samueltaylor

Hi. I am Sam, and my friends and I have been riding our old mountain bikes on (what I think you guys would classify as) a MUP over the last little bit and I've really enjoyed it. While the little off-road trails are fun, I find particular joy in getting far out on the main path where there's nobody but cyclers and just seeing how far I can get and how fast I can get there. I'm interested in getting a road bike for some long-distance rides and maybe (I know this is a looooong way off) crits some day if I feel I could do that without injuring everyone on the track. To crush all your hopes, I'm a high school kid, so that means not much money. That said, can a good road bike be found for less than $750?

NCMTBIKER

Try your local bike shops.You can get a good entry level bike for that much i would think.Or try craiglist,find a good used one.

samueltaylor

I found a Diamondback Podium 3 the seller has upgraded with a carbon seat post and Selle Italia seat for $800 on Craigslist. Worth it?

joe_5700

You need to first determine if the bike fits you. Since you are new to road bikes, go to an LBS and get properly fit to a bike. You will find bikes that are Sora equipped in your price range which will be plenty good. Even an entry level road bike will not hold you back a bit when you get into racing. Check out the Jamis Ventura line of bikes. https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...asport_bk.html They are more of an upright road bike and will help to ease you into a road bike.

samueltaylor

Thanks for the advice, I'll hit up a shop in the next few days.

hamfoh

You may consider, since you do seem like the purest type of novice (I am too), just picking up a used road bike on craigslist for $100-$150 or so. Make sure that it's something you really want to spend $700+. The bikes you can find in that range will be older but will give you a nice starting point to find out what you'd want to look for in a future bike. My first pure road bike I got off CL for $220 or so and I ride it all the time and it's made me aware of what I'd want personally from a new bike, for when I decide to finally drop that kind of cash on one. Even though they're the entry level and you seem so sure it's something you want to do now, I would do something like that personally (and I did to back up that statement!). I have a few bikes now, I haven't spent more than $500 on any of them and I love each one of them. Just because you have $750 to spend doesn't mean you have to spend it all either

samueltaylor

Yes, I am entirely new to road biking. I've been using a mountain bike with my friends so far and it's incredibly fun, so I thought I'd try my hand at actual road cycling.

Your idea seems like a good one. In a similar vein, I've been considering looking at various yard sales and thrift stores to find an actual road bike. 1. Does this seem like a good idea? and 2. What should I be looking for?

mazdaspeed

First you need to figure out what size you need. Past that the easiest way to judge the quality of a bike is by the components. Odds are you won't find anything good at a thrift store or garage sale but it can happen. Scouring craigslist is probably your best bet.

samueltaylor

Thank you all for the help. My new plan is to figure out what size bike I need and then start watching craigslist every day. Sound good?

zrossiter

I always say craigslist (id skip ebay for your first bike so you can get a feel). I was surprised though that my LBS had a couple of nice used bikes on the cheap (full 105 trek for $625)

for sizing though, goto a LBS and see if they can fit you real quick, maybe take a quick ride on a couple of sizes to get an idea