wrr1020

Hello, just registered here and i'm currently looking to get on a road bike. I currently have a fixed gear but i'm getting tired of riding without gears. I built it mainly for fun and just something to ride around with friends but i'm looking to get more serious about riding. I'm gonna start riding about 20 miles a day and slowly up the miles.

Now as for bikes i'm not exactly sure what bike i'm looking to get. I was looking to spend at most $1000 but i'm willing to up my limit if it's worth it component wise. I was looking at a few bikes, Felt F95, Trek 1.2, Orbea Aqua, Scott Speedster S40. Seems like most of the bikes in this range come with the same components. I rode the Trek 1.2 and Orbea Aqua, seem pretty similar in ride quality. Don't have any experience with road bikes so i didn't know exactly what to pinpoint what sucked and what didn't. I know Sora components are frowned upon which most of these seem like they have, mainly the front derailleur and shifters while the rear derailleur is a Tiagra. If i were to upgrade my price range seems like the next set of bikes would be a Trek 1.5, Felt F75, Orbea Aqua TTG, Cannondale CAAD9 6.

I'm sure there are other bikes out there that i don't know of that may be better which is why i'm here. Right now i'm leaning towards the Trek 1.2, 2010 model i got priced for $800 from a LBS. If anyone has any recommendations out of the bikes i posted or any other model out there they can recommend i would appreciate it, thanks a lot.

mathwheels

I was planning on spending $1000 for my first bike this past winter but ended up spending $1400. Her is why. If you are going to invest $1000 you will get a good frame but lower/lowest end components and maybe poor to average wheels. IMHO.

For components I would go with tiagra at the least but 105 preferably. 105 seem to be right at the bottom of racing components and all you will ever need with recreational or group riding.

I ended up getting cannondale caad 9 105 which has the 105 group set which is 10 speed, not 9 like sora and tiagra if my memory serves me correctly. Also the frame has a BB30 bottom bracket which I liked and was not available on last years discount model I originally looked at. I new I was getting a solid frame but my LBS steered me in the right direction with the upgrade for value and overall package. very satisfied customer.

Spend a little more up front on a step up in components that you wont need to upgrade for a while. Also it will cost you close to double the money to upgrade after with cost of components and labor.

Spend a little more now and you will be glad you did. I promise.

Uni-Vibe

Sell that fixie and get a real road bike!

Sweet spot is the $2K to $3K range. For that you get full carbon, good stuff like Ultegra or Force, acceptable to good wheels. There's a lot of competition in that price range, and you'll never be sorry you bought good right off the bat. Less than that, you compromise; more than that, you couldn't tell the difference.

WhyFi

You NEED to spend at least $12k, or the bike's not worth throwing a leg over, let alone ride!



No specific bike recommendations, but some buying recommendations:

*Look at last year's floor models at the LBS
*Bring cash - it's still King
*Don't be afraid to make a low-ball offer. If they have a 2009 that fits you, has bits you'd be happy with and retailed for $1500... yeah, offer $1k out the door. The worst they can do is say "no."

wrr1020

Thanks for the replies, my main thing is i don't know if i should spend my absolute max at $1500 or spend less with the $800 Trek 1.2 and see how much i get into it. If i really get into it later in the year sell the Trek and upgrade or just upgrade components and keep the frame. A lot more to think about then i thought this would be, haha.

kindablue

Component upgrades can be quite pricy if bought at a major retail store. They are more manageable if you find a good source or buy used (ebay). Basically buying the complete bike will get you the best bang for your buck parts wise, however its all up to you depending on how much you will get into the sport.

If you can, look at the Trek 2.1 The 105 components on it are a heck of a lot better than the sora on the 1.2. If you can give 'em a test ride and you'll see.

wrr1020

Thanks, ya i was actually looking at the 2.1 right now on Trek's site. Came across the Felt F75 and Orbea Aqua TTG as well. Both the Felt and Trek have 105 components while the Orbea has Tiagra. I'll see if i can get some test rides lined up for them. Found a dealer about 10 miles away that carries Trek, Felt, Orbea. and Giant so i'll see what they have to offer and what kind of deal they can give me.

noise boy

Remember the accessories part. We just bought the wife a road bike, 1150 for a Felt Z85, but by the time you get shoes, pedals, cages & bottles, a good pair of shorts, a blinkie light, and a flat kit/seat bag, it was about 1850 out the door.

TwoHeadsBrewing

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. If you are not sure of your size and are not good with tools, go ride a bunch of bikes from various bike stores and choose which one fits you best. After looking around, I found BikesDirect.com and they have some amazing deals. For around $1,000 you can get a fantastic bike with components that would come on a bikes costing twice as much. I bought a Windsor Knight for $900 and it's been a killer ride...decently lightweight, great components, and easy to assemble. Here's a link to my experience: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...night-Assembly

I would highly recommend this if you can use basic tools, like a screwdriver, alan wrenches, etc. Assembly takes 1-2 hours if you're being very careful, 30 minutes if you blaze through it. The bummer about buying online, is that handling a warranty claim should there be any problems is going to be much more difficult than just cruising down to the shop. BUT, I feel the cost savings are well worth the time and potential difficulty. For your price point, here's a few bikes that would be good:

Windsor Knight - $899 (mostly Ultegra) - https://bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/knight_x.htm
Windsor Kennet - $1095 (full Ultegra + Mavic Aksium Race rims/hubs) - https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...r/kennet_x.htm
Motobecane Immortal Pro - $1295 (105/Ultegra and CF Frame) - https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...rtalpro_09.htm

sced

A $1500 bike in the shop is about a $1000 bike if bought online. This is quite a lot of bike for a grand.

https://cgi.ebay.com/2009-MONOCOQUE-C...item23063eb4b6

halfspeed

Raleigh Clubman. Yeah, I said it.

noise boy

Although true, I would ignore this advice for right now, you are just starting out, the bike you get won't be the thing holding you back.

noise boy

Although also good advice, if you are not sure of your sizing, better to work with the LBS and get fitted when you buy the bike.

EKCooper

Here's a bunch of options: https://www.bicycling.com/bke/slide/h..._2010_nominees

Seagull01

I was in the same place you were in a few months ago. What I did was look around at many different shops. I went from looking at the low end of the price range bikes with a low price group, to aluminum with carbon forks and slightly better group, and so on.

Shopping around eventually paid off for me, as I found a leftover 2008 bike in a frame size that fit me for $1,300. It was a little above the $1,000 - $1,100 I was figuring I would squander, but for that additional $200 what I got was full carbon (VS aluminum with carbon forks and rear stays), full SRAM Rival group (VS 105) and Mavic Aksium wheels (VS something else supposed to be not as good).

Now it is debatable if SRAM Rival is better or worse than 105. Personally I do not think I would have really noticed the difference, but I really like my Rival group after using it. I rode a friends bike with 105 and I like the way my bike shifts better.

But what is not really debatable is that for me, and what I expect to do, I will probably never have to upgrade anything. I do not intend to race, South Florida is flat so no climbs - I do not need fancy crazy ultra light wheels, I do not need top of the line groups, and really I do not need a full carbon frame. Yet I have the full carbon frame, and everything attached to that frame is at least in the "good" range.

Look around. Do not be afraid to ask for older models still on the floor. You might really be surprised at what you can find.

And of course, a proper fit really is more important than the best deal. This is why I did not buy online - the LBS was able to fit me on the bike. They were also able to point me towards a less aggressive geometry bike (my first pick was more of a racing bike).

The choices are pretty much endless. Take your time, visit all the nearby shops, use this forum, bikepedia.com (to give you a baseline on what prices were, and what stuff a bike should come with), and you may just find a better bike than what you "need" for a price you can afford. Then you are good for years of riding, without ever needing to upgrade a thing.

2Klose

This was almost my exact experience a few weeks ago. 1,000.00 was my budget but I bumped it up to 1,400 to purchase the same frame (Specialized Secteur Elite) with the 105 components. I stretched for the bike and now I am slowly adding the extras as money is available. This is not ideal, but I am loving the bike and truly feel that down the road I will be very happy I went with the 105's instead of the Sora/Tiagra mix on the lower model.

Tunnelrat81

It has been stated above that it's more important to fit your bike than to have better components and not ride because it's the wrong size.

IF, however, you are able to figure out what sizing you need, you could look into something like this:

https://www.neuvationcycling.com/bicycles.html

The alloy option with rival would be an incredible first bike and be good enough to take all the way up to the middle catagories of racing if you wanted to. I saw some Pro's here at the Redlands Bicycle Classic this last weekend racing on Rival. You may not get mad respect for the color scheme and branding of the frame, but you probably won't find a better package for the price, and from a real company, located in San Luis Obispo, CA. If John Neugent was selling frames and Sram Rival was out when I was shopping for my first bike, this is without a doubt the bike I'd be riding today. Many people put Sram Rival components on the same level with Shimano Ultegra, and swear by it. Good stuff. SO much more than you'd get at the LBS.

*edit* Also, if you stick with it and end up wanting a carbon frame instead of alloy, the Rival would be equally at home being moved to any other "blingier" frame you might choose. If you were to buy at the Tiagra level or below and decide to upgrade, you'll likely want a new frame AND components, wheels etc.. I'd suggest that you buy as much bike as you can now...which will give you the best opportunity of enjoying/sticking with the sport, and you can worry about name brands and group ride envy once you're sure that you're a 'cyclist.'

-Jeremy