a-n-i

hey guys...i'm new to the forum, and i was hoping you guys could give me some advice about a problem i'm facing. firstly, i' m 16 and i live in hong kong. i've been mountain biking for a year or so now, and i've started to get into long distances. after doing a century at a crawl on my mountain bike, i've decided to get a decent road bike.

the problem is in hk there isn't a whole lot of choice with bikes. there are are a couple of really good dealers though; i've done my research, talked to people who know their stuff, and i've narrowed my choice (which wasn't exactly broad to begin with) down to two bikes: a giant OCR 3 (which everyone here seems to hate) and a cannondale built by a really famous dealer here (voted the best in asia or something).

the giant costs about US$720. the cannondale costs $1200, and it has a combination of ultegra and 105 components...i've been told that the bike is actually cheaper than some one the cannondales with cheaper compontents.

i know the bikes are in totally different leagues but i figured that if i could convince my parents to buy me a more expensive bike i would go all the way and get a good one that will last, and if i can't, the giant is the only decent bike in that price range.

is it worth me buying the cannondale? i'm very dedicated to my biking and i'm planning to start competeting in races and triathlons soon, and i want a bike that will last me a while. on the other hand, this is my first road bike.

better end it there the the post is getting too long...


thanks a lot guys
ani