I have been shopping for a new commuter / weekend road bike and cannot believe the prices.
I currently ride an older trek 1200 to work every day and have been looking at new bikes because
1 My bike cant wear 28c tires without rubbing
2 I would like fenders *and* 28s to fit
3 I would like a wider gear selection
4 newer sti setups are more ergonomic than my down tube setup
5 I cant put racks on my bike (no 'braze ons')
I have decided on either touring or cross bikes.
I want a bike that is road fast but allows me to install racks, fenders, and has newer technologies like sti
If a person is looking at strictly road bikes, he could pick up a decent ride like the trek 1000 for under $600. The cheapest cross bikes areTWICE that.
I looked at the Cannondale cross bike. Only available in one configuration and the only Cannondale dealer within 200 miles is asking $1350.
The Trek cross bike is around $100 cheaper but no one stocks it around here, special order only. Bike shops cant understand why I hesitate to order a bike I have never actually ridden. Wierd.
Surley web site goes on and on about how cheap the cross check is. I just left the only surley dealer in wichita: $1500. On what planet is $1500 a cheap bicycle?!?!
The only thing close I have read about under $1000 is the Bianchi Volpe. There is a bike shop only 6 blocks from my house which will order one for me. Next closest Bianchi dealer is 150 miles away. Sigh. $850 is getting reasonable, but what if I ride it and decide I'd rather just pay $500 more and get the cannondale. F@#$ing bike dealers. I dont want to get a bike based solely on what I read online. Is it too much to ask that I take the bike for a test ride?
I ride about 100 miles per week. If one more person justifies the price of a $1500 bike by telling me how much gas I'm saving I'm going to kill them. I don't cycle to save gas. I cycle because I enjoy cycling! It only takes about $6 worth of gas for me to drive the 100 miles I put on my bike weekly.
Am I crazy? Is $1500 what I should expect to pay for a bike? Is $1500 really reasonable to everyone here? Why is there no bike like the Trek 1000 with just a bit more tire clearance in the $600 - $700 range? Specialized has the Sirrus but it isnt available with drops.
Thank you for reading my rant. I'll go back to sanity now
