jord

I have roughly $1,000 to spend give or take $300 or so.
What should I get?
This bike will be used for racing, exercise and some commuting.

jsharr

The choices at $700 and $1300 are drastically different. Go to your area LBS and ride a bikes at both ends of your budget and make a decision on how much you really want or need to spend. If you are serious about racing, you probably want to stay at the upper limit of your budget. If you lean more towards, fitness riding and commuting, you can get a great bike for $700, see the $700 bike thread. And like all these which bike threads, buy what fits best what you feel best about.

jord

Well I'm willing to stick with the higher end of my price range but the problem I face is I live pretty much in the middle of no-where. So for me to find a decent bike shop it would be quite a trip. What brands/models etc. do you recommend in the $1,300 price range that I should look for a dealer of?

JT354

Lemonds are excellent bikes and are sold at a lot of dealers. Look at the Tourmalet (Aluminum) and Croix de Fer (Steel). Tourmalet is about 1050-1100, and Croix de Fer I think is like 1200.

Treks are probably the most common. Look at the 1500, which is about 1000.

Felts are great but usually somewhat hard to get. I have an F70, which goes for about 980-1050. The F70 is an excellent bike and a great value. The next model up is the F65, which is around $1300 I think. (It has 10 speed Ultegra)

Giant TCR 2 alloy is about $1100 and is supposed to be a good value.

Make sure you test ride them.

jsharr

Visit the LeMond, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Felt sites. When I tested, I found that compact type frames, (ones with shorter rear triangle, and sloping top tube) felt very upright to me. I am more comfortable on a conventional frame. I would say look at Trek 1500 and 2100 and Pilot 2.1at the $1k level, the Specialized Allez Elite. I ride a Trek 1200 and am very happy with it. I am 6' and 240 lb.

jord

Thanks for the specifics where at in Michigan are you?

JT354

I'm in Northville, pretty much right between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

Patriot

Since you listed racing as your first specification, Iwould assume that is what you are most interested in. Therefore, you would be getting a bike that would be best for racing, yet still comfy enough to excersise and commute with.

For $1300, I hate to admit it, but three of the lightest and stiffest bikes for this in that price range would be the following....

1. Supergo R-660. (Silver) It has an aluminum frame with an Ultegra group. They are light, yet have carbon seat stays for more comfort on longer rides.
https://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?L...604&referpage=

2. Tirreno Razza 1000. (Red) It's sold by Peformance Bike, and is basically the same as the R-660, but has I think a little snazzier frame painted in red, with carbon seat stays as well. The link below is just for the frame. They sell a complete bike for $1299.00. Just call them and ask.
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/....cfm?sku=19763

3. The Scattante CFR double (black). A great first carbon framed road bike. Weighs about 17.3#. I have heard very little bad about these bikes. A great bang for your buck. Also sold by Supergo. A little pricier at $1350.00
https://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?L...604&referpage=

All three bikes are light, stiff and great for starting off racing, yet comfy enough to excersise and ride on longer rides for fun, like centuries, etc. I personally would prefer the Tirreno myself. I like the red.

I also like LeMond bikes alot, (would love a Croix de Fer) but wouldn't recommend the lower end Lemonds like the Croix de Fer for racing, as steel frames are in fact heavier, and not quite as stiff as aluminum for climbing and acceleration in crits. They are great for commuting, and for nice long rides like centuries and fun rides etc.

Since you live in the middle of nowhere, all these bikes are great for mail order.

jord

I'm in the Midland, Bay City, Saginaw area.

Snopup7

I too am also in the same senerio for a new bike. I have tested a few and am tossed between the Trek 1500 and the Specialized Allez Elite. Both around $1000. One thing is both bikes are good values and if something fails both companies have great warrenties. The Trek is more racey though the Specialized is more comfy. Components are the same. So it's really a matter of fit for me. Tried the Lemond, too stiff; Cannondale, didn't fit well; Bianchi, more $ for same components but did ride nice.