Road Cycling - What road bike would you buy if you had $1500 to spend?

Just thought I'd throw this out to the group.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome. :)

I'm in the process of buying a Trek 2100. I'll let you know how it turns out.

(price with tax...$1380)

I think I would buy a Cannondale R600 double and some nice accessories (helmet, shoes, pedals, shorts, etc) - the "little things" and "add-ons" are going to take a huge bite out of my bike budget when I finally go shopping.

First, I'd check to see what my local bike shop could do for me. If they cannot come close, I'd do this deal at GVH Bikes (http://www.gvhbikes.com/). It's a Viner Competition with Ultegra for $1295. I'd upgrade the fork to a full carbon fork and that'd be at about $1500.

Wish I were in your shoes!

Just bought my wife the Cannondale R800 - 16lbs of silky smooth speed!

I think I would buy a Cannondale R600 double and some nice accessories (helmet, shoes, pedals, shorts, etc) - the "little things" and "add-ons" are going to take a huge bite out of my bike budget when I finally go shopping.

'73 was a good year!

I am thinking of making the plunge into a new bike myself. Right now I am making the rounds test riding different brands.

Trek 2200
Full Ultegra minus Brakes (105) and Front Deraileur (105)
CF Fork
CF Seat Stays
CF Seat Post

With clearance, you can find for under $1500 at some shops. Best money i've spent in a very long while

melloboy

Trek 2200
Full Ultegra minus Brakes (105) and Front Deraileur (105)
CF Fork
CF Seat Stays
CF Seat Post

With clearance, you can find for under $1500 at some shops. Best money i've spent in a very long while

melloboy


i must agree. i just bought mine last week. the price came to exactly $1500 with a computer, cages, and new shorts. :)

If the Alu frame has no carbon stays, go for a steel bike. Better yet, go for a steel bike anyway with a high level Reynolds number (631, 853)

Steel is real.

At this point, I'd buy a cyclocross bike out of sheer courisity. The trails here are light, and a 'cross bike has the small chainrings that I like to use.

i'd buy a used titanium bike for $1000-$1500. plenty on ebay or the classifieds here that rock and have fly components. anyway, this isn't all hypothetical, i bought my used serotta this spring for just that much :p

sd

scattante cfr carbon with full ultegra, 1500$ or 1300$ if it's on sale

If the Alu frame has no carbon stays, go for a steel bike. Better yet, go for a steel bike anyway with a high level Reynolds number (631, 853)

Steel is real.

That's the way I'm leaning so far... '04 Specialized Allez Comp Cro-Mol double.

The sinker on that bike is not only is it a carbon fork, but a full carbon fork...I've heard there is a difference in ride quality.

Still...good ideas so far, I welcome everyone's suggestions. :)

Just bought my wife the Cannondale R800 - 16lbs of silky smooth speed!

16 lbs for a sub-$1500 bike?? What is the frame size? It looks pretty sweet though. Not an exciting component group, but the Brooks saddle is a great start, definitely better than what you find as an OEM seat.

Just thought I'd throw this out to the group.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome. :)

I won't hide my bias -- I'd go for a Klein. Or a Trek will get you a less exciting frame with a slightly better component mix at the same price points. The Klein Aura V and Trek 2100 are about $1300 on bikebarn.com. The Klein Aura X and Trek 2200 are about $1600. These 4 bikes all share the carbon fork/stays technology.

In general, I'd opt for the most bike I could afford, for the same reason you should buy the best PC/Mac you can afford. If your budget is extremely tight and you don't have much disposable cash, get the $1300 bike to leave a bit for shoes/shorts. Otherwise, spend more while you have it to burn, and buy yourself a new toy every pay period (shoes, shorts, cyclo-computer, etc.)

I'd steer clear of unfamiliar brands or online specials.

Well I've pretty much decided on the Allez Comp Cro-Mo...but now am having a problem finding it in my size. I haven't gotten fitted yet but figure I need either the 60 or 62cm frame. (I'm riding a 60cm now). Of course since the '04 production has stopped, and Shimano is raising prices / short supply of new Ultegra components, this had to happen AFTER I decided on a model. :(

So I need to look at some back up alternatives. The Giant OCR-Elite isn't a bad choice, but it's not steel and isn't a full carbon fork (but does have carbon rear stays). A buddy just bought an OCR-1 which is cheaper, but not a full ultegra groupo and no carbon rear stays.

Man decisions, decisions... :(

I'm curious if you've considered bikes from Fuji or Bianchi -- they both have steel (Imola, Roubaix Pro) and aluminum/carbon fork and stays (Giro, Roubaix) bikes for roughly that price. And are the LeMond steel frame bikes too expensive to consider?

I'm looking in the same price range, so I'd like to hear what you end up with and how you like it.

A Felt 50...

http://villagecyclesport.com/site/itemdetails.cfm?ID=1293&Catalog=39&sort=Price

Novara Trionfo at REI. aluminum frame with carbon fork and stays. Full Ultegra with a crank upgrade to an FSA Carbon (very nice). Sweet ride, REI's warranty, and with their regular 20% off promotions, got it for $1440. This bike accelerates incredibly.
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47677182&parent_category_rn=4500864

TREK 5000 OCLV at the Sporting goods store down the street. On sale for $1499.00.

Well I've pretty much decided on the Allez Comp Cro-Mo...but now am having a problem finding it in my size. I haven't gotten fitted yet but figure I need either the 60 or 62cm frame. (I'm riding a 60cm now). Of course since the '04 production has stopped, and Shimano is raising prices / short supply of new Ultegra components, this had to happen AFTER I decided on a model. :(

So I need to look at some back up alternatives. The Giant OCR-Elite isn't a bad choice, but it's not steel and isn't a full carbon fork (but does have carbon rear stays). A buddy just bought an OCR-1 which is cheaper, but not a full ultegra groupo and no carbon rear stays.

Man decisions, decisions... :(

You could always try Village Cycles in Chicago. They have huge inventories. www.villagecycle.com

I would like the Specialized Allez Elite (double chainring) $1090

I'd take the wife to dinner, invest the rest and ride what I got.

I bought the afforementioned Viner Competition from GVH and absolutely love it. It's a great classic steel bike and a great bang for the buck. You'll need to size yourself however.

Well I ordered my new steed. After getting measured at the LBS, found that the 58cm frame is really what I need (I was suprised, I assumed larger) and they could still get the Cro-Mol in that size, so I went for it.

2004 Specialized Allez Comp Cr-Mo Double, full Ultegra and full carbon steerer, crown and leg fork. $1425.99

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2004/bikes/04AllezCompCrMo18_l.jpg

Only thing about it that I want to switch out is the wheelset. Specialized switched it from the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe to Shimano R-540. I think I will need to upgrade those fairly soon. I'm looking at the Mavic Cosmos as a cheaper alternative.

16 lbs for a sub-$1500 bike?? What is the frame size? It looks pretty sweet though. Not an exciting component group, but the Brooks saddle is a great start, definitely better than what you find as an OEM seat.


Can't remember - it's either a 50 or 52 with mostly Ultegra and a Fizik seat. Great wheels for a bike at this price too!

I rode several bike in that price range just a few days ago. They had the Giant TCR marked down to $1350, I believe all al, but really nice. Then I rode the Fuji Robaix (pro?) 853 steel -$1200 I think, nice & smooth, just didn't excite me. Then I rode their house brand the Tirreno 1000 - great deal for the componentry & price; can be had for $999 if you play your cards right.

Out of those 3 if my budget was $1500, I'd surely go with the Giant, it just really brought out the kid in me.

I haven't road either the TCR or the Allez I ordered...but I did sit on a TCR and use it to get fitted today.

Here is why I didn't opt for the TCR, even though they had my size in stock and it was very tempting.

105 brakes
Aluminum steerer
All Aluminum frame (no carbon rear stays like the OCR elite)

I could of probably got it down to $1350 (think it was $1499) but even the LBS tech told me the Allez was the better ride of the two, w/ the full carbon fork and cr-mo frame.

Still that TCR was nice to sit on... ;)

Looks like you made a great choice, & more value for your money than the TCR. I didn't get the TCR because I'm looking to stick around $1k, & I'm not fast enough to ride a yellow one anyway. One thing I did find out in that price range is that their all nice rides, alot just comes down to preference.

Just thought I'd throw this out to the group.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome. :)
I would buy a 2004 Bianchi Giro if $1500 was all I could spend :)

Scattante 2004 CFR Carbon w/ Double Ultegra
$1,349.00
supergo.com

Fuji Team, 17.2lbs, mostly Ultegra, $1399.- at Performance. With club discount 10% off, it's even cheaper.

Viner Competition from GVHbikes.com $1300

Bianchi Vigorelli - semi-compact geometry but a nice value for big-name a steel bike $1500

Trek 2200 - al, w/ Ultegra and carbon stays $1400

Fuji Team - ditto $1400

Jamis Quest - 631 steel w/ Ultegra - $1300

--

somebody suggested the Fuji Roubaix pro and Cdale R600 earlier but both those bikes go for more like $875

No, the fuji roubaix pro has a suggested retail of $1500. At performance, the 2004 models sell for $1150 and if you can get a 2003 they go for $899. On the other hand, the 2004 fuji roubaix sells for $849.

I would look for sales, otherwise I like the look of the Gios Compact Pro (at Excel) so much I would spend another $370 to get it. Or if that's pushing it then Colorado Cyclist usually has a good deal on Douglas, such as the Fusion or the Motive and both would be under $1500

I think that I would go for the 2004 Felt F45. I have ridden it a couple times at the local Tri shop, and it's my favorite bike of the moment.


http://www.feltracing.com/2004_bikes/larger_photos/images/f45_02.jpg