Tariq08

So I'm pretty new to biking, been doing it for a few months now and I've put in a few hundred miles. Right now I'm riding a Trek 7.2 FX hybrid. I love the bike, but it's starting to get a little heavy on the 10+ mile rides especially in this Arizona heat. I'm thinking about getting something lighter and faster so obviously I'm looking at road bikes. Only problem is, I'm not a rich man..I checked out some new road bikes and the Felt z100 and z90 looked pretty nice and seemed pretty light. But I was thinking, maybe it would be better to get a top of the line used road bike than a low quality brand new road bike? Really, I just want something that is significantly lighter and faster than my trek that isn't going to fall apart or something.

Like I said, I'm new to bikes, are they like cars? If someone has put in thousands of miles on a bike should I stay away from it even if it's top of the line? Would it be better to get a new road bike or a used road bike with a budget of around $800? What are some brands/models that I should be looking for used or new?

I did some searching on craigslist and I was most interested in these two models, could you guys tell me what you think of them???


https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/spo/828430841.html

this guy said he didn't know the weight of the bike but guessed approximately 15 pounds..only thing is when i googled this model a bunch of walmart stuff came up, is this a quality bike?


https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/bik/836156507.html

alright, this bike sounds pretty good but they guy said he has put literally thousands of miles on it, however, he said it is a very good quality bike and only about 17 pounds, he also said he maintained it well, i'm thinking of going and checking this one out tomorrow, what do you guys think about this one?

oh, i'm 25 years old, 5'11"-5'12" 155 pounds

thank you for ANY advice you can give me, i know it's kind of obnoxious for my first post to be asking a bunch of questions without me contributing to the forum yet, but i really need some help here!

Tariq08

nobody can at least tell me if the two bikes i posted would be good for me or not?

waterrockets 

Calm down, we don't have people monitoring this site pre-dawn just waiting for people to post chiwanese bikes to review.

Both of these bikes are probably about the same quality level. They're both generic CF, not well engineered, heavy, and probably poorly assembled (at Performance or Wal-Mart).

They both probably weigh closer to 20 lbs than 15 lbs. Weight doesn't really matter though, the ride and dynamics of these frames will probably suck.

You would be better off spending your $750-$1000 on a used aluminum bike from a major brand. You should be able to find a nice Specialized Allez with 105 or Ultegra in that price range, for instance.

Tapeworm21

One doesn't even mention the size. How should we know?

What you SHOULD do is buy my Tarmac that's for sale. That would cure all this.

huytheskigod

The second bike is of decent quality but unfortunately, it's probably to small for you. That bike would fit me at 5' 6". I don't know about the first bike but the parts look very old. As waterrockets mentioned, get a used aluminum frame bike from a reputable manufacturer and you'll be better off. Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, etc. You may even be able to get a decent deal on a closeout at a bike shop right now and they'll spend the time to fit your bike. Just some advice, going internet/used on a first bike can be dicey unless you know exactly what you're looking for or have a friend that does. I went the internet route for my first road bike and wished I hadn't. It all worked out in the end but took lots of time and tweaking to find what I needed. Getting a properly fitted bike the first time will save a lot of that hassle. If you get a used bike, try to find someone that knows enough to help you choose the right sized bike.

Tariq08

thanks for all of the advice guys..unfortunately i don't know anyone that is too into bikes so i'm kind of on my own with this

specialized, trek, cannondale, any particular models of these brands or other brands that i should look out for?

and would you guys advise against getting a felt z100 or another road bike that i can buy new for around 800?

please remember, weight is important, i need something that weighs significantly less than my trek fx 7.2, thanks!

johnny99

The most important feature of any bicycle is how well it fits you. If you're going to be doing a lot of riding, you need to look at the geometry of the bicycle as well as the size. There are plenty of threads in this forum about beginners that bought the wrong size bike and are now suffering or gave up on the sport. My advice is to buy a bike that you can test ride first, even if it costs more. If you cannot bring a knowledgeable friend with you when you take your test rides, then read as much as possible about bike fit so that you know what to look for.

In the lower price ranges, there is not much functional difference between modern name brand bikes, aside from how well they fit you. 20 year old bikes are a different story.

Hickeydog

For $800-$1000, you can get an aluminum frame with carbon fork with 1005/ultegra new. For your first bike, if you have some clue what you are doing, going new isn't bad. If you have no idea what you want in a bike, going with a used, $20, 30 year old garage sale road bike is a good place to start. You ride that for 500 miles and then you Have a good idea of what you want.

lechat

bookmark "buy it now" road bikes on ebay and you'll get a great deal if you're patient. shy away from marquee brands because you're paying for the name. the beautifully welded alloy frame is pretty much standard these days. not much difference from make to make.

cmanbrazil

look on the internet for good entry level road bikes. I just bought a used 2005 specialized allez sport off of craigslist in Columbus for for 350. He also threw in $250 in gear. It took two weeks to find the deal, try posting what you want. The person who I bought the bike from responded to my post, he never put it up for sale. Before i bought the bike I road it, changing all of the gears, etc. Since then, i took it to be checked out and found out it was a good deal, but that is AFTER i bought it.

Another thing about road bikes is the extras you will need and want. You need to add those into the equation, pump, tubes, shoes, pedals, helmet, tools, etc.

Try and buy a 2008 closeout and buy some of your extras off of craigslists.
btw, I love my bike, it is so much better on the road then my mountain bike. I go so much faster.

Tariq08

hickey would you mind giving a couple examples of bikes like that..?

Tariq08

yeah i've got the accessories leftover from my hybrid, other than shoes and peddles potentially, thank you for the advice though i will try to be patient

Tariq08

i see a 2007 Trek 1500 Road Bike 56CM on ebay for 750 buy it now..

Tariq08

https://cgi.ebay.com/2007-Trek-1500-R...d=p3286.c0.m14


any thoughts on this trek 1500? guys says its 18 to 19 pounds which should be lighter than what i have now, trek was one of the brands you guys recommended too, this looks pretty good to me

runneronwheels

Sure, that's a good bike. No one here will be able to tell you if it fits you or not. You need to go to a bike shop and try on a couple bikes - 56 might even be too large.

Tariq08

ok i also found this specialized allez on craigslist, but its a 54 cm frame, i dont know if that's too small since i'm 5'11"..

lechat

bike fit is a very personal thing. it took me about a year to optimize the fit on my first road bike. in the meantime the miles melted away. and i'm not too terribly crippled from riding a bike that didn't "fit" right.

Tariq08

alright, according to this website my insteam is 85 cm which means i need a 57 cm frame

obviously no one here can say for sure but normally is it ok to be off a cm or so? like would a 56 or 58 cm frame be ok with adjustments?

dnslater

You are likely a 56 or 58. Probably wouldn't feel good on a 54. If you get a 56 or 58 and the bike feels too large or small you can make adjustments such as a different length stem, change the seat height/position to fit you. If you go to a bike shop to buy the bike they will do this for you.

The felt Z100 that you suggested is a fine bike for the price range. Felt is a very good name that is well respected. For a few hundred dollars more (or if you go used) you can get Tiagra or 105 components which will be much better. If you buy a bike online, you could use the box it comes in to package your 7.2 and sell it on ebay for a few hundred dollars. Trek FX's are very popular now.

Tariq08

thanks dnslater!

i actually put my laptop up for sale to raise a few hundred more..

i'm totally in love with the style of the felt and fuji styles, it's very reassuring to hear that felt is a good brand too, hopefully i will have over a thousand to shop for a felt or fuji bike soon, i'm very glad i took the advice here and was patient

now, if i can get over 1000, should i keep searching ebay and craigslist for deals on felt and fuji or should i just get a new one from the store? i can definitely see the advantage of getting sized for a bike by professionals, but i've also come across some sweet deals on felt and fuji styles online

what do you guys think of the fuji 'newest' and 'roubaix' styles? any other styles i should check out from them? what about felt styles for the same price range?

Tariq08

update..there's a local bike shop selling the 2007 roubaix SL for 1200, they have a 56 cm available too, i think this might be a great choice for me, only weighs about 16 pounds and looks like it has great reviews, what do you guys think about this bike?

bostongarden

Is this the Costco Roubaix SL?...if so, you should really think about buying it if you like it...otherwise, keep looking...you sure you want to drop $1200? You should be able to find something decent for much less...

Tariq08

this is the bike

https://www.bikesdirectaz.com/index.p...-closeout-1195


is it not a good bike? let me know..i will probably be going to different bike shops tomorrow

yeah i'm sure i want to drop 12, i just sold my old laptop AND my old bike so now i've got 12 to shop with, i really do want a quality road bike

so new question i guess, i've got 1200, what's a good new road bike to get

like i said i REALLY like the fuji and felt styles, but i am open to all recommendations

i'm also open to looking at used styles if anyone has recommendations for the 1200 price range, but, it did make sense to me that maybe i should get my first road bike from a shop so they can size it correctly for me because honestly i have no idea what to look for if i do it on my own

anyway, i may be making a purchase tomorrow, please help!

BananaTugger

What?

Tariq08

haha, i said the same ****..but when they measured me at the gym last time i did it they said 5'12", i was like, you mean 6 foot right?, the guy was like 'no, 5'12"', i must be between 5'11" and 5'12" or something