okay since im pretty much new to road cycling, im just getting a pretty (okay very) crappy bike to start out with, and work my way up as I get more exp, and money etc..So here is the bike im going to start out with, let me know if there is anything (besides a whole new bike) that I should start getting for this bike, and then I can later use these same parts an a better bike in the future...

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/01/67/51...06_500X500.jpg
Kent GMC Denali Road Bike - runs around $150
• 57 cm Aluminum frame is strong, responsive and light
• Features Shimano 21-speed drive train
• Revo Twist Shifters for easier gear control
• High-profile alloy racing rims for added strength and aerodynamics
• Alloy braking system and 700c high-pressure tires

Very lame description i know.. but anyway..
From my understanding I should get a whole Tiagra (or Ultegra based on how much i wanna spend) components on this, what else should I get and put on here?

thanks again guys!

Consider a used bike. You will experience component failures early with this bike, and many will say that it's not worthy of Tiagra level upgrades.

BTW, that's a damned fine Air Force Museum down there in Tucson. Isn't there another one in the Phoenix area? I'm a plane junkie :)

Bad Airman!

Get a decent entry level bike. If you have to wait for 2 paychecks, wait. If you have to buy used, buy used. If you have to finance, there's a Performance in Scottsdale, they offer "90 days same as cash" and they carry Giant and Fuji bikes. Then if you want to put better components on the bike, you certainly can, but you'll have a decent frame to start with and components that will certainly serve you well. If you buy cheap, you may end up not being able to ride it in 3 weeks and then where will you be?

Another option for financing...check with the base credit union. When I was an airman (like 15 years ago) I got a 6-month signature loan for $500 to buy a used boat. I'm pretty sure you could get enough to buy a decent entry level bike this many years later, without any trouble.

Okay.. i just thought it would be alright as a 1st bike, since it DID have Shimano parts (as miniscule as they are) and I figure around October im going to fork out about $700 for a nice bike (or build my own if I can figure out what parts are better than what..)

and yes, the museum in tucson is awesome, not sure about up here in phoenix, i havent been around here much, only been here about a month. I know there is a base up here in Surprise.. *shrug*

thats just it, im not acutally an airman YET.. I leave july 19 for BMT.. so im more of a DEP Trainee right now :D so financing is out of the question. I dont really want to drop a huge chunk of money on a bike i wont be able to ride for 6 months (BMT+Tech) So thats why i was thinking just some cheapo for right now..

I'd advise that you wait until after graduation. I mean you are going to have less than a month to ride if you get a bike today, then be gone to basic and tech school. Then turn around and buy a better bike? I'd advise patience, or if you really want to ride right now, go hit a Goodwill store or something. Even at $150, you're going to feel invested in a bike, but at $25, you won't be, and you can still ride. If you can set aside even 1/4 of your pay during basic and tech school (I had a new car when I went in, so it was kind of tough for me) then you can walk into a shop at your first base and pay cash for a nice bike. Buy a lock too, unless you are in one of the new quad barracks that you could bring your bike indoors. Most base barracks have racks, but bikes do get stolen.

oh...and good luck in basic...it's gonna be hot. We spent 6 years in San Antonio, and summers are brutal. Not as brutal as August in Saudi Arabia, but still hot.

thanks for the advice, yeah well the bikes from the goodwills around here are all taken, because im like 2 miles from ASU.. but I was thinking of just getting a "road bike" from wally world, but much cheaper than this, i saw one for like $50.. nothing special, the gears prolly slip like crazy.. i think its one of those next gen pieces of crap, but it will get me around for a bit.. even found a nice mtb for $80 at toys r us..

thanks, yeah ill be at Lackland AFB in san antonio, then over to Witicha Falls... but imused to the heat, born and raised in Az..

For a couple hundred bucks - used is the only option that makes sense, and its a good option. Shop around, sometimes you can get a bike that sold for 7 or 800 bucks a couple years ago for that. If you go the used route be careful around fit, get a LBS to show you what size frame you need for starters. Otherwise I agree, save and wait...the fitting that a decent LBS provides with purchase is very valuable when you're starting out.

what do you mean by "fitting"? like finding a frame for my body size?

You know, if it's a difference between riding or not riding for a month get the WM bike at $89 or whatever and just goodwill it when you leave for BT.
The seat will hurt like hell, the shifting will be *****e, it may even make your knees hurt after a 25 minute ride. But it will certainly give you the painful perspective that will guide you to purchase a higher quality bike when you get done with BT.

Just find a way to ride for the next 30 days, that's the important thing :)

I agree, and I may just give the bike to my g/f's brother.. *shrug* Im going to buy a nice expensive squisy gel seat pad anyway (and then just save it for my later bikes) but yeah it wont be complete agony for only a month..

i WILL return after BMT and start reading up more and preparing for my new bike Until then i am going to just read up, and educate myself prior to purchasing a bike/parts.. I wish there were a chart that said "this is the best rear-de, this is the best tires, this is the best drop bars".. etc.. that way I can just figure out what it is that I need.. so far all i know is one of the best components are Dura Ace.. *shrug*

Sorry it has to be so difficult, but a squishy gel pad isn't going to help much. The padding tends to ride up into areas of your anatomy that aren't completely compatible with having gel padding wadded around them.
It may help on an $89 bike, but you should include it when you gift the bike to whoever.

Good Luck. I hope you land a gig rebuilding A-10 Turbofans. What is it you want to do in the AF? :D

Close, F15/16 Tactical Crew Chief - Aerospace Maintenance.. eventually work my way up for Pilot.. but only time can tell. Im sick, i think ill be the only guy there that actually ENJOYS BMT.. haha

were you in/still in the service?

Never in the service. Just love planes that go vroom

thats one advantage of being a member of the AF, i can get all the specs and the D-low on planes that have yet to be released to the public (as long as my overheads dont know :D ) If i ever get something I can let ya know, maybe send ya some stuff.. do you have AIM?

AF_Roadie,

A suggestion is to borrow an el-cheapo bike from a buddy.. or even pay a visit to the Salvation Army store to see what's in...
For that "beater" bike, try and find something AS CHEAP as possible... the more money you save here, the more you can spend on your new roadie...
Sadly, bikes are quite expensive... but some important things are yes, the saddle...
So find one that's real squishy/gelly to give you that comfort and plant it on the beater... it'll make a world of difference [i've tried...]
Pay a visit to the under-700 thread to get some ideas for what bike you would like next...
Link
Good luck with your purchase

-Peter

Crew chiefs learn a little about a lot and a lot about nothing...while you're trying to go Bootstrap or something, make sure you get your A&P license. Take the classes, take the test, get the license. Then you can walk out with something marketable. Crew chiefs leaving the AF are a dime a dozen, but those with A&P's aren't.

Crew chiefs that don't take their security clearance seriously go to jail in Kansas.

That's probably the wisest advice handed out on this board all week.

What is A&P?

Airframe and Powerplant. In the AF, crew chiefs basically learn how to identify problems, and who to call to fix them. There's sheet metal specialists to do sheetmetal work, jet mechs to fix engines, avionics guys to do avionics, NDI to do detail inspections for cracks and whatnot, fuels specialists to work on fuel systems, corrosion control to paint them, and weapons guys (like I was) to work on the weapon systems. Then there are crew chiefs that make sure all of that work is coordinated and done when it's supposed to be. Unfortunately AF aircraft maintenance is highly specialized, although some of the guys are getting a little more diverse training than they used to. For instance, sheetmetal, welding, and machine shops used to all be in the same building but all seperate career fields. They are now more integrated.

I digress....An A&P license will be a huge boost in helping an AF crew chief get a job working on commercial aircraft on the outside.

Thanks for the explanation.

I may do engines as well, i still havent decided

I think maybe you are overestimating how much control you have over what you will be doing. Do you have a guaranteed job in your DEP paperwork? If so, that's your job. You'll get some basic education for it in tech school, then when you get to your first base you'll get a lot of OJT. You don't get to say "I'm going to work on engines too," although there are some opportunities to cross train. But that means moving from one job to another, not taking on something else as well as what you are doing. You will likely have lots of chances to do rudimentary work in some other areas, for instance I had classes in BDR (battle damage repair) so that I could patch holes in an aircraft skin using a drill, rivet gun, and a coffee can, but that didn't mean I did sheetmetal work. I was trained in hot pits, so that I could (and often did, especially in war time) take any position in refuling jets "hot", or with engines running, for fast turnaround. I was also a bomb dump augmentee, meaning that I could do basic missle assembly since we were strictly and air-to-air wing. With the exception on hot pits, I never actually did any of those other things, they were strictly war time emergency training so I could fill in if someone got killed. Since I was back shop (in my career field there were back shop guys that worked on the systems, and flightline guys that hung missles) we didn't tend to be doing inspections while we were fighting, so hotpits was where I spent my 12 hours a day in war time. They kept one of us at each pit to safe all the weapons systems before they started fueling, although I was trained and occasionally performed in the other positions as well.

I've dragged this way off topic, and you may not want to hear it, but if you want to hear some of what the recruiter isn't telling you, click my user name and drop me an e-mail. I've been out for a number of years, but I'm still very familiar, with friends still serving, and my wife being a MSgt. with over 18 years in. Be glad to share, and it's not all negative, but it sounds like maybe you aren't getting a very realistic picture of what you are going into.

Also stop by Domenics Cycling on Mill and 10th

They carry a wide range of bikes and are friendly so they can give you some guideance.

http://www.domenicscycling.com/index.htm

Al

first of all im not stupid, I already have in writing documented and signed that my job IS Aerospace Maintenance - Engines and Propulsions.. it wont be a maybe thing.. its guarenteed.. I am aware i have the choice in BMT to either do crew cheif, or to be the grunt that actually WORKS on the planes.. i have yet to decide, but I know how it goes from there.. It doesnt even matter to me, everybody keeps telling me this **** and I dont care what it Is i do, as long as im not doing combat and wind up in the desert, i couldnt give 2 ****s.. I wanted to be a fireman for the af.. but right now it would wind me up in the dirtbox.. so im doing planes, i like planes, i am safer this way, and i dont care if my job is to spit shine the tires on planes, its still PLANES lol