njmark84

I'm 6'2" and 230lbs. I'm looking to pick up a road bike for this season. Currently have a '11 Spec Rockhopper Expert 29er for the mountains but want to get into the road. Not sure what road bikes costs, but I'd like to be around $2k, give or take $500. What do you guys recommend?

Sir-Loin

Do you want carbon fiber or aluminum?

sstorkel

I recommend you give us some more information so we can make more intelligent suggestions.

What sort of roads do you ride? Are they glass smooth or in bad condition? Will you need to tackle dirt or gravel roads at any time? How far will you ride on average or how long will those rides last? Will your riding be recreational only or do you plan to commute/tour/run errands? How much climbing will you do on an average ride?

TrojanHorse

You can get some damn nice bikes for that kind of cash. How fit are you? How flexible? How much riding do you plan on doing, and will you do any racing? Trek, specialized, cannondale & giant all make plenty of bikes in your price range. If you know what you want and what size you can go on line - competitivecyclist.com is having some nice sales right now. Bikesdirect.com is a decent way to get more for your money as well, if you're willing to do a little wrenching and again, know what size & style you want. Or heck, buy a used one on fleabay or craigslist.

jsigone

since this is BF, we are obligated to recommend the CAAD10, you can get them for about $1500 with 105 grouppo. Then use the rest of you budget on some awesome hand built wheels, ranging from $500-700 pending when hubs you pick out.

Something like these w/ white I hubs, Sapim CX ray 32/32 spoke counts = $606
https://www.prowheelbuilder.com/veloc...-packages.html

IMO A23's ride better then DeepV , more rim footprint allowing the clincher tire to spread out and ride like a tubular adding more volume to a normal 23c tire. Awesome design!!

c_m_shooter

My generic answer is get a Cross Check. I am a bit of a retrogrouch though and prefer bar end shifters if I have to have gears. Some don't like them, I'm not sure why. The cross check will weigh a couple pounds more than a carbon or most aluminum bikes, but I challenge you to break it. I haven't been able to yet. It has clearance for fat tires, you can always run skinnies if you want, but try putting 35's on a race bike for a 100 mile chipseal and gravel ride or racks for commuting or a short tour. Not that you are planning these now, but it is good to have options.

njmark84

To answer your questions:

I live near Warren and Watchung NJ, so there are a few steep climbs and downhill descends. Most of the roads I would assume are paved and smooth. There may be times when debri may be on the road, a little gravel, leaves, etc. I don't plan to take this bike 'off roading' or trail riding as I have an existing mountain bike for that.

I don't plan to use it for errands, or at least nothing I can't fit in a backpack. I just want to be able to carry 1 or 2 water bottles, maybe an air pump, and a small pouch to put my cell phone, wallet, and keys in it. So basically a 5" cube size.

I plan on riding at least 2-3 hours, maybe more depending if I ride out to the mountains or bring my car and start there. Mileage I'm not sure of.

njmark84

BTW, I don't plan to use the bike to compete/race with. Simply use for short/long distance riding for pure enjoyment.

I saw Specialized has a nice model called Secteur Sport Disc Comp for way below my price range and seems like a good fit.

Mr. Beanz

If it were my money, I' go best I could for my budget. This model has 105 components which would be my lowest range I'd chose. Simply because 105 is good stuff.

The model you chose for far less than your budget has Sora components. Wishy washy stuff imo.

The 105 models is 2100 msrp but I've always been able to get my bikes atleast $100-200 under msrp

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bik...ccompact#specs

bigfred 

I'm of very similiar mind to Beanz. The lowest component grade I would accept on a new bike would be Shimano 105 or Sram Rival.

I'm extremely overdue for a new road bike. It will be a do everything trainer, granfondo, occassional group/club ride sort of bike and I have been looking at bikes just like the one Beanz has linked to and one model up from what you're considering.

A couple things I'm lamenting are whether I really want/need clearance for 35mm tires or 28's with fenders, which would neccessitate a cyclocross frame and longer chainstays, and, whether I really want carbon, or, if aluminum would be good enough to keep me happy for the foreseeable future.

My next bike will almost certainly have disc brakes. I aspire to being an all weather rider and rims brakes can't possibly compare on wet days.

I suspect we'll see a reasonably steep maturation curve for road discs over the next three years. But, the mounts probably aren't going to change, so any frame with 135mm rear spacing will probably be upgradable to whatever comes along. The biggest likely change being the integration of hydraulics.

njmark84

I wanted to go with that model, I just can't stand the color scheme.

As for the need to upgrade the components, I plan on doing so once I have the bike. Which would you recommend at that point if I'm willing to spend the money from the sport compact disc model? Obviously the 105 is the lowest end, what would be more mid/high-end?

gunner65

If you know you are going to upgrade the bike why not start with better components? They will be cheaper when packaged with a bike then bought after the fact.

Axiom

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...59_-1___202339

$1,599 (10% off with a code so $1,439) for a Fuji SL1 Pro with Ultegra. For what it's worth, Fuji & Cannondale are supposed to be owned by the same company. I don't think you can beat that deal.

Mr. Beanz

+1000..................OP says in his post his max budget would be $2500. Why skimp? You'd be WASTNG a lot of money, time and effort going cheap then upgrading.

Mr. Beanz

That' not a disc brake model. From the OP, I figured he was looking for disc brakes.

jsigone

^^^ non taper headtube, no BB30 crankset/frame = low tech (dated) frame to me and 2-3yrs behind today's standards. And that fuji frame looks like a Pedal force mold/design.

Modern frame with BB30, taper fork and headtube w/ ultegra grouppo will run $2300-2600. Focus Izalco, Cannondale super6, Spesh Tarmac, Pinarello FP DUE, Ridley Noha RS, Even the CAAD10 w/ ultegra will be in that price range.

jerseyJim

Go to as many bike shops in your area as you can and ride as many different bikes as you can. Try carbon, aluminum and steel fames, different drivetrain groups, racing bikes, cross bikes, endurance road bikes. After riding a bunch of different types and makes of bikes something may stand out or at least you can narrow it down to a few you like and come back for more advice. My favorite bikes are Cannondales and Surlys. High Gear Cyclery in Millburn is an excellent shop near you.

Enjoy and good luck with your new bike. I am a little north of you and sometimes ride in your area. Maybe I'll see you on the road this spring!

njmark84

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look at that shop. Im actually more in the Edison area, but Watchung/Warren is only 20-25 min north of me.

sstorkel

I, personally, wouldn't touch BB30 with a ten foot pole. It's a solution in search of a problem. The only thing you get by going with BB30 is an extremely limited number of crankset options. The same thing for tapered head tubes: the average rider in this forum won't notice any difference between a tapered head tube and a normal one... until they need to replace the headset or fork and realize their choices are limited.

jsigone

I thought the SAME thing until I finally rode one. And I'll tell you the first time I sprinted up a power hill I ride all the time. I was laughing so hard I thought I was floating. Having extra strength designed into the two places of the frame the are known to flex is a GREAT thing. Got my kool aid and now hooked No headsets are needed, just two oversize bearings & cups the are designed in the frame and fork. Pretty simple and nothing is press fitted anymore.

sstorkel

My first suggestion would be to determine whether you want a bike with aggressive/race geometry or one with relaxed/endurance geometry. In the "race" category, you might look at the Specialized Tarmac, Specialized Allez, Cannondale SuperSix, Cannondale CAAD10, Giant TCR, etc. In the "relaxed" category, look for the Specialized Roubaix, Specialized Secteur, Cannondale Synapse Carbon, Cannondale Synapse Alloy, Giant Defy Advanced, Giant Defy, etc. A bike with "race" geometry will tend to have lower handlebars, a longer reach to the bars, a shorter wheelbase, and more responsive (some might say: nervous) handling. An "endurance" bike is the opposite: the seating position will be a bit more upright, wheelbase will be a bit longer, and handling will be a bit less responsive (some might say: slow).

I would suggest trying bikes in a number of different price ranges. In particular, I would try to test ride a bike or two that's above your price range just so you know what you might be missing.

sstorkel

Those bearings and cups are commonly known as an integrated headset. There are several competing standards, most of them incompatible. When you throw a tapered design into the mix, your choices get even more limited.

I've ridden high-end bikes with tapered forks and headsets (think: Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL4 Di2). They don't feel any different to me than the non-tapered setup on my Cervelo RS. The same goes for BB standards: I've tried BB30, BB86, and at least one other (BB90 or BB92? I forget) and couldn't feel any difference between them and any modern crank that uses outboard bearing cups. The specs say that a BB30 crank might be a few grams lighter, but without a gram scale I couldn't tell the difference; certainly not while actually riding the bike.

njmark84

Well after some suggestions from other members on other forums and the mtb community, they said the Specteur would be a good fit for me since i'm not looking to race/compete but rather ride for longer periods of times with some comfort in mind. I think the Roubaix was a little overpriced for what I was looking for if I remember correctly and didn't have a disc brake option. I will check out the Cannondale's, but not sure which LBS carry those or if they even offer disc option.

I usually buy my stuff at Kim's in Brunswick and I'd like to keep the same dealer. I have to ask if Cannondale is something they can order, otherwise, most likely will be sticking with Specialized.

sstorkel

I wasn't aware that disc brakes were a requirement... Not many road bikes offer them. If you're used to hydraulic disc brakes on a mountain bike, you'll find the mechanical disc brakes on road bikes to be a bit disappointing. I have a mechanical front disc brake on my touring bike and caliper brakes on my road bike. In dry conditions, performance is pretty similar. In the rain, discs seem to provide more consistent stopping power.

I'd suggest test-riding both the Specialized Secteur and the Roubaix. That will let you know whether you prefer an aluminum or carbon frame. I'm a big fan of carbon fiber, especially when you're talking about a road bike with skinny high-pressure tires. The frames tend to be amazingly comfortable and insanely stiff. With a well-designed carbon frame, you feel like every single watt of energy that hits the pedals ends up propelling the bike forward. If you like carbon but don't want to pay Roubaix prices, there are other options available... if you can live without disc brakes: the Fuji Gran Fondo, Giant Defy Advanced, Felt Z4, etc. Also, my local Specialized dealer has frequent sales on the Roubaix. Given some of the prices they offer, it appears that there's quite a bit of room to negotiate on the price. They're currently closing out 2012 Tarmac and Roubaix models for $300-500 less than MSRP for the low- and mid-range bikes...

jsigone

if disc brakes are a must, most mfg made a mid/higher end cross bike with disc brakes and with the almost season over they should be easier to get. Geos are a tad bit different then a road frame but close.

https://www.cannondale.com/2013/bikes...mpact-crankset