RoadNewbie

Hey people, my name is Josh, from London, UK, 21 yrs old.

I am in okay physical shape but have made the decison to get into road biking for a number of reasons:

1. to get fit.
2. to get proactive as i have just graduated college and have accepted an offer for an office job and don't wanna get too lazy.
3. to meet new people.
4. to have a fun hobby

So as you can see, this is not going to initially be a racing/ extreme form of road biking, i see it as being a fun hobby with the benefit of getting fit. My past experience is with mountain bikes which was basic i guess and i have riden motorbikes for 5 years now, including sports bikes and cruisers.

Okay, i am starting my research and i am currently in LA with my gf and we went to 3 bike shops around the Santa Monica area today to check out some bikes.

First things first - i am a complete novice - today was my first time on a road bike and i liked it.
I am willing to spend up to $1500 out the door with EVERYTHING - the bike and all the gear i need.

I am going to be using my gf's dad's bianchi for 2 weeks to make sure i like the sport and that this is not a passing interest, but i really liked riding mountain bikes and am looking forward to getting on a road bike.

So to the questions:

what would be the best bike in the $1200 price range and why?

My needs - i am a little over 5'8 and weigh 150 pounds. I am going to be using the bike in London (so very grippy tires are needed), where there is a lot of stop and go traffic, so i am worried about clip in shoes...? I am also a novice but am looking to use the bike initially on weekends and possible later to work. I have had a few slight back problems, so comfort is important. I don't mind spending the money, as long as it is worth it in the long run, but i feel for $1500 i should get a good package.

the bikes reccomended to me :

a giant of some kind
a cannondale r700
a scantaneti (sp?) r 660 i think. the guy said it is a 1800 bike but they are selling for 1250 - is this bs???

now the cannondale doesnt have carbon fibre iirc which i was told makes a big difference to the comfort.

the scantaneti had a 10 gear shifter i believe and the others had 9.

What bike would you reccomend for the price i have stated?? i realise i can swing a deal say on 1300 bikes and get them for 1200, so possibly include these if you have heard of deals.

Why is the guy offering so much money off the r 660?? What do you think i should consider?

The shops i visited were weak - they wouldn't really let me test them much, not a day, only 5-10 mins (and this is very tough to get a feel for one bike, let alone make a choice between a few).

International warranty is impt. Quality, handling, comfort are all key obviously.

Thank you in advance, i am really excited about the prospect of joining the sport and would appreciate any help you guys (and gals?) provide!

Josh.

MrCjolsen

If I were you, I would scale back on the bike and invest in gear. You might not notice the difference between a $900 bike and a $1300 bike, but you will notice the difference between a $20 pair of cycling shorts and a $50 pair. And you'll want more than one pair.

The key to cycling is you have to enjoy it. And it's hard to enjoy it if your butt, hands, and feet are in pain and you are either too cold or overheating. You live in London, so if you want to ride on a regular basis, you'll need to ride in crappy weather. To do so, you need cold weather cycling gear which is expensive. A nice $100 all weather jacket that keeps you warm, dry, but also breathes so that it doesn't overheat you, will do more for your ride enjoyment than spending an extra $300 on a bike.

And you'll need other gadgets. If you ride to work, you'll want to invest in a rear rack, and some bags etc. You'll also need a good light too. Maybe even fenders.

I could go on and on. All I'm saying is that you should start with everything you need and that goes further beyond just the bike than you might think.

samp02

Best bang for the buck seems to be the Giant. Good Luck

Jaco

To me it sounds like you are really in need of two bikes. You want a racing bike (ala the Bianchi) and a commuter type bike as well (one with "grippy" tires suitable for London). In my opinion you have two options. First, you could compromise and get a bike that is somewhere in between the two, although you will have to make sacrificies both ways. The bike may not be as nice to commute with and not as good to race with. Or, you can spend the bulk of your money on a racing bike, if that is what you decide you want to do, and save some for a commuter. I'm sure that you would be able to find a single speed (or fixed gear, although for someone just starting out, I'd recommend a single speed first) or a "beater" bike that you could use to commute with. You wouldn't feel nearly as bad getting your commuter dirty or chaining it up somewhere as you would with your nice racing bike. You also wouldn't have to sacrifice performance when it comes to your racer. I'm sure there are people here that commute with their racing bikes, but personally my racing bike it my pride and joy and I wouldn't want to subject it to the rigors of commuting, especially in a big city such as London.

AEsco48

take a look at the specialized Allez elite and comp

RoadNewbie

I've only tested 2 bikes for 5 minutes and the shops around here don't demo bikes for a day. I'm not worried about the price of gear. I'm splashing out as a reward for graduating and effectively have a limit up to $2,000 if I desire. However, I set my limit at $1200 for the bike and this is important. What would you guys recommend for the $1200 price range and where would be the best places to look online? (I have already looked at mtbr.com).

Thanks,
Josh

RoadNewbie

I have money in an account out here that i am not taking back to the UK.

RoadNewbie

so guys, scattante r660 vs c-dale r700, what do you think?

Serpico

uk has some nice brands, why are you so bent on getting an american bike?

of the two you mentioned I would probably get the cannondale, and then look to make the ride more comfortable. The Scattante will probably have a more plush ride--Cannondale has the quality racing heritage and mucho research bucks in their CAAD tech, etc.

Cannondale are great innovators, but like the saying "Pioneers get the arrows, settlers get the land", they are sometime TOO ahead of the curve. Cannondale is one of my favorite companies, although I wish they would go full throttle with the carbon fiber---they need to be doing more with CF.

jslopez

Picking a bike (of roughly equal cost) usually boils down to personal taste BUT make sure to get a proper fit otherwise event the most expensive bike will not feel right.

Also try to research on a good LBs to sell you the bike. A bad one will have lousy after sales service, poor warranty, long wait times for service and will try to sell you everyhting off the shelf (with no regards to fit or your personal preferences). A good one will be the exact opposite, may not be the cheapest around but the little extra $$$ you spend will definitely go a long way.

bosco11

Hi everyone,

I am beginning a quest. I have always had a Mountain Bike. Over the years I have been married had kids and became FAT. I got up to 302 lbs and have now shrank to 277. I hope you sense the sarcasm! I really want to road bike. I know it is not possible now because of my weight. What would any of you recommend to be a good weight to start looking for a road bike. I have always had Cannondale Mountain bikes. I would like to stick with that brand. I am hoping to have my weight off in a year. Thanks for all the help.

mstrae

i have the R660 and love it. It was originally over $2000, dropped to $1899 and i bought it for $1299 a month ago. The only complaint i have is the tires. Changed 'em our for Specialized. Tires are good though.

Serpico

you can ride at that weight, you just need some serious wheels until you get down around 200, and then you'll still need durable wheels

have your lbs lace up some 36-spoke hoops with mavic open pro's or velocity rims

people on the forum can give you hundreds of contradictory opinions/suggestions, but I think a trip to your local bike shop will be best.

TCR

Don't worry about clipless shoes. You get used to them really quick so it's a non-issue in stop n go traffic. You might want to consider double sided pedals like the Speedplays, which are even easier to get in n out of of.

Getting fitted correctly is probably most important. You mentioned back problems so you might need a bike position to where the saddle and bars are almost even with one another, versus the popular racing style where the steerer fork is cut super lower.

Giant, Cannondale and Scattante are all fine bikes. Carbon fibre is way over rated so don't feel like you have to get the bike with the carbon seatpost or carbon seatstays or carbon lugged or carbon this n that. However, I would recommend carbon forks over aluminum forks for comfort.

Scattante is Supergo's housebrand and are always on sale.
https://www.supergo.com/profile.cfm?L...xt=&referpage=

Good luck and welcome to the sport. It's an excellent one!!

canonball

One thing you might want to look into would be a beginner cyclocross bike. It has larger tires and more gearing. Your bike will be tough and have the ability to do most of the same things that a road bike would do and also having some advantages of a mountain bike. Just a possibility, but after riding for a couple years and doing some good size commuting runs I think cyclocross bikes are a good "do-all" type of machine. Also when I started biking, I noticed I spent about as much on gear as I did the bike.
Before you budget for the bike, make a list of the costs of items you are gonna have to have

2-3 pairs of shorts
2-3 jerseys
shoes
pedals
helmet
gloves
mini-pump
seat bag
jacket
computer
tights
arm/leg warmers
booties
tire pump
extra tubes
patch kit

I love the sport, but it will nickel and dime you to death.
hope this helped

mstrae

Sorry WHEELS i meant are good.

RoadNewbie

bump.

I just found out that my very good friends ex -bf of a year works at supergo and she thinks he'll give me up to 30% off a bike (they are still good friends).

What would you guys get considering that???

bikedean

Hi. A good road bike will last you for years. My last one, a Specialized Carbon Epic, lasted 14 years, until I got hit by a car last month. Don't shop for a bargain. Ride lots of bikes and find one that really suits your body and postitioning. A good bike shop will help you with sizing and even change out components to ensure proper fit. Coincidentally, my next bike will be a Cannondale R700, though I'm upgrading the brake calipers to Ultegra. The CAAD7 or 8 frames are absolutely amazing.

Geoff326

i chose between the lemond tourmalet and the cdale r700. i went with the r700