Originally Posted by
KappaRhoXVIII
Hi! This is my first post on this forum. Also, I'm a beginner in terms of bicycle terms and mechanics, but I have enjoyed riding my bike every summer and almost everyday for over 5 years now. I am currently riding a Kranked mountain bike and I am thinking of switching to a road bike since I only ride in the city and would like a lighter and faster bike. Perhaps, I would even start commuting or participate, later on, in races with a road bike.
So I did some research, and I ended up with 3 choices of road bikes:
Diadora Firenze (CA$650):
Diadora Firenze - Equipment - Bike - Road bikes | Sports Experts
Trek 1.1C 2014 (CA$700):
TREK 1.1C | 56cm | 2014 | H2 : Boutique Martin Swiss Cycles
Scott Speedster S50 2014 (CA$720):
Scott Speedster s50 2014 | Cycle Technique
I am
looking for a bike that is
durable (for years),
fast,
light and
easy to climb hills with, possibly
commute or participate in
races, relative to the price of around
700$ or less, so if you guys have any other suggestions than those 3, I would appreciate it! Also, my city roads are a bit bumpy and I usually ride with a backpack (most of the times, it only has a small coat with my lock and some snacks in it).
I also thought about buying entry road bikes, but I would probably end up buying a better one some years afterwards. I was thinking of the GMC Denali, Schwinn Prelude or Schwinn Phocus.
My apologies if this post is in the wrong place, move it as needed.
Thank you for hearing me out!
P.S.: Also, if you guys have a post explaining which components are better than the other (e.g.: Shimano 105 > Shimano 2200 or titanium frame > alluminium frame) please link me to it, I would like to learn more about them.
I'd say None of the Above.
For $400 or less you can get a 5-20 year old bike that costed the first owner $700-$2000, which will out run all of the bikes that you have listed.
I would not recommend a carbon or carbon composite bike for an inexperienced rider,but even they are available for $200-$500 if you insist on buying one as your first road bike. As you have pointed out, if you stick with it, you'll probably be looking for a more advanced bike if you stick with it in a couple of years.
For $300 or less (I bought (3) last year for less than $100 each, but they will need TLC and tires) you should be able to find a Trek bonded aluminum bike, or a newer Trek TIG aluminum bike (there's one on eBay right now for $75 that needs a front fork and front wheel). For $200-$400 you should be able to find a Trek or Specialized Composite bike, or a full carbon bike for $500 (there have been (3) Trek Composite bikes for less than $200, and (3) more for less than $350) on the local CraigsList recently).