SlimRider

I will give the OP credit for being literate. At least enough to be able to read his local Craigslist. The same as anybody else who is looking for an old 80's chromoly steel road bike. Most sellers are proud to commit to print that their old steed is made of chromoly steel. I would further suggest that the OP take someone who "knows bikes" with him before making the final purchase. Of course, the OP should test ride the bike in order to confirm its comfort level, before the final exchange.

mmmdonuts

There is nothing special about chromoly steel. Many junk bikes have been made of crmo steel so that can't be the sole criteria. A crmo frame of good pedigree that is damaged or misaligned is no longer good. The OP does not seem to have the knowledge and experience to know the difference. I would also think that if the OP had someone who "knows bikes" that person would also be able to answer the questions asked.

SlimRider

There may be many people within your social circle that may have specific enviable knowledge, but you just might be a little hesitant about exposing your own personal ignorance about a particular topic to certain peers, who might otherwise think more highly of you.

The OP might even have a distant relative who might be willing to tag along, for the CL purchase. Who knows?

PS.

Saying that there's nothing special about chromoly steel, speaks volumes about your depth of knowledge concerning metallurgy, and its impact upon the advancement of all civilized societies the world over.

bikemig 

Waiting for the fall makes sense when bikes are discounted but I wouldn't get a racing bike. I'd fish around for a bike (perhaps a steel cross bike) that can take a larger tire. The wheels will hold up well and will be kind on your body. Plus you want something with more forgiving gearing than most road bikes have. I know carbon forks hold up well (and I own one on a racing bike) but, everything else being equal, I'd still go for an all steel bike. Why not get a bike that is built right and will hold up really well over time?

ahsposo 

I wouldn't buy a steel bike new unless it was a custom job or a classic I had a depth of knowledge about.

I grew up riding steel and I'd put the ride of my Specialized Langster, a compact aluminum frame with a carbon fork against any of the French, British or Italian steel bikes I owned. A (at the time) $700 bike.

The way I read the OP is he wants to ride and soon. Not waste his short summer dealing with an old rustbucket.

You steel people need to get a grip on reality.

Hiro11

If I was just starting and had $1300 to spend, I'd get an alloy frame with 105 or better. Something like the Scattante R-670:
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...95_-1___400315

These are really nice bikes for the money with a nicer build than what you'll find at a typical LBS. If you have a Performance shop locally, you get more support than you would from even cheaper options like BD.

megalowmatt

Not to mention, where are all these "bike co-ops" to which people often refer others? It's sometimes stated so matter-of-factly around here it sounds as if there's one in every city. I doubt I could find one within 30 miles of me to save my life.

I think it's a bit misleading to new riders if they have the idea of buying some fixer-upper project bike and walking into a "coop" with a handful of dollars to get it in riding condition.

John_V 

OK, so here is my two cents worth. While it is nice to be able to get a slightly higher priced bike than a $700-800 entry level bike, the OP knows what he can and can't afford and he did post his price range. If he wants a road bike now, this is what he is stuck with. If he can wait, he can save some more money and get a slightly higher priced bike.

Let's get real. If we are talking strictly about entry level bikes, every manufacturer has their own model(s) that is very comparable with others on the market. Most of them use the same entry level components and frame material and are most likely made in the same Taiwanese factory and weigh about the same. Any entry level bike can be upgraded with better components. It doesn't need to be a Trek or Cannondale or Specialized. My suggestion is to look at and ride all the bikes, in your price range, that you possibly can. Get the one that fits you best and gives you the biggest WOW factor. You can save some LBS overhead and buy from an online dealer and get slightly better components for around the same price, but then that has it's own issues.

SlimRider

So if your city happens to have co-ops, enjoy. If not, either hire a tutor or treat a friend, to assist you. There are currently, quite a few major cities that can boast about having a bicycle co-op.

If your city doesn't have a co-op, then instead of complaining, you could possibly do something positive by starting a co-op in your area

If the OP has a co-op nearby, then becoming a member can only be helpful in his overall development as a cyclist.

contango 

A lot will depend on just what you're going to want to do with it, how hard you ride, what you weigh etc.

If you've got an MTB background and want to do some light offroading on your new bike then look at a cross bike. The only range I even remotely know is the Specialized range, so you'd be looking at a Tricross (or obviously a comparable bike from another manufacturer).

In terms of the parts, Sora shifters use the brake lever to change one way and thumb levers to change the other way. Tiagra and above use a double lever where you push one half to change one way and the other half to change the other way. Personally I find Tiagra easy to use from the hoods or the drops. I've never used Sora but can see them being fiddly to use from the drops.

If you're a new cyclist I'd be surprised if you noticed the difference in shifting between entry level components and higher end components, or that you'd appreciate the benefits even if you did notice. I use Deore parts on my MTB and Tiagra on the Tricross and haven't had any troubles with them. I don't doubt for a minute that Ultegra is better than Tiagra, but for where I am and what I'm doing I don't see that I'd get a benefit sufficient to warrant spending the money.

I'm a heavier rider (~230-240 pounds) so I'd rather go for lower level components that might be heavier but will also last. I'd rather pay £17.99 for a Deore cassette than £149.99 for an Ultegra or Dura-Ace cassette. Is the more expensive one better? Almost certainly. Will it be even twice as good based on where I am? Doubtful. Does the Deore work for my purposes? Definitely.

As a heavier rider it's also less important to me to save a bit of weight here and there. I've got 20-30 pounds of excess baggage around my middle so saving a few ounces here and there by throwing money at the bike is wasted in my opinion. If I was a lean mean riding machine it might make more sense, but from where I am it's just spending lots of money for not much benefit.

SuperGregNo1

I was looking at the entry level Trek models as well. 1.2 at first, then I decided 1.5 since I liked the Tiagra shifters better. Then I found a previous year 2.1 for about the same price as a new 1.5 that just happened to be in my size so I went for that. But, to tell you the truth, you can't go wrong with a 1.5 either (I test rode one for a bit).

IMO, the price difference between ~$800 and ~$1200 is small enough that you will forget that you paid the extra cash in a year or two, but you'll be much happier with the level of bike you got. I'd only jump up to $2000+ if money is no object and/or you're serious and know exactly what you want.

And to answer your question, no at this point I doubt you'd "know" you had a lower level bike or were missing anything if you bought a 1.2.

hhnngg1

Op - forget all the advice to spend more if you cant.

I am for real. I own both a hi end cervelo as well as a entry level sora giant defy3 purchased 3.5 trs ago at lbs for $650. I ride both now so unlike most of the folks commenting, actually can comment on what is lost with an entry lvl bike.


My message- you lose very little except for slightly crisper shifting. My speed is the same on borh bikes and ride quality is just subjectively different but not inferior on the giant. I actually ride my giant way more now due to its replacability, and have NEVER thought dang my cervelo is such a faster or lighter bike.


The dura ace is obviously better than sora but lets be real - $1000 for slightly crisper shifting is pretty low bang for buck. Sora works fine and the chains and parts cost 50% of the 105-da line parts. They also dont wear quickly . Shimano actually doesnt sell sora or 2200 gruppos because they want you to upgrade to their hi margin groupsets. Sora is good enough to race and win with. I honestly would have a hard time justifying the cost of a nonsora group on a future bike given how solid it works for me.

Your choice of a triple vs double will affect your shifting far more than your groupset (double being cleaner on the extremes.)

alexaschwanden

Cannondale CAAD10 is great bike, strong ,reliable, and lightweight, color schemes are a little weird though.

KT043

Wow! Thanks to everyone for offering your thoughts. It has given me a great deal to think about. One thing I neglected to mention in my original post was if weight would be a factor? I am 230 pounds on a 6'2 frame. Are these entry bike rims going to collapse under my heft?

mprelaw

Not at all. Don't worry about your rims. They'll hold up fine.

EnellCH

Plenty advice...i can only agree with these saying, get as good as possible...what otherwise happen is you will get a new bike very soon and have none of the value of the initial $600-$800 left. A bike for like $1,200-$1,500 range will give you much more. Look at the CAAD10 or similar.

(I got a $800 hybrid, only to a year later go all in on full carbon ultegra bike, and have not touched the hybrid ever since and wish i hadn't bought it)

a1penguin

How do you know the OP will be buying a new bike very soon? He has a 15 year old MTB and will probably ride this new road bike for 15 years too. Buying a low end road bike from and LBS is far better choice than purchasing an Xmart bike. And I still find it annoying when OP gives a price range and people try to convince him/her that they need to spend 2X to get a working bike.

SlimRider

When it comes to weight, there's less worry associated with steel than aluminum, due to stress factors. That said, there's still a bunch of overweight cyclists riding aluminum today, and have been for quite some time...

IFLUX23

Buying a very good used bike.

Peiper1

SlimRider is absolutely correct. My first road bike was a crappy old 1970's Peugeot that I picked up for $20 at a garage sale about 25 years ago. The bike was in such terrible shape that, in order to be able to ride it, I had to learn to do most repairs/maintenance myself. I joined a local bike club and was fortunate enough that a couple of the guys were willing to take the time to teach me how to do most things. Over the years I have probably saved untold thousands of dollars by not relying on LBS's to do most repairs.

twodownzero

I knew how to fix a flat and adjust a bicycle before I ever owned one as an adult. It does not follow that I could have bought a ratty old bike on craigslist and got it into decent enough condition to ride 400 miles a month.

There's a difference between "entry level" and "just enough to get started" which is not currently filled by the market. If department stores sold bikes actually fit to the rider, then most "new" cyclists would be able to make an informed choice and buy a decent ($800ish from BD, $12-1500 from a LBS) bike starting on the day they got serious.

Igo

What?

Igo

I've run Tiagra and Trek with great satisfaction. Some people say things just to jack themselves up.

Igo

Telling everybody that steel is the only way to go is rubbish and you just keep running this gibberish into the ground. Don't you get tired? Are you interested in anything else? You should expand your horizons. Grow.

Igo

Or you can buy an entry level bike and start riding then start a co-op when you have a clue what you are doing. Sorry if this sounds like a stupid approach to you Slim. Most people are just mortals and act on what experiences we currently possess.