Road Cycling - New guy need lots of help

I haven't rode in 16 years so bear with me. I'm in the market for a cheaper bike to start out with $500-$900. I was looking at road bikes because thats about the ony place I can ride. The problem with that I've been told is that West Virginia has very narrow sholders on its roads, and I'm sure on more than one occation I'll have to drop of the curb and ride in the dirt. A guy told me a road bike wouldn't take that kind of abuse. Is he right? He suggested I get a moutain bike and put road type tires on it. I don't have anything against moutain bikes, I just know when I move up to a more expensive better bike in a year or two, its gonna be a road bike for comptition.

Thanks
Garry

A road bike with nice, wide touring wheels will keep you out of trouble. If you have to do the occasional off road dive, a wider tire on a strong rim will do just fine. Unfortunately, lots of modern road bikes are sold with flyweight, fragile wheels. Within your price range, you should be able to find what you're looking for.

I don't know a whole lot about road bikes...So I am just thinking my thoughts here.. If you had to ride off the road sometimes, wouldn't a cyclocross bike work???? I will probably be beaten to death in a few posts...I am not really sure what a cyclocross bike is,except that it looks like a road bike and people seem to ride it off road.

As a roadie retrogrouch, I am biased, but I think a USED road touring bike or cyclecross bike would be a splendid choice. The problem with buying either of these new is that these have unfortunately become niche markets, and a decent bike, such as a Bianchi Eros or Volpe, costs about twice your budget. The cheaper, less satisfactory, way to play the game is to put drop bars, barcons, and narrower, slick tyres on a mountain bike. (Although I own an older high-end mountain bike, I would not want to attempt a metric century ride on it, with only two hand positions on the bars and extensions.)

Why not get a second hand bike first ?

Go with what is easy to get, ie a mountain bike and then fit road tyres (sorry for you Americans, 'Tires') to it. Try it for a bit and then once you have covered a few miles you can buy something better once you know what you need

Another option is a hybrid or Cross bike. It has handlebars like a mountain bike but narrower tires like a road bike. You can run wwwide 35mm tires(1 3/8) to give some traction in the dirt. They have a longer wheelbase which is a little more stable than a road bike.

Buy a bike that FITS you and that you feel comfortable on. You should be able to get something in your price range.

Then, be sure to come here and the Forum members will help you learn how to maintain it.

The other thing to remember is that bicyclists are not second class citizens. Even in the South. You are entitled to share the road with automobiles. No matter what drivers think. Don't allow them to intimidate you.

WELCOME to the BikeForums! You've found the best group on the web.

In your price range, you won't get any new road bike worth mentioning, so used may be the best way to go.
As far as riding technique, you are allowed in the traffic lane, and riding the shoulder should only be as last resort. I'm not sure, but I believe that having a car 'run you onto the dirt' is considered vehicular menacing, even among the "Jethros" in West Virginia.

Thanks everybody. I do have a small story about people sharing the roads. I gave up biking because I was ran off the road by a women who claimed He's just a 15 year old kid, I have the right of way. She tried to pass me in a intersection, when that didn't work she just ran me off the road. I swerved out of her way right before her bummper hit my back tire.

The result:
a shatered right elbow
9 days in traction
2 pins in my arm
3 operations
and 16 years later I still don't have compleate use of the elbow and not many days go by that I don't have some pain.

I still have some more questions and i'll be posting them as they come up. I hope I can find out what I need and mabey make a few friends.

By the way there are a few but not everyone in West Virginia is a jethro. :D

Originally posted by D*Alex
In your price range, you won't get any new road bike worth mentioning.

D*Alex what the hell are you talkin about???
There's the Gt ZR 5.0 http://www.gtroadbikes.com/images/bike/2001/lg/zr5.0.jpg
Or the GT ZR 5000 http://www.gtroadbikes.com/images/bike/lg/zr5000.gif

Or the Trek 1000 http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2002/images/road/bikes/1000_photo_2.jpg

Or the Lemond Nevada City http://www.lemondbikes.com/bikes2002/images/nevada_city_bike.jpg

Or the Specialized Allez A1http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2002/bikes/alleza124_d.jpg

Or the Giant OCR 3 http://www.giant-bicycle.com/images/_upload_us/bikes/models/previews/2002/Ocr_3.jpg

To name a few. They may not be top of the line, but they are worth mentioning and have gotten good reviews in the Mags. And a few of them have gotten good reviews at roadbikereview.com

Welcome aboard and sorry to hear about that nastiness 16 years ago. Something along those lines is what my nightmares are made of.:mad:

First off, I think that your idea of jumping off of the road and onto the ground next to the road to avoid getting run down is flawed. I mean yeah if you're about to get mowed down and have a chance to react, head for the ditch, but otherwise jumping on and off the edge of the road can be quite dangerous itself. Therefore I wouldn't let this idea guide your buying decision.

Secondly, If you know that you want to ride solely on the road, get a road bike. However, you may be surprised to find that there are dirt roads and paths hiding out there once you start exploring and having a bike that can fit wider tires and even fenders is a plus in my view. If the some one that is suggesting getting the MTB and putting slicks on it is actually a saleperson trying to sell you a bike. Then it's probably because they don't have any road bikes to sell you.;) Not that it won't work. It's what I ride and I love the versatility, but it's not a road bike and doesn't have the responsiveness or gearing of a road bike.

Wow this is getting long, so finally you should have no trouble finding a nice ride in your price range. It won't be race-ready and there will be some cost-cutting but there are quite a few to chose from. I'm kind of partial to the Bianchi Volpe.

http://209.217.20.46/site/bikes/road/06_volpe.html

Fubar, fubar, fubar, you didn't even mention Fuji! What am I going to do with you? Fuji makes some darn nice bikes in that price range that would fit the bill quite nicely! :D

All kidding aside, there are many fine road or cross trainers that would work just fine. The nice thing about the cross trainer is that they usually have a little heavier frame and wheels, so might hold up to the occasional off-pavement adventure a little better!

And there is nothing wrong with used bikes, that is all I ride! And I have logged quite a few miles without any trouble at all! The most important thing is to get one that fits!

Good luck, Garry, and ask your questions! There are many fine riders who hang around here!

WV is the best kept secret around. Let 'em say what they will.

I don't know what part of WV you're in, but I think the cyclocross suggestion is a good'un. You'll definitely want a triple, too. It's a little over your budget, but I bet you could find a 2000 Lemond Poprad not too far over your range.

roadbuzz, I live in the eastern panhandle of WV.

10 min from the maryland boader, about 75 min from Winchester, Va.

He suggested I get a moutain bike and put road type tires on it.

I ride what is essentially an MTB (although it's so low specced Giant term it a 'utility' bike) with semi-slick tyres. I largely ride on-road but I enjoy the flexibility of being able to take a bridleway (muddy track) when I want to. Having said that I now quite fancy getting a light tourer as well...


There's no one bike that will do everything well but for a first bike I'd go for something that's reasonably flexible.


Richard

Originally posted by nebill
Fubar, fubar, fubar, you didn't even mention Fuji! What am I going to do with you? Fuji makes some darn nice bikes in that price range that would fit the bill quite nicely! :D


LOL :D I didn't mention Fuji just so you could ole buddy!!

The bottom line is that there ARE bikes in the sub-$1000 price range to learn on. I wouldn't take any of the ones mentioned on a hilly century -- the OCR3 weighs about 25 lbs and has a component spec BELOW Sora, for example. But they're there to start. [BTW, I wouldn't wish the OCR3 on my worst enemy.]

On the other hand, I agree with D*Alex; you can probably get a much better value in a used bike. It just takes more shopping.

I say be very careful of buying used. I think buying used is more for experienced people who are looking for bikes to rebuild or something. If you do choose to buy used, try going to a bike shop and perusing their used bikes. And if that doesn't fill the bill for you, do some research and make a list of questions to ask and things to inspect. I didn't do either of these and now I have a bike with a unknown BB, a headtube out of date, and tons of maintenance problems. Mainly because I didn't know what to ask or what to look for. Also, if the selling isn't forthcoming with info, I would be on total alert. If there is nothing wrong with the bike he should be more than willing, almost proud, to tell you everything. This is my two cents... 87 cents more and you can get a capuccino here on base..:D

I've got to agree with Fubar on the used bike thing. In the past I've recommended buying used as you get a better bike for your money, but you have to know what to look out for and be able to do alot of the mechanical work yourself. I think this is best left for more experienced cyclists.

If anyone is interested www.supergo.com has some great prices on Schwinn and GT bikes that they are clearing out. The ZR 5 that Fubar mentioned is going for $399. Keep in mind that with the whole Schwinn buyout who knows what the warranty will be worth and the ZR 5 does need some assembly. I mail-ordered a bike from Supergo before and I was quite pleased with their service.

BTW, this is a 'cross bike (although not a competitive cyclocross bike, but close enuf).
Bianchi Axis (http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/road/12_axis.html)

I wish Bianchi would put more "Bianchi" decals on their bikes. :D

Originally posted by D*Alex
BTW, this is a 'cross bike (although not a competitive cyclocross bike, but close enuf).
Bianchi Axis (http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/road/12_axis.html)
Price?

BTW, why would you want a carbon fork on a CX bike? Wouldn't that make the handling a little noodly in technical sections?

Originally posted by velocipedio
The bottom line is that there ARE bikes in the sub-$1000 price range to learn on. I wouldn't take any of the ones mentioned on a hilly century -- the OCR3 weighs about 25 lbs and has a component spec BELOW Sora, for example.

Well, I rode my Specialized $300.00 mtn bike with slicks on a 450 mile "Ride the Rockies(RTR)" 3 years ago and it did just fine, and so did I.

I sometimes think we underestimate the ability of the rider and overestimate the need for a perfect bike. Just about anything with a crank and wheels will get you there, although admittedly I like my Lemond a lot more for centuries. I have ridden a number of centuries next to mountain bikes. Two years ago the first bike in each day for the RTR was, you guessed it, a mtn bike. Left the roadies in the dust!!

Of course, this guy was a championship Mtn Bike rider, but, then the roadies were pretty good also!!

Originally posted by D*Alex
BTW, this is a 'cross bike (although not a competitive cyclocross bike, but close enuf).
Bianchi Axis (http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/road/12_axis.html)


Dude!!! Nice bike!!!

http://www.bianchiusa.com/site/bikes/road/images/13_Axis.jpg

My dream CX bike: :D
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/02/images/xs800_02.jpg

Joe, I had no idea that you were into 'cross! How do you dress for it... and does it make you a 'cross-dresser?

velocipedio, i have only watched cross races a few times, i go for the cross dressers ;)

I spent many an hour last summer on that cannondale cx bike, a standard road bike is just to harsh a ride for my chest after my surgery. The headshock on that bike takes alot of bite out of the road, as do the larger tires. I'll probley end up with that bike some time next summer as my primary bike. I think it would make the perfect all-arround bike, just need to save my pennies! :)

Me? I could go for one of these in a big way:

http://www.redlinebicycles.com/enlarged_bikes/images/cyclocross/conquest_pro_bike.jpg

Another Cross bike that i could go for would be the Ibis Hakkalugi, what a nice ride! And i love the name of the bike, and parts on the bike, such as moron tubing (more-on the ends) and the hand job brake bosses are awesome!

A bit out of my price range however :)

Garry, an awesome cyclocross / ultimate commuter bike would be the Jamis Nova, i think the MSRP on this bike is ~$850. Details here: http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/nova02.html

Originally posted by velocipedio
Me? I could go for one of these in a big way:

http://www.redlinebicycles.com/enlarged_bikes/images/cyclocross/conquest_pro_bike.jpg

:eek: Look at the deal on this bike! I'll have to re-think that cannondale :) http://www.soresaddle.com/redconpro.html

Originally posted by Joe Gardner


:eek: Look at the deal on this bike! I'll have to re-think that cannondale :) http://www.soresaddle.com/redconpro.html
Yep... the Redline's a sweet ride at a great price. I just wonder who the genius was who thought white tape on a 'cross bike was a good idea!:roflmao:

All right, I can't stand it any more! Here is a $500 Fuji.

http://home.atcjet.net/~whitlow/ace2_big.jpg

My used Fuji's have done a great job for me. Got them from a terrific LBS, and following thier advice for maintenance, never had any trouble with them. So far, have logged over 1300 miles on the Roubaix, and I know it is good for a lot more!

(Gotta love that red, white and blue bike though, Joe!!)

Bill, nice bike! That reminds me of the fuji cross bike Colorado Cyclist is always pushing. Link: http://www.coloradocyclist.com/common/products/productdisplay2_v2.cfm?PRRFNBR=21796&S=21811,21796

Great deal for $900! Awesome frame from what i have been told :)

Thank guys I think you're giving me too many options. :D

keep em coming