Road Cycling - Advice on which new bike to buy ??

I am new to road biking, looking to buy a nice road bike, price range up to $1500 would be OK...looking at a Trek 1800C ($1199), Specialized Sequoia Elite ($1200), or a Cannondale R800 ($1400), all from local bike shops. Not adverse to buying online either. Any advice/assistance would be greatly appreciated as I dont want to be sorry with what I buy. Cant really test ride the 1800C as the local dealer does not have one in stock. I am 73" tall, 215 lbs. Not going to race, just long rides for fitness (not casual riding, but hard riding). Looking for a comfortable yet solid road bike. Thanks in advance, Ken Peer.

Hi Ken. Welcome to BikeForums.

The Trek is a "comfort" bike, not a real road bike. I'd never spend that kind of money for a comfort bike. Come to think of it, I wouldn't buy a comfort bike. :)
The Specialized and Cannondale are both good bikes.

MOST IMPORTANT!! Have a Bike FIT done at the bike shop. If you buy a bike that doesn't fit (like on-line) you'll hate it and never ride it.
FIT is the most important thing to consider when buying a bike!


For long rides you'll want a saddle with very little padding. Too much padding will make your butt hurt after a few miles.
And padded bike shorts (with no underwear) will make the miles fun and enjoyable.

Hi Ken. Welcome to BikeForums.

The Trek is a "comfort" bike, not a real road bike. I'd never spend that kind of money for a comfort bike. Come to think of it, I wouldn't buy a comfort bike. :)
The Specialized and Cannondale are both good bikes.

MOST IMPORTANT!! Have a Bike FIT done at the bike shop. If you buy a bike that doesn't fit (like on-line) you'll hate it and never ride it.
FIT is the most important thing to consider when buying a bike!


For long rides you'll want a saddle with very little padding. Too much padding will make your butt hurt after a few miles.
And padded bike shorts (with no underwear) will make the miles fun and enjoyable.

Both the Specialized and the Trek are what are considered "road sport" or "comfort road" bikes. If the R800 is an R800 sport, then it is too. None are what are normally considered "comfort bikes" which tend to be fat-tired, low-cost bikes with big saddles, riser bars and bolt upright positions.

Sport road bikes usually have a compact frame for a more relaxed geometry than a racing bike, an adjustable stem, a suspension seat post and slightly wider tires than a racing bike. The most important part of the mix is the frame geometry.

For someone who wants to do road rides greater than 20 miles and has no intention of racing, they are excellent choices. Based on what proton41 is considering for a riding style, any of the three would be a good choice. The Trek has the best component group: Ultegra/105, the Specialized has a full 105 and Cannondale R800 sport has 105/Tiagra. The Specialized also has carbon fiber seat stays. A neat feature of the Cannondale is that it can accomodate fenders.

Other factors are fit, of course, and quality of the local dealer.

if you're new to road biking, why would you want to spend over $1000 on a bike that you might not like?

if i were just getting into it, i'd be looking at bikes in the $300-$500 range. a lot of companies make decent frames that will last, but just put lower-end components on them...then when you're ready to upgrade, you have a pretty decent frame, and all you have to do is spring for the group of your choice.

the most important thing is fit. and if you're new to the sport, even a minor detail like seat tube angle, or top tube length can make the bike just not feel right and turn you off to it. and there you've wasted $1000.

go with something less expensive, you're going ot want to upgrade in a couple years anyway, and by then, you'll know what you want in a high-end road machine.

Hi Ken. Welcome to BikeForums.
And padded bike shorts (with no underwear) will make the miles fun and enjoyable.

you people and your "no underwear"....makes me sick. ;)

Check out the Trek 1500 too. With a couple upgrades, it is a good inexpensive bike.

Hi,
there are a bunch of nice bikes at that price. You need to try a few; and see which one really works for you. The Specialized Allez steel is worth a try. The Jamis Quest, Bianchi Eros, and several others are worth throwing a leg over. The single most important thing you need is a good fit. After I that, I would say the next thing is steel. At that price range, you wll get a nicer ride with steel. Keep half an eye open for used bikes that cost a grand, are in great shape, and rock your world.
30 years ago, Consumer Reports said in a review of bicycles that there was a price at which bikes became a real pleasure to ride. They also said you would find yourself riding such a bike a lot. You are at that point, IMHO. Take your time, go for long test rides, be willing to drive a while to find a good shop. Oh yeah, and have fun riding your new bike.

you people and your "no underwear"....makes me sick. ;)
You mean you wear underwear with cycling shorts? :rolleyes:
Oh my gosh, here comes the Underwear Nazi. :D

i don't wear "cycling shorts." plain clothes suit me just fine.

I am new to road biking, looking to buy a nice road bike, price range up to $1500 would be OK...looking at a Trek 1800C ($1199), Specialized Sequoia Elite ($1200), or a Cannondale R800 ($1400), all from local bike shops. Not adverse to buying online either. Any advice/assistance would be greatly appreciated as I dont want to be sorry with what I buy. Cant really test ride the 1800C as the local dealer does not have one in stock. I am 73" tall, 215 lbs. Not going to race, just long rides for fitness (not casual riding, but hard riding). Looking for a comfortable yet solid road bike. Thanks in advance, Ken Peer.

I would recommend looking at the LeMond Buenos Aires, a steel/CF hybrid; the Alpe d'Huez, an all aluminum frame, and the Fuji Roubaix. All are in your price range, though the BA may be a little high. All are excellent road bikes. Personally, I would steer away from the Cannondale's until they get their warranty situation fixed. Right now their "lifetime" frame warranty is only good for two years.

I would recommend looking at the LeMond Buenos Aires, a steel/CF hybrid; the Alpe d'Huez, an all aluminum frame, and the Fuji Roubaix. All are in your price range, though the BA may be a little high. All are excellent road bikes. Personally, I would steer away from the Cannondale's until they get their warranty situation fixed. Right now their "lifetime" frame warranty is only good for two years.
The BA is a hybrid.Is the new for 04?That got by me.
Go the the lbs or a few of them and tell them everything but how much to spend.Go with the one that seems to bullsh$t you the least.Start at about 700 bucks and see what they say and ask about the next model up and ask a lot of questions.If they get you up to 1500 bucks or so and seem to be going that way,they will be taking your money for more bike then you need to pay for.I would think at around 1000 bucks they should start telling you you really dont need this or that.Go to roadbikereview.com and see what they say about some of the stuff you TEST RIDE.If they tell you its right and you dont feel right,say something.Like everyone will be telling you here,fit.

The BA is a hybrid.Is the new for 04?

Yes, the formerly all steel BA, Zurich, and MJ are now half steel and half CF. The formerlly all Ti Victoire and Tete d'Course are now half TI and half CF.

The prices are also up a bit on all models. The Zurich was about $2000 last year and is about $2500 this year. The MJ is up about a $1000 because of the new Dura-Ace 10 speed component group.

Who whouldnt recommend what they ride?

I recommend the Fuji Professional! :D
http://www.fujibikes.com/default.asp

Cannondale makes some nice ones too actually....

I would recommend looking at the LeMond Buenos Aires, a steel/CF hybrid; the Alpe d'Huez, an all aluminum frame, and the Fuji Roubaix. All are in your price range, though the BA may be a little high. All are excellent road bikes. Personally, I would steer away from the Cannondale's until they get their warranty situation fixed. Right now their "lifetime" frame warranty is only good for two years.
The Buenos Aires is going to be more than a bit high-low end pricing is $1900 on that model. The Big Sky series would be more comparable to what he's looking at, specifically the Big Sky SLT, which should fall in the $1250-$1400 range, depending on dealer.
As to the Cannondale issue, our shop never had trouble with warranties beyond two years. Though I'm at a different shop now, I know they just had two older frames replaced under warranty. They can be difficult to work with, but I never had trouble getting the desired results for a customer.

The '03 all-steel Buenos Aires can be had for less than $1400, as LBSs discount them to make way for the new models - and that is within your stated price range, so don't rule that model out for price.