user1234567890

Best Road bikes under 700? Looking for 58 cm thanks in advance!

CafeVelo

Basically nothing worth mentioning. Everything in this range will likely cost at least $700 and will have bottom of the barrel components. Anything below this price is downright cheap in its construction, and won't last long.

seymour1910

Are you comfortable buying online? You know what size you need so it shouldn't be a problem.This is a nice one for only $599. Tiagra 10 speed.

BH Zaphire Tiagra Bike | Shimano 10 spd | Carbon Fork

link0

Lots of great options under $700 if you know how to properly do assembly yourself.

Save up to 60% off Road Bikes, Free Ship 48, Schwinn, GT, Kestrel, Fuji, Motobecane and more Road bikes. Authorized dealer for Schwinn, GT, Kestrel, Fuji, Motobecane, Mercier, Gravity, Dawes road bikes. Shimano Carbon Road Bikes, Titanium Road Bikes,

ColaJacket

Performance Bikes has Sora/Claris equipped bikes for under $700. You'll need to see if there is one near you.

GH

bigdo13

Lies from the pit of hell... lol...

KonaRider125

Take a lot at Nashbars bike offerings

Inpd

Forum search is your friend! This question has been asked before (even for under $400!) and there are lots of good answers/suggestions.

Your three options are:

CraigsLists (but go with someone who knows bikes as there is no warranty).
Online sellers (BikesDirect, Nashbar, Amazon even)
LBS or Performance. With the LBS you may have to wait for a sale to get a bike under $700.

kankushok

There are new road bikes available for under 500 if you know where to look (check Performance). These will have bottom of the barrel components though. If you do a little research, you can get a much better deal for 700 dollars off craigslist. For instance, I bought a fuji sportif with tourney components and an alloy fork for 480 from performance new. I recently purchased a specialized ruby full CF with 105s for 700 used for my wife. Both bikes work fine, but the specialized is the better bike in every way.

If you don't have time to research and make sure you get a bike in decent shape with good components that's the right SIZE, then it's much safer to go look at the local bike shops. There are usually some pretty good deals on close outs. You can probably find Tiagra equipped bikes for 700. I've even found the diamondback airen at REI for 700 on closeouts with 105s.

Neverseconds

make sense

Neverseconds

Try to buy parts you like and assemble youself,LOL

sced

The whole bottom of the barrel component thing is irrelevent. Less expensive groupsets and other components work just fine, but won't be as lightweight as more expensive components. The upside is that in some cases the less expensive components will last longer.

seymour1910

Agreed, and to add to that, he doesn't have to settle for "bottom of the barrel" parts. I posted a link above to a bike with 10 speed Tiagra and Shimano wheels for $599. People came behind me and posted bikes with claris and other parts that were less than the bike I posted, but cost more.

PepeM

The Giant Defy 5 is under $700.

dr_lha

Thread ended. This is the best new bike you can buy for under $700.

seymour1910

Looking at the specs on both these bikes, what makes the Giant better? Not arguing, just curious about the conclusion.

Defy 5

Defy 5 (2015) | Giant Bicycles | United States

BH Zaphire

BH Zaphire Tiagra Bike | Shimano 10 spd | Carbon Fork

rms13

Yes, LOL indeed. It could be done but only buying used frame and components and being patient for deals.

dr_lha

Giant is a bike shop bike. You'll get a better experience buying a bike from a bike shop than online. The BH is better specced on paper, but I have no experience of BH bikes or how they perform. The Giant Defy line is a great line of bikes, very highly regarded and popular, and Giant typically give you a bigger bang for your buck than other bike shop sold brands like Specialized, Cannondale or Trek.

user1234567890

Well sorry for not having $3000 for a carbon fiber bike with aero wheels that save me a half a second on a 20 km TT.
I just would ride around town book in 40 miles a day and do a few triathlons.

seymour1910

Hey don't worry man, you will get that from some members. Other members understand budget constraints. I still think the bike I posted is the best option given so far. It's completely up to you, but I will say good like trying to find a better deal in a bike shop. I understand if you're not comfortable buying online though.

dr_lha

A bike is more than just a sum of it's parts and a specs sheet though. There are sh*tty Tiagara bikes and great Claris bikes. Maybe that BH bike is great, I dunno, it's not a brand I've ever seen on the road, let alone have any personal experience with. Do you?

seymour1910

Valid point, as were the points you made in your previous post. I know choosing a bike is about more than just the groupset but if the bikes are close in similarity, why not go with the better group and wheels? I have experience with higher end BH bikes, but not the bike in question. I was just pointing the OP in the direction that fit what he was asking for. At this price point, how much better is one bike going to be over the other?

I will use one of your bikes as an example. You own a Diamondback. There are people on this very forum that turn their noses up at Diamondbacks even though they make great bikes. Why is that? Some say it's because they sell them at Dick's. I think it may have something to do with the fact that it doesn't have one of the big names going down the down tube.

dr_lha

My local Dick's doesn't sell Diamondback road or cross bikes, just Mountain and Hybrids. I bought my DB online as a bike-in-a-box. Got a deal on it, better than that BH bike you posted in fact specs wise (about the same price, but 105 based).

It's that experience that makes me recommend to new buyers that they're better off go to a bike shop instead, because you lose out on so much buying online like fit, a decent build, post purchase support. My feeling is, if you really know your frame size and you like being an amateur bike mechanic, or are prepared to spend the money to have an LBS do the build for you: buy online. Otherwise, you're better off going local.

You're right about name brand recognition as well of course, and that's something else to consider, because if the OP decides that they want to upgrade and sell their bike, they're going to get more money on the used market for a big brand bike like Giant, than one that few have heard of.

cwar

As others have mentioned, both bikes are probably good bikes. Both brands are well respected and have been around for a long time. As for BH, I own one of their carbon fiber road bikes and I love it. BH has been around for 100+ years so they are well established and are much more well known in Europe. I don't think purchasing the BH is a risk from a quality perspective.

The BH is a better deal from a component perspective, but without a BH dealership near you with a similar bike you cannot test ride it. If test riding the bike is important to you and having the support from the local bike shop is important, then the Giant may be the better way to go. I'm assuming this is your first road bike or you are relatively new to cycling? If that's the case, then purchasing from the LBS may be more comfortable for you. You decide.

CliffordK

Where are you located?

I really think USED BIKES are the best bang for the buck when trying to buy on a budget. Let someone else take the major depreciation. With some work, you may even be able to find a very nice Carbon Fiber bike in the $700 range. A 9 or 10 speed rear cassette should be fine for most ordinary riding.

There are, of course, many "Vintage" bikes which create a unique class of bikes... perhaps not as advanced as some of the modern bikes, but you can sometimes find a bike that used to be "top of the line" for very little, considering.