I am in the market for a bike , after some research I know for sure not to buy a Vilano or any bike from bikesdirect.com . But I found this bike , only $499 , I did not find a lot of information , what do you guys think ? is going to be my 1st road bike.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_543054_-1



NEW Nashbar AL-1 Road Bike

FRAME: Alloy Road, replaceable hangers and double water bottle mounts
FORK: Standard 1 1/8" steerer, Alloy legs and CroMo steerer
HEADSET: Integrated, drop in
CRANKSET: Prowheel 52/42/30 Triple, Size 48: 170mm, 51-57cm: 172.5mm, 60: 175mm
BOTTOM BRACKET: Square-Taper
SHIFTERS: Shimano ST-3503
LEVERS: Shimano ST-3503
HANDLEBAR: Alloy 31.8 clamp, Sizes: 48: 400W, 51/54/57: 420W, 60: 440W
STEM: Alloy Threadless, Adjustable Height, Sizes: 48cm: 95mm, 51-57cm: 110mm, 60cm: 125mm
FRONT DERAILLEUR: SHIMANO FD-2303
REAR DERAILLEUR: SHIMANO RD-3500, SORA GS
CASSETTE: SHIMANO CS-HG50 9-speed, 12/25 T
BRAKES: Tektro R312
WHEELSET: Rims: Alex A-350, 700c, Hubs: Formula QR
TIRES: KENDA K1081 700x23c, wire bead
PEDALS: Wellgo LU-908 Silver body & cage
SEATPOST: SP-700, Size: 27.2*300
SADDLE: Velo, satin steel rails
CHAIN: KMC 9-speed, 114 links
GRIPS/TAPE: Velo EVA tape
RACK MOUNTS: Yes

IMO, this is a nice bike here, too!!

www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1134357_-1_400309__400309

Test ride this bike at a Performance bike shop. It has a CF fork, too!

As long as you're not racing, an eight speed should do just fine. Some people actually prefer brifters

You have a thing against buying from BD? Nashbar is akin to buying from BD- you can't test ride, need an RMA to return anything (and you pick up the freight bill), you're putting it together yourself...

That aside, I'm not a fan of alloy as material when it comes to being used in forks.

what are you saying don't buy from either nash or BD ?

I've gotten a bike from both BD and Nashbar. No complaints about either one. Just make sure you know what you want, because it's a hassle to put a bicycle through the mail.

which one do you think is the best ?

I really like that bike , do you have any info ? seem much better than the nash or BD

the performance bike has 8 speed brifters and no name brakes. imo, the 9 speed dt and tektro brakes on the nashbar bike make it a better deal. if you want to upgrade the fork you can buy a decent carbon fork for less than $100.

If you're willing to consider BD there's this.

Also this seems to have a decent collection of parts for a $150 more.

The bike is up-spec'd with the Sora shifters from the Trek 1.1 at retail price of $700+, so it seems like a decent bike at a good price, but down-spec from the similarly MSRP (Nashbar claims $999) Trek 1.2... of course you could almost buy two of these for the price of a 1.2, actual price. Seems like a pretty good deal at decent, basic spec.

I like the idea of the 9sp shifters, especially. Depending on what you want to do with it, you could have a low geared monster running a mtn derailleur and cassette.

Any idea how wide a tire you could fit in that bike? Would it matter to you if the widest tire you could fit is a 25c?

IMO the choice between down tube shifters vs. brifters is a major factor, more so than 9 speed vs 8 speed. While some people are just the opposite and would prefer the down tube shifters, I much prefer being able to easily shift from the hoods (and the drops sort of with low end shimano).

STIs (brifters) take some getting used to, but then again so do down tube shifters if you've never used them.

+1

I must admit,

Spare_Wheel makes a good point here


Though, an eight speed works just as well as a nine speed under most cycling conditions. Many people actually prefer brifters, eventhough they are frowned upon by quite a few performance oriented cyclists.

However, you might like this one, instead:
www.rei.com/product/837487/novara-buzz-bike-2013
(Another really nice bike)

Same soup, different temperature!

I lost track , what bike are you talking about ?
thanks

He's talking about your Nashbar AL-1 bike...

If you are not in a hurry you can probably get that Nashbar bike cheaper with a coupon or at least have your shipping free or whatever.

I've bought bikes from both BD and Nashbar and I was happy with the quality from both. Honestly IU think the bikes I got from Nashbar were a heck of a deal, but I got them on sale with stacked sale price and coupons plus one was on super clearance. Actually the BD bikes I have gotten were pretty good deals too becasue they were not regular price offerings either. If you know how to do some basic continence and don't expect amazing bikes for the price you will be plenty happy with what you get in that price range from any of these online retailers. In the past I know Performance shipping has been very high so check that out when you consider the price of the bikes. They have coupons codes as well.

I have a lot of love for 2 of the 3 bikes I bought from BD (Fantom CX and a Fantom Cross Uno). The third was an oddball on a sweetheart deal and that bike has become a parts donor. So please, if you have the mechanical aptitude to put it together yourself (or the guts to have a shop do it), do not hesitate to order from BD or Nashbar.

If you can get over your qualms about BD, if you want the most bike for your buck, they have a sister site bikeisland.com. They sell parts through that site as well as a "scratch and dent" bike section. Selection/size/year/color are limited as well but if you find something that works, it's usually a $600-$700 BD bike for $500. If you look at the description for the bikes, it's mostly described as scuffs or scratches; most of them are not dents. I have bought 2 bikes through bikeisland and I would describe the scratches/scruffs as something I would expect after owning the bike a couple months. Sometimes I'm not even sure I see all of the scuffs/scratches they mention; it could just be a standard entry that they have or this could be their venue to sell last years models without decimating this years models sales.

If this fits you, this would be a lot of bike for $500 https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...ls&ProdID=2218