Road Cycling - Best Bike for $1000-$1500?(Road Bike ofcourse)

Howdy, first post here. Seems like a nice place and I'm sure you get this question alot, but I'm going to ask it anyway so I can ask you questions. I'm a runner thinking of picking of Cycling because of bad ankles. Sad since I'm only 19 but I have turn up my ankles in basketball pretty bad. Broken right ankle, torn left and right ligaments, roll my ankles every other week. It's sad, I think I was born with rubber ankles. Anyway back to cycling. I'm looking to spend $1000-$1500 and I want the best bang for my buck I can get. Frame is my #1 thing I'm looking for, since you can always upgrade to full 105 or Ultegra later. Thanks.

Most important thing is the fit. Especially in your situation with the ankle problem, et al.

The worst bike is that great deal that you never ride because it just doesn't fit you right. You need to work with a qualified Local Bike Store - someone who has been around a lot, seems knowledgeable, and is willing to put time into your situation to be sure everything works together properly.

However, for $1,500, you ought to get a lot of bike.

Your choice of frames will depend in part upon your body proportions. I.e., some folks have long bodies, short legs, some the opposite. This is where the recommendations of a good bike shop are really important. SOme frames fit specific body proportions better than others.

There are some web sites that will help you to estimate your fit, and I am sure some folks will post those - I don't remember them right now. However, I have a rather unusual body proportion, and those web sites do not help me one bit! The answer they come up with is far off of what I actually comfortably ride. A "fit kit" is only a starting point to a good fit. Much depends on your riding style and purpose (racing, touring, recreational??).

So, the most "Bang for your buck" is the bike that fits you perfectly (or close).

Some excellent models:

Bianchi
Lemond
Trek
Cannondale
Giant
Raleigh
Specialized
Litespeed
etc., etc.

Almost all of them have a selection of different frame materials - steel (universally accepted), aluminum, carbon, titanium. While frame material can make a difference in "ride" qualityand especially in weight, most of the ride variation in a bike comes from frame design. forks and tires.

You should be able to get 105 and/or Ultegra at $1,500.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your post. I'm 5-11 or 6-0, 155lbs, but I have pretty long legs and arms(I have a 6-4 wingspan for a 5-11 body). Anyway I have a nice LBS with great service that sells Giant(rode the OCR 2 and didn't like the feel) and Specialized and a not so good LBS that sells Trek and Raleigh. That is about it around here, but I do live only 90 miles from Austin or Houston. Austin is a big biking town and have pretty much any brand.

Performance has the 2004 Fuji Team on sale for $1399. x-fusion alum frame with carbon fork and carbon stays and full ultegra. not sure about the wheelset and the little stuff, but that's a pretty tricked out bike for that money. and the complete bike is only 17.2 lbs!

http://fujibikes.com/road/bike.asp?category_short_name=road&myArray=87,88,89,90,91,92,93,102,94,95,96,103,97,104,106,99,98,100,105,101,107,108,109,112,110,111,1 13,114&myArrayID=5&yr=2004

other bang-for-buck bikes in that range are the Jamis Quest and the Bianchi Vigorelli (although the Bianchi is a compact frame and I personally don't want one for no good reason other than that they look weird). Both of those bikes are full Ultegra and they are Reynolds 631 steel frames.

Take a look at some of the deals at bikesdirect.com too. A friend of mine just got the Motebecane Legacy Pro from them because a Reynolds 853 steel bike with full Ultegra at the LBS costs about $800 more.

and for a 105 bike I was wanting to get a Fuji Roubaix Pro - it's a nice reynolds 853 steel frame also, but they don't make it my size because I'm almost 6'5".

i recommend you find a reputable shop within a couple hours of you that will measure you up and help you buy the right bike for you. That service is typically $100-150 and they'll sometimes refund part of that if you buy the bike from them.

Heck, ask you doctor -- i'm assuming he's a sports specialist for your ankle? -- if he knows anyone in the cycling community who could help you since I'm sure you don't wanna make your ankle worse.

Are you going clipless? If so, set the bindings really really lose. And wear MTB shoes... the ones with cleats. I'm cringing thinking of you tearing your ankle exiting or stepping off with slick roadie shoes. I have a really bad knee, so I can sort of empathize.

Thank you. You have all been very helpful. I think I will go to Austin this weekend. It's around 90 miles, but they should have bikes to ride over there. Since my local stores just have a OCR 2, OCR1, Schwinn Fastback, Raleigh Grand Prix, and Trek 1000 and Trek 1500. I want to try the Specialized Allez Elite or Comp. My brother has a Specialized Stumpjumper MTB and it is a nice bike. I'd also like the to ride the Cannondale R600 or R800, plus many other bikes in my budget. My question is would Austin be too far a place to buy my bike? I live in College Sstation, Texas which is 90 miles away.

Thank you. You have all been very helpful. I think I will go to Austin this weekend. It's around 90 miles, but they should have bikes to ride over there. Since my local stores just have a OCR 2, OCR1, Schwinn Fastback, Raleigh Grand Prix, and Trek 1000 and Trek 1500. I want to try the Specialized Allez Elite or Comp. My brother has a Specialized Stumpjumper MTB and it is a nice bike. I'd also like the to ride the Cannondale R600 or R800, plus many other bikes in my budget. My question is would Austin be too far a place to buy my bike? I live in College Sstation, Texas which is 90 miles away.

You stated you have an excellent LBS locally??

Wherever you buy your bike, and whatever brand, your local LBS should be able to service it properly. It would be as if you moved to College Park with an excellent bike and needed service.

Buy where you would like, as long as it is fitted properly.

I would not recommend you get your first major bike purchase from a catalog. Especially as you describe your ankle problems. Ankles are pretty important in biking, and you would not want to damage anything any more. Perhaps biking would actually strengthen them. I would think so.

Get a FONDRIEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You stated you have an excellent LBS locally??

Wherever you buy your bike, and whatever brand, your local LBS should be able to service it properly. It would be as if you moved to College Park with an excellent bike and needed service.

Buy where you would like, as long as it is fitted properly.

I would not recommend you get your first major bike purchase from a catalog. Especially as you describe your ankle problems. Ankles are pretty important in biking, and you would not want to damage anything any more. Perhaps biking would actually strengthen them. I would think so.

Yea I have a good local bike store, but all they have is Giant(I rode the OCR 2 and it didn't feel right) and Specialized. The Store doesn't have any Specialized Allez in stock and I want to rid the bike before I buy it. I also want to ride the Trek 1500 and the Cannondale R600 and R800. My LBS(the good one) doesn't have either brand.

Yea I have a good local bike store, but all they have is Giant...
IF you believe they are top notch and you have recommendations from others on their ability to measure and fit, then find out if they can simply build you a bike. Many shops can buy and build whatever they want, but maybe this one has a contract with Giant. Ask 'em IF they are really good at fitting. Just a thought.

If you're testing out the Specialized Allez line then you might also want to test out the Specialized Roubaix line. The Roubaixs are more relaxed rather than race oriented but they're still performance bikes. They also come with more carbon content such as the CF seat stays which make all-day riding more comfortable.

Well here is something about bike manufacturers. They are not like auto manufacturers. If you buy a Ford, you get a Ford body, a Ford drive train, a Ford suspension and so on.

If you buy a bike, you get the manufacturer's frame and that is all the manufacturer makes. Shoot, a decent welder (if they know bikes) can make a good bike frame in his garage! Generally, at a given price point, bikes from different manufacturers will have very similar components (deraillers, forks, wheels, brakes, cranks, and so on). Now some manufacturers have more sophisticated frames then others so you might find Bike A with Shimano 105 (very good frame, good components) as opposed to Bike B with Shimano ultegra (good frame, very good components). Now bikes by different manufacturers will have slightly different rides. The ride is influenced by the frame's geometry, a bit by the frame's material, the size of the tires, how much the bike costs (expensive bikes ALWAYS ride better then cheap ones) and so on. My point is that the ride is pretty subjective thing. Also different riders are looking for different things in a bike. Some people want a nice cushy and even plodding ride and other people want high performance, nimble handling and crisp road feel.

The fact that all bike manufacturers use pretty much the same components means that your LBS will have no problem servicing whatever bike you purchase even if you don't get it from them. I understand that profit margins are pretty low on selling bikes. The bike shop makes a much better margin an accessories and on service (bike maintenance and repair) then on bikes so they will still be very happy to have your business.

snip ...
(expensive bikes ALWAYS ride better then cheap ones) and so on. ... snip

This made me laugh ... I hope you're kidding.

-mark

somebody always recommends custom at some point, but you really can't afford that for under $1500.

about your ankle - my mtb pedals are speedplay 'frogs' and they might be a nice choice because although their clearance isn't the greatest they twist out without any snappy binding feeling at all. you'd be less likely to tweak your ankle getting out of them.

somebody always recommends custom at some point, but you really can't afford that for under $1500.
What do you mean by custom?

Cuz my friend walked into Mob Cyclery in Denver, told them $1500, wound up spending $1700 in total, they measured her, got her the right frame for her (Orbea) with Veloce group, great wheels (I forgot which), butterfly saddle... and she's friggin' thrilled.

If by custom, you mean having someone build a frame, true.

Granted, prices and service does vary by region, but there's no reason a rider can't find the right bike for $1500.

I just bought a cinelli Proxima from GVHbikes.com for $1300 shipped. I'm very happy with it so far.

-Brent

you might be able to build a soma smoothie with full campy centaur for about that or a little over.

I was able to pick up a felt 45 for 1499. Mostly Ultegra with a DA rear derailer, carbon fork and seat stays, mavic ksyrium wheel set ... I love the bike ... but like everyone says, it's about finding what's right for you.

take a look at the cervelo super prodigy. the only complaint about it i've seen is the seat.


http://www.cervelo.com/prices/usa.html

it's 1800 for a full ultegra bike. you could buy just the frame and fork and get some cheaper campy stuff and such and put on it. the frame will last forever. if you need a 56cm size take a look in the hot deals forum. i just posted an online dealer there. $1100.

take a look at the cervelo super prodigy. the only complaint about it i've seen is the seat.


http://www.cervelo.com/prices/usa.html

it's 1800 for a full ultegra bike. you could buy just the frame and fork and get some cheaper campy stuff and such and put on it. the frame will last forever. if you need a 56cm size take a look in the hot deals forum. i just posted an online dealer there. $1100.

Sounds like a nice bike. $1799 for a Columbus steel frame, full ultegra, Columbus carbon fork, and a Cervelo carbon seatpost. I wonder where I could find one at. How does the frame on the Cervelo Super Prodigy compare to the Cannondale R800? Right now the Cannondale is maybe my #1 choice, but that Cervelo sounds like a hell of a bike.

Just checked my email. I wrote and email to Bycyle Sport Shop(bike store in Austin). I wrote them this morning and I have allready gotten 3 replys from them. They told what they had in stock, and told me to give them my size so they can make sure they had the bike I would wont in stock. They seemed very nice.

Anyback to finding the right bike for me. They said they had some Lightspeed Capella's. What are your opions my the bike? And is $1799 a good price for one? It has full ultegra, carbon seatpost, and a Lite TEC Fork. The frame is aluminum though, I'd think I would like a steel frame more because they last longer.

The Torelli "Brianza" has a Veloce/Mirage component mix & is about $1500. You should test ride it if you can find a dealer in your area.

The Torelli "Brianza" has a Veloce/Mirage component mix & is about $1500. You should test ride it if you can find a dealer in your area.



http://www.torelli.com/home.html?default.shtml&1


I can't believe it! My small town is the only place in Texas you can get Torrellis. College Station lol. Do you happen to ride a Torrelli? I know the LBS owner does, because he showed me his when I was their. I didn't know he sold Torrelli though.

The frame is aluminum though, I'd think I would like a steel frame more because they last longer.

With today's construction techniques, this is an urban legend. Aluminum will last just fine.

Here is a great article on frame materials:

http://www2.sjsu.edu/orgs/asmtms/artcle/articl.htm

$929 at supergo, all ultegra, easton tubing, I have one and love it!


http://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?LPROD_ID=24415&lsubcat_id=7618&lcat_id=7605&referpage=

I just got a 2004 R600 and I am very happy with it.

No, I don't own a Torelli, but they do sell them along with Bianchi in our LBS & I have ridden one. If I were to reduce my stable to a single bike, the Torelli would work. (Also, I knew a kid from Texas back in the 80s who had the Oregon license plate "IAGGIE#2", his dad had #1) Don