.html.

Clicky (http://home.comcast.net/~zeltar03/cross-low.JPG)


Hey, that's a beauty! Nice bike, too :D

Felt but the 5200 would be nice.

For $2000 I'd by 7 used bikes from Citybikes... build a few singlespeeds, a fixed, a commuter, a cyclocross, a cruiser, and a beater MTB.

For $2000 I'd by 7 used bikes from Citybikes... build a few singlespeeds, a fixed, a commuter, a cyclocross, a cruiser, and a beater MTB.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking along those same lines.... :D

I was faced with the same situation too, as other previous posters were, only my budget was $300, he he he. SO......I found a bike shop with a bunch of NOS bikes in the back from the 90's, and got a '98 Cannondale M500. I know, I know, it's a MTB.

ANYWAY, if I did have $2000, the $300 went for the bike, and the $1700 went for rent for a while.....

or you can just buy mine!

Waterford frame and build it up from there.
Agreed. Go steel.

Get yourself over to eBay and find a great bike for your $2000. You will get a $4000 bike for that amount of money. Why give it to your LBS? What have they ever done for you? Even the best are only 'OK'. Take care of yourself first. Or, get a $2000 bike for $1000. Bikes are like cars. Get it out of showroom and it drops 25% in value. Most everything you and others have mentioned are good to great bikes. You'll be able to get that high-end Lemond (which are popular in our club with the larger riders) or Trek. Another bike that is getting good play with a couple of the larger riders in our club is the Jamis. Eclipse, I believe. I also hear that late '90's Litespeeds are better bikes than post '00 Litespeeds. Don't know why, but that is what I hear. Checkout eBay. For the $1000 you don't spend you can go on some great road rides (BTC, pays for half a bicycle tour in France or Italy, etc.). Or spend the whole $2K and go high-end. Have Fun!!

i'd buy ksyrium elites for $429 on line
buy the ultegra kit without rims (duh) for $500

that leaves ~$1k for a frame/fork.

i'd buy a Ti bike, like airborne or lightspeed (used)

what influences the ride the most? the wheels.

i would even buy a CAAD4 or 5 frame and build it up with ultegra and ksyrium wheels. done... 2k.

Giant TCR Composite!!

Some 2004 model choices that fall generally within your 2K budget:
Trek 2300, Lemond Buenos Aires, Airborne Valkyrie (105 spec'd), Bianchi Virata, Fuji Marseilles or Roubaix Pro (lots of bang for the buck), Raleigh Prestige or Competition, Specialized Allez Comp, Giant TCR Composite 2 or OCR Elite. This is a good time to get budget pricing on '03 models in stock (if you can get a good fit!)

$1400 Trek and $450 Springfield XD40;) :)

Cervelo Super Prodigy. Might be a little light for you though.

-s

ok. rethought. colorado cyclist has lightspeed tuscany that was $1899 now $1199. $550 for ultegra, $350 for entry level ksyrium's

Go the Dean website (www.deanbikes.com) and see what they have under "Specials". I did earlier this week and ended up with a new Ti El Diente for 40% off. With a Centaur or Chorus group (luckily, I all ready have a Record 10-speed to move over to it) and set of good wheels you will be right at your $2000 for a great, custom Ti bike.

I would buy a bianchi virota :D
its $2099.00 so I would tell them to keep the pedals and knock off the extra $100 and use my own :D

Wow, 2 grand! I think I would get a custom built STRONG.

http://www.strongframes.com