Originally Posted by KDB
Where to begin...
Is it good and how much is it worth are somewhat relative terms. A lot depends on what you plan to use the bike for and what kind of budget you have to spend. Old is not always better than new, but new is not always better than old; much depends on the details.
A lot of guys on the road bike forum feel that anything under $1500 is a waste of money and then there are the guys who think anything under $2500 is a waste of money, except for those guys who can't imagine why anyone would spend less than $3000...There are well made and very serviceable "entry level" road bikes in the $400-800 range, but you won't be winning many races with them...so what is your budget and what is the plan for the bike?
A few personal opinions (that means that once I give them many others will jump in and disagree): Older schwinns are great bikes, but heavy compared to modern bikes. If you want a bike that will last and last, an older schwinn is great. The $100 for the LeTour is too much, keep your eyes open in and around the Detroit area and you'll probably find one for a few bucks, but in the meantime you'll be walking. Older Peugeots are good as well, but you can get into French sized parts, Raleigh, Ross, and many others can be excellent as well, depends on the condition (I found an excellent Bridgestone touring bike for $3.00 a few weeks ago; same bike on ebay is selling for $400 give or take)...pretty much any of these bikes will be build better, ride better, and will last longer than anything you'll buy at wmart, target, etc.
Have you been to your local bike shop (or even a few of them) and discussed your needs and your budget? Some have used bikes for sale, some can steer you to a great bike in your price range...
hope some or all of this helps.
KDB
great post... thanks
this will answer most of your questions...
it's a post i did last night after hours or reading about the Denali long term review by cig tech.
(copy and pasted post.... written last night by me)
wow.....30 pages,
726 post, most of which have been very, entertaining.
To the posters who kept busting cigs balls, about no one finding this thread usefull... you people couldn't be more wrong.
I am a newbie who just found this forum.... I came to BF looking for information on how to pick the right bike for myself.
I have been wanting an inexpensive road bike to purchase....
but to my surprise( not being a cyclist yet), all of the local sporting good stores carried nothing but mtb's...
clerk told me that everyone buys mtb nowadays.... that if i wanted to get into a road bike I had to go to a LBS....
So I did... I was in the mist of experienceing the sticker shock($700 and up ) for road bikes, when the dealer told me that he could give me one of last yr model on clearence for around $425... better, but still much higher than what I "wanted" to spend.
Now some of you hardcore guys may think me just cheep, but you would be mistaken....
You see, I am trying to avoid repeating the past mistake of making a substantial purchase, only to see it sitting around un used, or having to sell it at a loss, because I find that I really just don't enjoy said activity as much as I thought I would.
A few years back I went out and purchased a 2003 Haro Mira 540 from a LBS which I intended to use for flatland tricking.... bike cost me $389.
I have ridden it a hand full of times , but mostly it hangs in my garage, or my kid uses it (but she perfers her cheep mtb over the Haro).
So anyway... Im looking for an affordable road bike, because i believe that if I get an enexpensive bike, if I find that I dont care for road cycling, no big loss.
Im at walmart with the wife the other day, when what do I see...
a brand new road racing bike, right at my price point(sub $200), and it even looks cool and high tech , to my novice eye.
Still $150 bucks is a lot of doe to blow on something that turns out to be a pos, so rather than buy right away I decieded to research the Denali... to see if i could find some good reviews, weather positive or (more helpful) negitive.
I end up here at BF reading this thread for hours on end.....
So to the people that asked who will read this and decied to buy this bike....
I will... a 36 yr old skilled tradesman( industrial electrician) from Det MI.
Why will I you ask?... because it fits my needs/level of experience/& expectations perfectally.
1. I want to ride right now... I can go to ww at 7:00am this morning and be riding my bike in an hour.(that's including the time needed for a basic saftey inspection, and a simple adjustment of the brakes).
2.I am a newb, so I dont have enough knowledge about road bikes(yet) to make a well informed decision on used equipment, not to mention the time and effort that it would take to find good stuff....
If I like cycling enough, I will take my time and find nice used/older equipment , while still being able to enjoy/train all summer on the Danali....
after a few months of researsh here, and a few months of riding/maintaing my cheep bike, I should have enough knowledge to know exactally what i want, how much I should pay for it... and I will have a great network of people in the community to help me with any problems that arise....
I hope that I have presented a sound opinion of a person for whom this thread has been very benifical...
Thank you CIG Tech.
( I have been doing this all night, but at least my walmart opens in 4 hours, so that i can go and get my bike.)