jlam

So this bike is on sale at DirectBuy for $620. My commute is a 40km round trip on an all paved road with medium hills, a third of it being along a highway. I'll need a rack and panniers, but the description says that this bike comes with the mounts, so it shouldn't be a problem.

https://www.raleighusa.com/archive/20...revenio-20-11/

Features:
• Butted 6061 aluminum frame and 700C carbon fork
• FSA with campy bearing headset and FSA omega compact 34/50t black chainset
• Shimano sora gears and shimano sora STI shifters
• Shimano cassette 12/26 9-speed freewheel
• Tektro R530 short-reach brakes
• Lever part of shifter and alloy with CROMO axle hubs
• Weinmann TR18 700C 28H rims
• Vittoria Zaffiro front tire and 700 x 23C rear tire
• 3D-forged 120mm stem and kalloy 6061 road bar
• Bar tape black grips and avenir 200 road saddle
• 31.6 x 350mm black alloy seat post and welgo road CROMO spindle pedals

However, this being my first road bike, I'm a bit skeptical with respect to not being able to test ride it. If I'm unable to find an LBS where I could test the same model out, would it be wise to just pass on the deal? Or could I get away with just bringing it to an LBS after purchasing it to get a fitting?

no1mad 

You could get it and pay the LBS to 'fine tune' the fit, but you got to get the right sized frame to begin with. Also, this being your first road bike... how experienced are you at picking your size and do your own adjustments? If you can do neither, pass on Direct Buy and go straight to the LBS.

jlam

Adjustments I can do, picking my size is just a guess. I've been looking at 54cm frames, and I'm 5'8 with 31 inseam. Maybe LBS would be a better bet.

But let's say I do get the sizing and fit right. Is it a reasonable deal?

no1mad 

Cheapest price I could find online was $799 USD, so yeah, from a pure monetary standpoint... it's a deal. But I'm into flat bars and wide tires, so what do I know?

blakcloud

I have a few concerns, first the tires are 23c and I think for a more comfortable ride, larger tires may be needed. This isn't to say you couldn't commute on these tires, many people do but bigger tires can take the sting out of riding not so great surfaces. You might want to find out how large a tire you could fit. Also you live in Vancouver where it rains quite a bit, so I would look for a bike that could fit full fenders. You could get around this by buying Race Blades and it would work, just not as well as full fenders.

We all have different needs as commuters. I for one wouldn't commute on anything less than 32C with full fenders. Others commute on carbon fibre rigs with skinny tires. It all depends on your needs.

Other than that the bike looks great and it seems like good value if it fits your needs. And yes a 54cm is what you need at your height and leg length.

hubcap

It has 410mm chain stays. Avoiding heel strike with panniers is going to require some consideration and possibly some compromises.

jlam

Hubcap, what kind of compromises do you have in mind? Modifications, or sacrifices?

hubcap

You probably won't be able to use just any rack and pannier(s) with chain stays that short. You will likely need some combination of: a rack that is particularly long, or special mouting hardware for the eyelets at your dropouts to shift the rack rearward, or particular panniers that are shaped correctly and/or have highly adjustable mounting hook and/or those that can tilt.

Maybe you have tiny feet and like to ride with your feet planted far forward on the pedals. If that is the case, you might have less restrictions.

I used to ride my Langster (405mm chain stays) with a rack and panniers all the time. I had to use quite a long rack and panniers adjusted so they were as far rearward as possible. Many panniers of the size that I would consider useful for regular commuting just didn't work at all.

Then there is the fact that the weight is behind the rear axle. If I had the panniers loaded down much, the front was pretty squirly. And I don't think my rear wheel liked that extra force with the weight that far rearward. I probably popped a couple spokes that I wouldn't have normally before I got bomb proof wheels.

idc

Yeah for commuting that distance with panniers I'd consider something with a longer wheelbase and ability to take wider tires - 28-32mm or so.

Rhodabike

I'm about the same height as you and have about the same inseam. Back when bikes had level top tubes, 54cm was about right. Now that most bikes have sloped top tubes - what they call a compact frame - 51 or 52 cm is the right fit. Look at similar bikes in person to get an idea of what size would be right.