projectuss13

Hello,

I am going to buy a bike for the first time so I am a total newbie. I asked which bike I should buy, and I was convinced to buy a road bike. (Original Post)

So I visited couple of shops today and had test ride these bikes:
Specialized Allez Elite
Specialized Diverge A1
Giant Defy3
Cannondale Synapse Sora 7
Scott Speedster 40

Many people recommended me to try Specialized Secteur, but none of shops had it in stock. I liked how Diverge rides smooth and comfortable, but I felt more comfortable with Allez somehow. I will visit another shop today to try Secteur, and I will either buy Allez or Secteur (if I like it).

Since I will need to buy a helmet, bike rack, lights and all these stuff too, so I set my maximum budget for bike at 1300.

If I buy Allez, then there are many different models based, and I don't know which one to buy.
If I get the Allez base model for $770, it will have Shimano Claris combos, and if I get the Allez Elite model for $1250, it will have Shimano Tiagra combos. (I actually like the color on base model better than elite.)

Can I upgrade the Claris to 105 later on? or is it just better and cheaper to buy 105 now? If I wanted to upgrade Allez with Clrais to 105, how much will the shop cost?

I mean I really don't know and I am just a beginner, so I won't be able to tell the differences between good frames and bad, but Allez Base and Allez Elite model seem to have different frames I believe. Would the frame make big difference?

I made a bet with friends that I will do 100 miles a day within this year, and LBS guy told me Allez is just not for that long ride. Should I really consider to buy an Endurance bike for this matter?
(Winner gets $1000).

Long story short:
Should I buy well equipped model now to start or buy low-end model and upgrade later?


Thanks guys! and Happy 7/4!

Wingsprint

If you can afford it, get the 105 bike. Upgrading later will cost you more money. Have you looked at Fuji or Jamis?

MRT2

Buy the better equipped bike now if you can afford it, and if you can tell the difference. And if you can't, that is fine, too. It used to be that serious cyclists wanted 105. But today's Tiagra, Sora, and even Claris work very well and will at least get you started cycling for a few years before you feel the urge to upgrade.

That said, It will cost you as much as or more than the bike is worth to "upgrade" to 105 group later. Once you get your new bike, you will probably find yourself upgrading something (probably wheels) anyway.

As far as listening to your LBS, you might want to consider it or at least ask them why they are trying to dissuade you from going with the Allez. Unless you go for an extended test ride, it is hard to know how the bike will feel after hours in the saddle. What feels fast and responsive after 20 minutes could be fatiguing after 5 hours. (and if you plan to ride 100 miles, you will be in the saddle for 5 to 8 hours per ride, or more) Do you really have the time to ride 100 miles a day? Even for fast riders, that is a long day in the saddle.

alcjphil

Buying a bike with upgrading in mind is a sure way to spend extra money. Upgrading from an 8,9,or 10 speed cassette to 11 speed can carry extra costs if the freehub of the rear wheel isn't 11speed compatible. Very often, it isn't only the derailleurs and shifters that are upgraded when you move up to a better model. Often wheels, tires, bars, and stem are changed on the better model, so look at all the specifications and take note of all the differences, not just the derailleurs and shifters. Don't forget that when you upgrade a bike you will have bought components twice, the second time, unless you scrounge around for exceptional deals you will pay more than you would simply upgrading on the showroom floor. 105 is a very big upgrade over Claris, if you can, see if you can ride bikes equipped with both so that you can compare

MRT2

I would keep this in mind, though. Here is a link on the history of Shimano groupsets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimano#Road_groupsets

If you take a close look, you will see that though the current hierarchy of groupsets goes from 11 speed Di2 down to 8 speed Claris.
(Claris is 8 speed, Sora 9 Speed, Tiagra 10 speed, and 105 11 speed).

But before writing off Claris, Sora, or Tiagra, consider this. They were still using 9 speed Dura Ace on the pro tour as recently as 2002! And 8 speed as recently as 1995. They only introduced 10 speed Ultegra in 2005, 10 speed 105 in 2007. 9 speed Tiagra and 105 didn't appear until 2001. There are plenty of road enthusiasts around the world still happily riding their 7,8 and 9 speed road bikes, and plenty of these folks are regularly riding centuries.

In a nutshell, even entry level Claris is slicker and more advanced (though perhaps not as well made) as the very best gear of the 1990s. For some, that might seem like ages ago, but in the scheme of things it wasn't all that long ago.

trainsktg

I've got over 2k miles on a Claris-equipped 2014 Defy that I bought last November and used through the winter. No problems, works great.

Keith

Nachoman

Or third option, split the difference, buy the bike with a tiagra groupset, and skip the upgrade.

fietsbob

Bike assembly Factories get truckloads of parts at a much better price than you will do, for one part, at Retail ..

cale

I think it is important to buy a bike you REALLY want to ride. And if getting it in the right combo (paint, graphics, component group) now is important to you, then I would not want to discourage you.

That said, the best advice regarding bike purchasing is to buy what you can use now as a beginning cyclist and leave some head room to grow. That would suggest that the Tiagra component group is the best group for you. The Claris group being possibly too "basic" and the 105 group being needlessly refined (for your purposes).

PS The Sora components are worth keeping on your radar.

Disclaimer: I own both Tiagra and Ultegra equipped bikes.

unabowler

I think trickle-down has gotten to the point where Claris is actually pretty decent, but I don't regret buying the Defy with 105 components. If you're sure you're going to stick with it, I'd say go for the best you can afford.

TenSpeedV2

I understand that Claris and Sora have improved over the years, but that did not stop me from buying a Felt with 105 on it yesterday. If both Claris and Sora have improved, I would imagine that 105 has as well. Get the best group you can afford.

rekmeyata

I agree with all of this.

Not sure if you're willing to look at mail order bikes but here is a couple of options in the price range you listed by those bikes you're looking at:

Save Up To 60% Off Pro Level Steel Road Bikes | Commuting | Commuter Bikes | Motobecane Gran Premio PRO Steel frame all 105 trans.
Save up to 60% of new Shimano Ultegra 6800 22 Speed Road Bikes | Motobecane Super Strada Road Bikes Sale | Save up to 60% off your next new Road Bike AL frame all Ultegra trans.
Save Up to 60% Off Shimano 22 Speed 105 equipped Carbon Road Bikes - NEW Kestrel Evoke Road Bicycles with Shimano 105 group | Save up to 60% off List prices CF frame 105 trans.

McBTC

You can't ride 100 miles a day unless it's your job.

bakes1

Good luck today and I hope you end up with the Secteur
IMHO the Tiagra on my bike has been flawless so far so unless there is some kind of proven and significant difference in longevity between it and the 105 I see no reason at all for the extra expense if you are on a budget.
Btw I have never been a fan of the 'resale value' argument for a couple of reasons.
1) The extra amount you get when reselling very rarely equals the extra amount you paid up front. If ever.
2) All of the bikes you mentioned hold their value well over all and will sell pretty quickly if priced right. It's not like you can't move a bike if it doesn't have 105 or better lol. Do some quick research on Ebay or Craigslist and you will see what I mean. Bikes in general move fast.

dynaryder

Which bike fit you the best and which rode the best? These are more important than the component group. Any mid range or higher LBS road bike will have a groupo that functions perfectly well for daily use.

Did you see this?

I would not recommend a BD bike to a newbie. Unless you have experience,it's almost a crap shoot to just look at a fit chart and get a bike that fits perfectly,you have no idea how the bike actually rides and handles,and you're still going to have to go to a shop to get the bike built properly. I work assembling bikes at an LBS,and there's a whole lot more to building a bike properly than just putting on the front wheel and handlebars. Some bikes require extensive setup to get everything working properly. We recable the one model of brand new bike we sell because the stock crossed cables on the downtube make it shift poorly. And there's also the issues of damage and missing parts. In the past month I've had to ream out over a dozen seattubes,straighten two frames and a derailleur hanger,had two stripped out BB's,a damaged headset cup,and I've had to scrounge up two V brake noodles and a seatpost collar. These were all name brand bikes.

Noobs should go to LBS's or co-op/bike kitchens unless they've got friends who are experienced cyclists.

cale

Aren't we friends?

Wittyname

Buy the bike that gets you out riding more. If you love the color of that Claris-equipped bike, buy that one. If you're the type that has to have the high-end, get 105. It doesn't matter. Get out there and enjoy the out-of-doors, and worry about the rest later. That's what N+1 is all about, after all

rekmeyata

Of course I saw he was a newbie, but a lot of newbies buy from BD all the time with little issues, sorry you're name brand bikes are so poorly built, maybe you should start selling BD bikes! LOL!!! BD has a 98% satisfaction rating so I doubt many bikes come out bad, and when they do BD takes care of it.

And the fit charts are fine, in fact the fit charts are the same thing LBS's ask their clients to fit a bike for, LBS's are not custom building a bike to fit a customer because all they sell is factory bikes that only have a few ranges of sizes. As far as making sure the bike fits perfectly once someone got one from a mail order place is to simply go on line and find sites on how to that themselves, it really isn't rocket science, if an LBS can take a fresh out of high school kid and train him in a day how to fit a bike to customer and call the kid a pro fitter I don't think a lot of brain power is needed; with trial and error he could fit the bike very well in about 2 weeks time at tops and in less than 2 hours for basic like is done in bike shops. Some bike shops actually have a real pro fitter with fancy equipment that will charge $250 plus parts (the parts will kill you if the fitting doesn't) to make a bike fit properly, but does a newbie need that? NO, a person with special physical problems or a person interested in racing yes, but the average person no.

dynaryder

Sure,but how many of us live where the OP does?

Curious where the 98% figure comes from? Also,fun fact: if your derailleur hanger is bent in shipping,BD doesn't cover it. They'll sell you a new one and have you go through the shipper for compensation. As for issues,how many folks tear the BB's out of their BD bikes to ensure they're properly greased? I'll bet most don't touch it,and later after the bike is well out of warranty is when they find out something was cross-threaded and they're having to have the threads chased or even the frame replaced. And how long does it take to replace missing items? None of that is an issue for bikes from a good LBS. They're ready to go from the sales floor with no issues. You also failed to address my concerns about ride quality and handling. How many noobs can look at a geo chart and tell that a Cross Check will handle differently than a LHT? And unless you ride it,how will you know if that alloy fork will mess with your CT issues of not? Unless you know bikes,it's best to try it before you buy it.

fietsbob

People resolve the set up issues, lack of skills and tools, by bringing the Box to the LBS

and for a modest Fee they do the assembly-setup.

MRT2

Don't know about your local bike shops, but I would expect more out of my LBS. Working at a bike shop isn't rocket science, but at the same time, I am amazed by the bike knowledge the best local bike mechanics have.

MRT2

Yes they will. But it eats into the savings you get buying a mail order bike.

fietsbob

Rather Die as a result of your own mistakes? Be my guest .. its Your Call.

fastk9dad

Or, buy the Tiagra equipped bike and upgrade to 5700 105 (10 speed) levers later on. This will give the cleaner look of the under the bar tape cables and nothing else on the bike needs to be changed - the difference at that point would only be grams.

bakes1

Whoa!
Are there documented cases of people dying on bikes for no other reason than they bought a BD bike and incorrectly assembled it themselves?
Damn