new to roadbikes
 

Hey I am Nick & I'm 16 lol

I've been thinking about getting a road bike, but I wanna start with something in the low-priced catagory to see if i really dif these machines. What would yall suggest in the $200-400 price range?

thanks
Nick

If you want a pretty decent bike for that price, you may have to look for a used bike. New bikes in your price range are usually pretty lousy. I've ridden a lot of bikes, and I never found any new ones in that price range that was worth riding. Craigslist or Ebay would probably have something you'd like.

I know used would be better for the money, but what do you think of this fixie on ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-FIXED-GEAR-S...QQcmdZViewItem

Would that be a safe bike to ride, as far as the quality of components??

thanks
Nick

If you don't have much experience with road bikes, it might be hard for you to judge the quality and condition of a used bike. Look for a bike shop in your community that sells used bikes. Several stores in my neighborhood take in used bikes as trades, re-condition them, tune them up, and stand behind them after the sale. Sometimes a nice older road bike, often with some dings and signs of age, is available for $200 or $300. And, a good $200 bike from 1986 or so can be a better riding bike than some of the "new" $600 or $800 road bikes of 2006.

That looks like a really nice bike, but I wouldn't recommend a fixie to a novice rider. (Excuse me if you are experienced, I'm just making the assumption that you're new at road riding). I especially wouldn't recommend a fixie with no brakes for a new road rider. Try to find a geared bike at first until you've gained a little experience.

That said, I just converted one of my bikes to a fixie and I really like riding it. But it is more difficult than riding a geared bike. With a fixie, it's harder to stop, even with a front brake. And the lack of gears may make it difficult for a new road rider to ride, especially if you live in a hilly area. And the potential for pedal strike makes it a little more dangerous than a geared bike.

I understand everything your saying sprocket, but, I do alot of road riding on multi-speed and single-speed... I've been researching alot about fixies and have been wanting to run one... I have no fear of speed but I wouldn't start going 25+ mph until I got in some practice time stopping the fixie :)

But what I really would like to know about that Windsor bike, is it safe to ride?
I don't want any fork or frame problems sending me into the ground.

thanks for the input.
www.NickReynolds.net