Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 677
Likes: 175
From: Brighton, Michigan
Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra
My two cents. I bought a Nishiki Maricopa. The Nishiki brand seems to have been bought by Dicks Sporting Goods as their house brand now. Mine was the 2014 model. Its...eh...an OK bike.
But, I have done a little bit of work to it. For 499, you get 3speed FSA crankset, claris 8 speed STI, RD, and FD groupset, Kenda 28tpi tires, and Weinmann rims. Overall, not a bad bike metric centuries and other long rides.
Since buying it, I've swapped out to a nashbar carbon fork, Origin8 XTR compact crankset w/BB, origin8 Pro calipers, Sram 8speed 11-28 cassette, Nashbar FR1 saddle, cheapo carbon seatpost and carbon handlebars with shorter stem and conti GP 4k tires. This dropped the bike weight from 23.5 to 20.5 lbs.
In hindsight, I probably could have purchased a better bike right off the bat. But as a middle aged parent with high school aged daughters and bills, I upgraded only when I could afford it.