Originally Posted by Dave Mayer

Advice: if you are going to buy a bike, now is the time. Shops are dead, and the owners and staff want to be your friend. In 2 months, during the first dry warm weekend, folks will be lined out the door ready to wait 2 weeks and pay big $ for a 5 minute derailleur tweak.


It is like skiing. During the weekdays, the hills are covered in fresh powder, the staff are friendly and no lineups. During weekends, the surly staff call-in sick, a traffic nightmare to get to the hill, and prices and lineups go up for everything.


$14k for a road bike? No. I just bought a new 11-speed Dura-Ace Di2 kit for $1,500. UCI-level carbon frame/fork/bars direct from Asia will cost about $1k. Campagnolo Shamal wheels less than $1k. The rest: scavenged from my overflowing horde. All in, a sub-16 pound bike for well under $5k. Rim brakes of course, as discs are heavy, fussy and unnecessary. Spec'ing the gear yourself can also avoid the major PITA of fully integrated brake and shifter housings.


If you need service, then buy retail. If you don't, buying second-hand, or building yourself cuts out several layers of middlemen and the expensive retail infrastructure. Plus the big-3 brands big costs for marketing, promotions, racer sponsorships, lawyers, and pharmaceuticals.