Buy my first road bike
01-22-16, 08:16 AM
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Buy my first road bike
Hello everyone. I've never ridden a road bike but i've always wanted to own one. And now i wanna buy my first road bike and i need advice. I am lost between three options. 1. The specialized Allez. 2. The Giant Defy and 3. The Merlin FF1 Tiagra which is an online purchase from merlincycles and here's the link: https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-...ike-84208.html
I hope u can help me.. Thanks.
I hope u can help me.. Thanks.
01-22-16, 08:20 AM
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Road bike riding is all about having the proper size bike.
Visit your local bike shops and get your size scoped out.
Visit your local bike shops and get your size scoped out.
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01-22-16, 09:17 AM
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What 10 Wheels said. I'd only consider the Defy or Allez. Both are solid bikes backed by very good manufacturers. There's a perception that when you buy on-line you get a great bargain. For someone who can assemble and tune a bike, there's some truth to this. For someone who is new and will probably have to take it to a bike shop, the same shop that might be selling the Allez or the Defy, there's not much savings at all as an assembly and/or tune up costs could negate much of the savings. In addition, the shop will take the time to fit you to the bike, on-line can't do that. The shop will provide a free tune up after 30 days, that will be much needed by any bike, regardless of brand, on-line won't do that and it will be an additional cost if you buy on line. Some will disagree, but in my opinion, the design of either the Defy or the Allez is superior to a generic bike like the Merlin. I'm not saying the Merlin is defective, but there are hidden costs you may not be considering that are necessary for complete enjoyment of a roadbike.
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01-22-16, 09:41 AM
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What 10 Wheels said. I'd only consider the Defy or Allez. Both are solid bikes backed by very good manufacturers. There's a perception that when you buy on-line you get a great bargain. For someone who can assemble and tune a bike, there's some truth to this.For someone who is new and will probably have to take it to a bike shop, the same shop that might be selling the Allez or the Defy, there's not much savings at all as an assembly and/or tune up costs could negate much of the savings. In addition, the shop will take the time to fit you to the bike, on-line can't do that. The shop will provide a free tune up after 30 days, that will be much needed by any bike, regardless of brand, on-line won't do that and it will be an additional cost if you buy on line.
Some will disagree, but in my opinion, the design of either the Defy or the Allez is superior to a generic bike like the Merlin. I'm not saying the Merlin is defective, but there are hidden costs you may not be considering that are necessary for complete enjoyment of a roadbike.
And specific brands and models might be "better" on paper, but actually test riding some bikes and seeing what suits you is much more important. None of the available bikes are bad, or they wouldn't be in business.
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01-22-16, 12:51 PM
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Thabk you guys so much. Those replies were really helpful. Now I've just put a big X on the online purchase option. I was already worried about the fitting thing. Now i just have to find a good bike shop to buy the bicycle from. I'm in Dortmund, Germany and i just got here so i still don't know many places. Thank you very much 
01-22-16, 02:49 PM
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Thabk you guys so much. Those replies were really helpful. Now I've just put a big X on the online purchase option. I was already worried about the fitting thing. Now i just have to find a good bike shop to buy the bicycle from. I'm in Dortmund, Germany and i just got here so i still don't know many places. Thank you very much
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01-22-16, 04:42 PM
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Thabk you guys so much. Those replies were really helpful. Now I've just put a big X on the online purchase option. I was already worried about the fitting thing. Now i just have to find a good bike shop to buy the bicycle from. I'm in Dortmund, Germany and i just got here so i still don't know many places. Thank you very much
01-22-16, 04:48 PM
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Looks like there are quite a few options: https://www.google.com/maps/search/b...,7.4220783,11z
01-22-16, 05:05 PM
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Smart move. You're LBS is your friend. Make sure and consider the shop itself during your purchase. Many have seminars, group rides and will focus on different types of riding. Find a LBS you love and buy a bike you like the looks of and that fits you from them.
Thabk you guys so much. Those replies were really helpful. Now I've just put a big X on the online purchase option. I was already worried about the fitting thing. Now i just have to find a good bike shop to buy the bicycle from. I'm in Dortmund, Germany and i just got here so i still don't know many places. Thank you very much
01-22-16, 05:12 PM
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So nice, thanks everyone.. I actually wasn't expecting that much help haha.. Really thank you
01-23-16, 08:54 AM
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You got lucky and we're all in a good mood.
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