Like the title says. I'd like to get a road bike, but am having a hard time justifying the expense to my better half, so low pricing is key. She had no problems with the $300 hybrid I picked up, but cannot understand why I've now decided I want to get a real road bike.

Actually, truth be told, economically it makes no sense for me to get a road bike, as the hybrid works fine. I get good exercise by riding it and should just be content with it, but...I've been bitten by the bug. I've got a friend who has six bikes and runs a DIY bike centre at the local U. Previous to taking up this newfound hobby I would shrug my shoulders at his two-wheeled eccentricity, but now I feel envy, and covet the road bikes in the window at the local bike shop. Which all cost too much.

I'm wondering...would they be fairly amenable to coming down in price in the middle of January? Or when? When are they most desparate?

Prices are definitely lowest in the offseason -- winter, in most places. Maybe this is what you have in mind already, but if you look for a used bike, you can get an even better bargain.

Around here, the LBSs start putting the previous years and any older stock on clearance in late August, usually. I got about 25% off by watching those sales. My LBS also has a week-long late-August sale with 20% off everything but bikes. This is great for getting all the little bits you might want, like a pump, CO2 inflators, seat bag, spare tubes, patch kit, shoes & pedals, jersey, shorts, etc.

Of course, I'm in Florida and we don't have an off-season.

My worst nightmere is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "How sensible dad was."

Why not sell the hybrid and use that money to go towards the new road bike? Also, explain how a good road bike can last many many years. It's not like you are going to buy a new one in a year. Okay, you may want to, but you don't NEED to. What are the alternatives? Joining a gym....that's not cheap. How much do you spend on vacations? A decent vacation can easily cost over $1000, and I bet she/he doesn't flinch at that.

Is it that you can't afford it, or that she/he thinks it is overpriced? There is a big difference.

Perhaps you can negotiate a deal where you skimp on other things you enjoy to justify the expense. I delayed getting a new car to get a new bike. Seems silly, since the new car would be $25,000 and the bike cost me $800(my brother works at the bike shop). Also, can you commute using the bike? You could justify the expense by saving on gas. Let's see my gas expenses are at least $60 a week. If I rode instead of drove to work, I would save $2600 in a year. The bike would easily pay for itself in just a few months.

Well, there's no need to worry about bike shop sales now. I've been watching craigslist.org for the last month or so, and just today I found a Giant Kronos GS for $400 which hit me in the solar plexus. I went and bought it. Here it is:



So now I've got a hybrid and a road bike. Whuhoo! I'm going to take it to the bike shop to get a tune up and change or add a few things, and then I'm on the road. I quite like having two bikes, as now I can go for rides with friends if they visit.

The economic aspects you mention do make sense, and it's strange I never thought of them. My wife had indeed urged me to join a gym before I got into cycling, so there you are. I work from home, so I thankfully don't have to deal with petroleum pressure. And I think I can safely say that I don't need to sacrifice all that much for the purchase of a $400 bike, an amount which is easier to swallow than $1,000+. As a relative newcomer to cycling, I myself wasn't very comfortable spending all that much on it, never mind my wife. I'm 40, so buying a top line road bike would have smacked too much of the mid-life crisis poseur. I'll wait a year or two longer to see just exactly how much further I get into it. If it goes past the daily rides for exercise that I do now then I may consider dropping some more serious coin on a bike.

I ride a common size so my buying strategy is to look for shops that have 'leftovers' sitting in the basement. It's good for 15% and up. Also, buying just about anything expensinve in Jan or Feb is a good time to save.

Find a participating Trek dealer now, thru the Tour De France, and you'll find some good prices. I just looked at a mountain bike that was $200 off through the tour.

On a budget? Wife limited your bike budget? BUY USED! You can get any bike you want at 50% or more off new prices by buying used. If you buy a used bike and it doesn't fit or you want something else - SELL USED! You'll get back what you paid for the bike (OR a small loss OR a small profit) and have the same amount to reinvest in yet another bike. The only expenditure is your time. You REALLY want deals? Go to police auctions & yard sales. Selection stinks, but you find jewels at giveaway prices when you score (patience pays).

Wives tend to object less when the financial outlay is zero or nearly so after the initial bike or two. You'll need to learn to work on bikes yourself, but it's a small price to pay. I average a different bike every two or three months. So far, I've had a cruiser, a hybrid, a full-campy racer, a tourer, a fixed-gear, and a recumbent. Total outlay = not much!

Working at a big university, I fequently sell my rescued/reconditioned/refurbished wonders by simply putting up a couple of flyers. When the kiddies arrive for classes in August, they all want a bike...
Likewise in the spring after graduation, when Summer-school and graduate students take up residence.

I've also had good luck using Craigslist, though you have to watch out for Nigerian scams... As if someone from London would want to buy a 150.00 hybrid...

We dont really have an off season here, but I know my local Performance(used to be supergo) usually have sales in the spring and winter.

I got my bike on sale + no sales tax that day, I think it's a good deal.

My local Trek dealer has a 20% discount on all clothing and accessories until the end of the Tour, July 23. I bought a new bike, a Raleigh Cadent, from them just last week, and I am going back for other gear later this week.

What does a gym cost per month? How often can you get to it? How many friends of the opposite sex can you get pally with? All arguments to give your wife if she quibbles about a measly $400 for what looks an excellent bike. Only thing I would get the LBS to do is retrue and tension the wheels. I never trust my own wheels for longer than a year without getting the experts to sort them out- let alone a set of wheels that I have no history of.

Looks a good buy but get ready for the Ultimate bike next year- You will want it by then so get ready with the Reasons to the wife for when that time comes.

A font of wisdom, you are!

It's currently at the LBS getting a tune up, along with some new tape and other things. Target return date is this coming Monday, though I'm hoping maybe they'll have it ready by Saturday. They're the only bike shop in this town of 30,000, so they really get backed up when things get busy.