Need decent (cheap) entry level road bike recommendations plz.
 

Hey everyone, I have a few questions about helping a non-cycling co-worker find a bike. He basically told me he wants to try riding, but doesnt want to spend a lot because he's not sure if he'll take to it. He also said he's not worried if it's an older one, but definitely wants a road bike. And he's not gonna care about 10 speed cassettes and brifters, just wants something rideable and fairly well made.

Personally I ride older cro-mo bikes and don't know a thing about modern bike models, besides a few high-end ones I wouldnt complain about riding. ;) So normally I'd recommend my friend find a vintage road bike on CL, but right now there just isnt much in my area. This makes me think he might be better off buying something new, which would make finding his size much easier, as well. Obviously I'm not gonna send him to Walmart or something similar, but what are his options?

I've heard people mention Bikes Direct on here as a good place to buy a starter bike. Or maybe a LBS? Although I dont know his price range yet, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be around $200-400. Not a lot I know, but I thought I'd ask here anyway. If decent is impossible at that price range I'll go back to thinking in terms of older used ones on CL.

Anyway all suggestions appreciated. :)

Never i have buy bike from bikes direct but i see online have good bikes and not cost so much. One review i see on youtube for wellington winsdor from bikes direct is say is very good bike. LBS too. Now pawn shops maybe have good bikes or thrift stores but that bikes is go need some work. Better new bike for your co-worker.

BD, they pay to advertise here .. Its a shipping warehouse of an Asian contract bike,

without a Local dealer to help you after the sale ..

though you can bring the Box to a Bike Shop and they can make it all work properly for you for a small cost.
[then they may do followups of their work]



If You dont have enough mechanical problem solving skills already.

I'm friendly with my LBS and they reciprocate.

Flat bar road bike, similar to a fitness bike like the trek fx. not my favorite but something you can ride on the road at that price.

Because you like and you know for steel road bikes look at the bikes direct. The motobecane mirage is steel frame have 8 speeds cassette and downtube shifters.

Don't bother with online sales especially BD. Send them down to their LBS and have them test ride some different bikes and see what they like. Steer them away from walking in saying "cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap" and have them test ride a bunch of bikes in different price ranges to get a feel for different bars and different frame materials (assuming your LBS has steel and aluminum and maybe some crabons). I want my customers to know what they are getting and what they might not be getting with different bikes. See why that bike is "x" dollars and that bike is "x" dollars more expensive so they can make a more informed decision and not just go simply by "cheap cheap..."

Giant Escape 3 $360 + tax at any giaant dealer

Thanks for the suggestions so far, everyone. Some of these seem like a good possibility. I would prefer my friend buy from a shop because of course the assembly is done correctly, and you have follow up care. I'll be chatting with him tomorrow and will make some suggestions.

I bought a used bike from a small shop to get a road bike. There are a few shops in my area that do used bike and offer a small warranty on them. 30 days generally. The one I got gave 6 months for fixes and adjustments.

Felt like a deal to me and I found a pretty decent bike for cheap. And they made some swaps for me (lower gears, seat swap). Look for shops that rehab too. I wanted an old school steel bike.

@exmechanic89,
Because they are my friends, I find them something in their price range and in their size. I very often recommend BikesDirect because they can hit a price point. Why don't you do the sizing (using fit calculator and on-line sizing charts), and provide assembly and support. That's what I do for my friends and neighbors. I wind up building and supporting two or three BD bikes per year. It's no trouble and everyone is satisfied.

I have a co-worker right now looking at BD. He has an $800 budget, wants a first road bike, and is having his wife help with the fit calculator measurements. I'll do the setup and support...

I live in Olympia, WA and have a very nice Trek 7500 FX that I would make him a deal on. It is a little older but in great shape. 2004 Trek 7500 FX - New and Used Bike Value. I'll take $150 for it with the University pedals. You can clip in or use as standard pedals... PM me if interested.

Now is the time of year when there are a lot of annual police auctions.
Call the cops!

might suggest he do some test rides

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/5495918241.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/5472848935.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bik/5495917290.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/5495915793.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/5502245116.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/bik/5507824086.html

https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/5468905381.html

Here in Oklahoma there is a facebook page for buying and selling bikes and equipment (Oklahoma Cycling Garage Sale). It's an invite only page, so the members are all cyclists to some extent. Some pretty good items show up regularly at decent prices. You might ask around to see if there is a similar venue in your area.

Just a quick update to my thread. It turns out my friend/co-worker is being a lent a (I think) mid level modern road bike from another co-worker to try for a couple of weeks. This will give him some idea of riding since he's completely new to biking. I also mentioned he could stop by a local shop and the mechanics would fit him and let him try a few out. Oh and I mentioned to make sure he learns his size, as this is very important. So I'll keep in touch with him and and hopefully he soon has an idea of what he wants to look for, and if he decides on used I'll probably help him find something on CL.

This friend of mine is pretty athletic, and also pretty intelligent, so I'm pretty sure he's gonna take up riding once he tries it. He's definitely not one of those people that goes out and buys a bike, a ton of accessories and clothing, and then loses interest in a month. So I'm confident we'll get him into cycling as a major part of his workouts. Thanks for everyone's contributions. :)