Road Cycling - Please help a (ex) runner decide on a road bike.

I could appreciate some guidance on purchasing a new road bicycle.

I am attempting to find a suitable road bike for serious fitness riding
(soon to be ex-runner 50 to 60 miles running per week). I have no plans
to race, but could imagine doing 1 or 2 centuries per year.

I went to my Trek dealer and my head started to spin.

I looked at a Trek 1000, 1500, and 2100. I left very confused. Any of these bikes are vastly superior to my deceased 1980's schwinn 10-speed. From that perspective the Trek 1000 would be the nicest bike that I would have ever owned. On the other hand, I really don't want to buy it and find out in a year that I should have bought the 2100.

I would appreciate input from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Thanks,

Greg

Depends how much money you want to spend . You probably have no fat and could go for a lighter bike . My bike cost 500 dollars . Im no expert on bikes . It my personal belief that the rider makes the bike .
jar

Good point about the rider making the bike, Jar.

I guess that I am over analyzing this purchase a little bit.

Well, the 1000 and 1500 have aluminum frames. Trek is more known for their carbon fiber frames then their aluminum frames. If I was going to get an aluminum framed US built bike, I would go for Cannondale. The 1500 has really nice components and if you want to ride centuries, this is a bike that will do serious service.

The 2100 has a weird mix of components: tiagra, ultegra and 105. It does have the carbon fiber frame and I understand Trek does an excellent job with their carbon fiber frames. So I would lean towards this. If you can afford it, you might think of the 2200 which has a better component mix.

All that being said, even the 1000 is a pretty good bike and will serve its purpose adequately. It depends on how much money you have and how serious you are. The most expensive bike in the world is the one that does not get used. If you really are going to be riding centuries, spending a few more bucks for the better components will seem like a bargain pretty quickly.

Now some people like the ride of aluminum for its stiffness and road feel more then the more compliant carbon fiber. So test ride both and see which ride you prefer. You are the one who is going to ride the bike afterall so your judgement is the one that matters.

What's your budget?

Don't limit your search to only Trek. Visit a few bike shops and try several brands. There are lots of great bikes out there.

I believe all the budget questions stems from the 'You get what you pay for motto'. This holds true in most cases for bikes, especially when with the bikes you are talking about. When you are just looking at one manufacturer, the more you pay, the better the bike will be. Definitely ride some bikes and see how you like them. Be prepared though, if you ride the expensive models, that is what you will want. Although it could be a good exercise to see what one of the more expensive bikes feels like for comparison.

Don't forget the cost of the other equipment you will need, like shoes, helmet, shorts, jersey and some basic tools to change a flat. If you go with the 1000 or 1500, I would definitely plan on upgrading to clipless pedals.

I just bought a trek 1500 last week.This is my first bike since my schwinn primis in1986. The trek 1200 is also a good bike(one step down from the 1500) I spent $850.00 for my trek 1500 and then got my computer,helmet,gloves pump,extra tube,tool,shorts and maybe 1 or 2 more things for a total with bike of $1265.00.
I started to get a speacialized alliz before I decided to get my trek 1500.
You need to see which bike feels better for you.
Here is my Trek 1500

I like a steel bike. Aluminum vibrates, sends jitters through your body. A Trek 1000 may be a childs bike. Trek is aluminum, or carbon. Carbon needs TLC, and lots of inspection. A small scratch can spread.

Go here : http://www.roadbikereview.com/defaultcrx.aspx

Good place to start. Treks are great bikes, I have a 4900 MB. I paid $700.00 for a Lemond Poprad, a cyclo bike with road wheels. A thou will get you a great bike.

Forget about dura ace, get a bike and ride. Any of todays bikes will be a big improvemant.

What's your budget?

For the right bike, I would pay up to $1,500, not including accessories.

Higdon01,

Thanks for the reply. I was wondering if you can comment on the price of your bike. My Trek dealer has everything listed at MSRP, $1099 for the Trek 1500. Are buying bikes like buying cars or is the lack of the competition in my area hurting me?

Ron,

My next stop is to a dealer that carries Giant, Fuji, and Cannondale.

Higdon01,

Thanks for the reply. I was wondering if you can comment on the price of your bike. My Trek dealer has everything listed at MSRP, $1099 for the Trek 1500. Are buying bikes like buying cars or is the lack of the competition in my area hurting me?

Yes, buying a bike is like buying a car. You will have it for a long time. My Trek 1500 was $850.00 at bicycle inc. here in fortworth,Texas.The 2005 modal's are comming out and they marked down the prices of the 2004's. The store you went to should be marking there prices down very soon.
If you need to get back in touch with me feel free to Email me at Higdon01@sbcglobal.net.

good luck,

For the right bike, I would pay up to $1,500, not including accessories.

Personally, I would agree with the notion that you need to ride quite a few bikes before you can decide. While you don't need to spend your entire budget to get a good bike, I wouldn't be afraid of doing it either. The reason I say this is because you are obvioulsy an avid athlete and have been used to a certain level of fitness and performance. As you have alluded to, you know your own personality and if you get a "lower-end" bike will you become disappointed with it in 6 months when your cycling form is getting to a decent level? If so, you'll be looking to get a better bike and will end up spending more. When you buy your bike, you have to be happy with it and know you'll still be happy with it for another 2-3 years at least. Unless you have wads of cash!

Personally, I would agree with the notion that you need to ride quite a few bikes before you can decide. While you don't need to spend your entire budget to get a good bike, I wouldn't be afraid of doing it either. The reason I say this is because you are obvioulsy an avid athlete and have been used to a certain level of fitness and performance. As you have alluded to, you know your own personality and if you get a "lower-end" bike will you become disappointed with it in 6 months when your cycling form is getting to a decent level? If so, you'll be looking to get a better bike and will end up spending more. When you buy your bike, you have to be happy with it and know you'll still be happy with it for another 2-3 years at least. Unless you have wads of cash!


Good point - the most expensive way to get into the sport is to buy low-end and decide in a year that you want a better bike - seen that done many times! The flip side is buying a bike and letting it sit in the garage collecting dust - seen that done many times too! But I agree, the key is you are already a fitness nut and as such will be more likely to stick with cycling.

Only other point is to also realistically budget for accessories and gear. I was surprised how much i spend in the last 12 months stocking up and extra shorts, jerseys, sunglasses, gloves, repair stand, needed a new helmet, extra tubes, pump etc etc .....

[QUOTEOnly other point is to also realistically budget for accessories and gear. I was surprised how much i spend in the last 12 months stocking up and extra shorts, jerseys, sunglasses, gloves, repair stand, needed a new helmet, extra tubes, pump etc etc .....[/QUOTE]

My wife doesn't need to know about these things! ;)

Right now, I am compiling a list of all of the ~$1,000 bikes that are available in my area for test rides.

So far, I have identified:

Trek 1500
Cannondale R600
Specialized Allez Elite
Giant OCR 1

On paper the Giant OCR 1 seems like an outstanding deal in comparision to the Trek.

look at a steel bike, too. at your trek dealer, they might have a few left over '03 steel lemonds. These were some of the best values in bikes when they made them. they used pretty close to top of the line tubing and didn't cost an arm and a leg.

steel, when done right, rides really smoothly and doesn't add much weight. I'd at least try one before you eliminate it from your search.