53-11_alltheway

For all you shopping for a $1000 bike or a $1500 bike ....whatever the price range is.

Just buy what looks nice and happens to fit you during the test ride (never mind that the seat will be in the wrong place either during the test ride ...lol....and this will alter your perception of the bike's goodness)

$1000 bike is a $1000 bike, none is superior to the others for the most part.


I say buy the bike that makes you feel good enough to get your sorry ass on the road and riding. That's all.

Have a happy fourth of July.

cryogenic

If you were a woman, I'd kiss you

ADA23

Hally Loo Ya

cryogenic

It does seem to me that almost all of the $1k bikes are more or less interchangeable. Almost all are similarly equipped with the only real differences being geometries and differences in saddle, bar, stem, etc. So yeah, why not buy the one that grabs your eye and makes you say "whoa... nice!" and doesn't make your body scream in pain when you ride it.

1955

I agree with you.

hypersnazz

<me too>$1000 is probably *the* most competitive price point in the bike industry.</me too>

johno

What? And miss all the fun?

To each their own - some of us rather enjoy the learning experience that one goes through when buying a substantial purchase. As you compare, you learn. Is Ultegra better than 105, and if so, why? What makes that aero wheelset faster? Why can't they put a decent saddle on a $1k bike?

You're probably right in that it doesn't make a great deal of difference in the end, but like riding itself, it's the journey as much as the destination.

As for getting munged up in a couple of years - I'm coming up on my third season of riding my beauty, and so far, it has only one scratch on it, the result of a frayed cable.

53-11_alltheway

That stuff I can talk about (components vs components. wheels vs wheels, even double vs triple, and even campy vs shimano etc). Geometry differences I can talk about also, but this is meaninless becasue it often only applies to what I like.

I'm not trying to come off as such a jerk, but just pointing out that there really no free lunch. All these bikes have plus and minues. Even these are really small most of the time.

In the end I believe you really are better off buying the one you think looks the best and rides the best. (aside from size, etc)

The funny thing is I can think of stuff I don't like on every bike in $1000 price range. Even the $1500 price range there is no such thing as the perfectly balanced spec. I hate the wheels that come on most of these bikes for example (and I'm not talking about switching to Kysriums or something like that either).

cryogenic

Well, we never said not to learn anything about the ins and outs of your bicycle, its components, groups and where they fit into the grand scheme of things. Nor were we suggesting that you just blindly buy the first thing that cranks your chain. I think the real point here is just the fact that in taking MOST of the bikes in the $1k price range, there's really not THAT much difference between any two given bikes. Hence, buy the one that looks and feels best regardless of what's on it. If you ride one bike and absolutely love it... then ride another one and think it sucks, it's seriously not going to be because bike A has a 105 front derailleur vs the Tiagra front derailleur on bike B.

simplyred

+1

And I don't think price should matter anyways...
If that $5000 bike isn't making you want to ride... a $7000 bike isn't going to do it either...
So conversely and technically speaking, we should all ride TREK 1000's, Specialized Allez's & Giant OCR 3's and still be happy... and yes, I think I'd be quite happy with a TREK 1000...
But I bought my Tarmac because I just liked the way it looked... honest to god, that's all.

cryogenic

Hell, I built up with many of the parts I did because I thought they looked good. Record Carbon levers? No real functional gain, but oh man they're sexy.

Totoro

You know that's only 17 miles a day.

woodboy

Very true. Now, hopefully, we've seen the last of the "Under $1123.75 Bike Thread" threads.

hickok45

Very good point, alltheway. After shopping for a short period of time for road bikes last fall, your observations became pretty evident again to me. I was looking in the $1,500 -$2,000 range, but the principle still applies. It's not like somebody's going to uncover a secret company out there that offers components way above the expected quality level on a bike that is within a specific price range.

I discovered this back in the 80's shopping for my first "quality" road bike and then again in the early 90's shopping for a good mountain bike. You're so right: "A $1,000 bike is a $1,000 bike." That's why you can tell a great deal about somebody's bike without seeing it or knowing its components by simply knowing what they paid for it. Sounds crass and superficial, I suppose, but I think there's a lot of truth in it.

And it doesn't mean that a $4,000.00 bike is twice as good as someone's $2,000.00 bike or four times as good/enjoyable as a $1,000.00 bike; it just gives you a good idea as to what type of bike it is.

Guess I'm just pointing out the obvious.

EventServices

People always ask me which bike they should buy.
I always tell people: pick your color...pick your price....pick it up tomorrow.

zing28

lol!!! Nice thread 53.

It doesnt bother me as much if the post is "What should I be looking for in a $1000 bike"

What I dont understand is the "Trek vs. Cannondale vs. Felt vs. Fuji vs. Giant" stuff.

Especially when the poster states they have ridden all these bikes. It's almost like some people need "forum approval" on their purchases!!!!

brooklyner

I DISAGREE! yes, the final selection will usually end up being based on style and comfort (and budget), but that doesn't mean that ALL bike buyers shouldn't take the time to learn all that they can about different materials, geometries, components, wheels, etc. even if none of these things really matter for them, feeling like you got the right bike for oneself, and for the price, is important (and fun)!! any how can anyone who spends any time on this forum say that one shouldn't be inquisitive about all this stuff - that's why this forum exists!! or is this forum only for those with $2k+ bikes??

cryogenic

Good point, but I'm going to take the flip-side of that... I would take a lower spec'd bike that on paper looked worse but felt better than a bike that was all decked out with supposedly nicer stuff for the same price but that I didn't feel just right on. Coming here on the forums and asking everyone else's opinion can net a lot of responses such as "well, for the same price it has Ultegra brifters and rear derailleur" which may very well convince the person to buy the bike that doesn't fit as well, ride as well, feel as good, whatever. See my point? People get too starry-eyed at the pretty components on the bike and miss the entire point... Buy the bike that fits you, rides the way you want it to and makes you want to go out and ride the hell out of it.

53-11_alltheway

That's a good point, but the more I learn about bikes the more I realize their is no ultimate model with the best parts. You be hard pressed to really make a bad decision if you bought any major brand bike out there in a specific price range.

Personal preference >> our opinions here at bikeforums.net.

I can sit here and think of many pros/cons for the following...

1. Steel vs aluminum vs [insert here]
2. Campy vs shimano
3. Double vs Compact vs triple
4. Aero vs. low profile wheel

When it comes down to it I'll take any bike on sale as long as it fits. They all are good.

cryogenic

hah... we posted at basically the same time

linux_author

Nooooooooooooooo! that's the kind of thread noobs like me desperately *need*!

i can literally have any bike i want... but what makes me respect biking even more is that just because i can have any bike i want, i wouldn't be able to use a higher-end, speciality bike...

instead, i first had to learn more about today's bikes in order to be able to choose properly, and then get in shape to be able to ride longer, faster, etc...

so i found the 'under $umpty-squat' road bike threads extremely helpful...

what did i do?

i went out and bought a used road bike for $500 (Specialized Allez Sport), swapped out some components for 105s, and for the past several months have been riding the crap out of the bike...

and you know what? it happened this morning on my 40-minute workout ride... the pain wasn't there... i didn't feel the seat... the arms didn't hurt... no burning in the legs... no shortness of breath...

just smoothness, gliding along the path, not a sound from the chain, derailleurs or pedals... just a slight click when shifting one or two gears...

everything came together, and things will never be the same now because i feel like i'm over the first big hurdle...

and if i keep up with my workouts, extend the times and up the speed, by this time next year i'll be reading the "What's the best bling bike?" thread...

:-)

p.s. thanks to all for the great advice here on bf.net

DocJ

.. seems many more need approval for their opinions - constantly.

ggg300

[QUOTE=53-11_alltheway]For all you shopping for a $1000 bike or a $1500 bike ....whatever the price range is.

Just buy what looks nice and happens to fit you during the test ride (never mind that the seat will be in the wrong place either during the test ride ...lol....and this will alter your perception of the bike's goodness)

In 5 years this "jewel' you shopped for will have plenty of scratches on it if you have faithfully ridden the 25,000 miles you should have ridden on it. It doesn't matter anyway becasue most bikes in this price range are the same overall quality. $1000 bike is a $1000 bike.

At that time (5 years from now) It won't matter what you bought 5 years earlier because you'll want a new bike anyway (maybe even sooner)


I say buy the bike that makes you feel good enough to get your sorry ass on the road and riding. That's all.


^^^
Sponge Statement.

woodboy

[QUOTE=linux_author]Nooooooooooooooo! that's the kind of thread noobs like me desperately *need*!/QUOTE]


But do you really need to have 'Under $XXXX Bike Thread' threads at $50 increments?

53-11_alltheway

My entire point was is there really a ****ty bike out there that we need to warn people to stay away from?

Can anybody think of one?

[wow, I've posted too much in this thread]