Originally Posted by sj23
Hello everyone,
My name is Sergio and I am in the Southern California area, the San Gabriel Valley area to be more exact, and I need help in finding a bike shop to fit my budget. I currently own a mountain bike that I bought for about $60 just to see if I could be consistent w/ a cycling program. Since I have succeeded in doing so, I now wish to purchase a road bike. Today I visited Bike-Rite in El Monte and Temple City Bicycle Shop. At Bike-Rite the cheapest bike was $700, and the Temple City Bicycle Shop was closed, but what I could see from the window, prices tags hovered around the $1000+ range. So in closing, I was wondering if anyone can refer me to a shop in the local area that would carry a decent road bike for mainly recreational use in the $200-$300 range. Thank you.
If you are really commited to cycling then spend the money and get a good bike. The components are better and they hold up better. Years ago I "bit the bullet" and bought a decent road bike, a Trek 1000 aluminum. I've ridden that for 13 years with nothing more than routine servicing (cleaning, packing bearings, cleaning and re-lubing the derailuers, etc.) Due to some health issues (numb hands) I just switched to a recumbent. Best ride I ever had. I did have some "sticker shock" though. I'm glad I spent the money, it was worth every penny. Perhaps if you search around and are really mechanically inclined you could locate a decent used bike and refurbish it. Just a thought.
'bent Brian