Choosing my next bike

[craig.rebbechi]

hey, i'm new here, so be gentle haha.

I'm planning a big road cycling trip (about 2000k's in three weeks) for next september. Six weeks ago i got a great deal on a Flat-bar road bike (an alamode FBR 1.0). I'm coming into a bit of money this christmas, and i've found someone to buy my bike, so i'm looking to upgrade.

I don't want to spend more than $1000, however i'm looking to log quite a few k's in training for my trip. At the moment i'm comfortably commuting to and from work (15 km in about forty mins) however i'd really like to step it up, increasing my output to over 50km a day.

I'm looking for a road bike, however there are so many options i'm not quite sure what to be looking for. My local bike store currently has 20% off of their giant range, making the defy 4 about $800 and the defy 3 just over the $1000 mark. Any advice on what bike to get would be greatly appreciated.

[pjn0629]

Get a proper road bike with drop handlebars that feels comfortable to you. Go with shimano 105/sram rival, don't be afraid of a nice aluminum bike, they usually ride better than a cheap carbon one.

[AnthonyG]

For the sort if trip you are planning you would be better off with a specific touring road bike although they are usually a little more than your are budgeting for. The Giant Defy is a nice bike but they are racing specific bikes. Not very comfortable for long rides and they usually don't have the clearance for larger tires that your would want to use on a long ride.

Anthony

[NikZak]

I'm currently training for that exact same type of trip... 2000km this november, melbourne to sydney and back

the bike recommended to me was a 2011 Bauer Suburban Flatbar Road bike
has discs front and back, ability to mount all your panniers required for touring and is nice and easy to ride with wide tyres and comfortable geometry

check it out

[AnthonyG]

I'm currently training for that exact same type of trip... 2000km this november, melbourne to sydney and back

the bike recommended to me was a 2011 Bauer Suburban Flatbar Road bike
has discs front and back, ability to mount all your panniers required for touring and is nice and easy to ride with wide tyres and comfortable geometry

check it out

Have you bought the bike yet?

To be honest I wouldn't recommend such a bike for a long road trip. Sorry, some people in shops just have NO idea anymore. They just want to sell what they have on the floor.

You really NEED drop bars for such a ride to give you different hand positions and I would be going with old fashioned rim brakes for reliability and serviceability out the back of woop woop. There are a couple of touring specific bikes on the market and this is what I would be getting for such a ride.

Anthony