jmraspa

I'm new to riding geared bikes (riding fixed ever since a friend got me started), and I really don't know anything about the quality/price/weight stuff involved in geared road bikes. This same friend wants to start going on long rides (45-100 milesyikes!), and I want to join him. I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but his suggestion kind of crystallized my thinking and really got me dedicated to starting this project. He's already got a frame built up and ready to go, but I was looking for advice on what type of group to buy.

In the interest of saving (some) money, I don't necessarily need to buy brand new, cutting edge parts. I could go for older, maybe 90's parts. I was thinking of 8 or 9 speeds, with a double setup. I could probably upgrade to a triple if I really deemed it necessary, but I don't think I will. The wheels I'll probably build myself, so I'm not looking to buy a wheelset. And things like brakes, chain, seatpost, and handlebars don't necessarily have to belong to the group. Just shifters/brakes, derailleurs, cranks, and cassette/freewheel.

Any help is majorly appreciated, and thanks for reading this huge novel of a post!

Carus47

How much do you ride already and what kind of riding do you do? How much does your friend ride and what does he have?
Anyway, you might want to buy an entry level road bike right now... like a Giant OCR 3, Trek 1000/ 1500, Raleigh Grand Sport, or a Jamis Ventura Comp (these are all between $600-$800 brand new depeding on where you buy it). Of course you can always buy a model from last year, that can save you a lot of money too. In the end however, you are goign to have to go to your LBS to try some bikes to see which one feels right so you might want to ask them this same question.
As far as a parts you might want to go with Shimano 105's or if you are on a tighter budget, Tiagra/ Sora.
Hope this is of some help
P.S. if someone tries to sell you a bike neamed after a GMC truck (Denali), dont buy it.

jmraspa

Don't worry, no associations with American automakers here. Not until they clean themselves up.

Well, right now I do mostly commuting through a city. 15-20 miles a day, up and downhill. The thing keeping me from buying an entirely new bike is the fact that I already have a frame. My preference is steel frames, so the lightness of the group is important to me, because I am so used to the weight of a fixed steel bike. I've tried riding his a few times, and while light, it feels far too flexible; I feel like I'm going to whip the bike around with every pedal stroke. I have also ridden a few other steel bikes belonging to friends, but steel frame+heavy components=dead weight. I feel kind of silly being so concerned with the weight of my components, but it's definitely uncomfortable on these heavier bikes. Is something like Ultegra or Chorus from a few years ago out of the question? My budget isn't huge ($300-$400), and I'm willing to cobble parts together from eBay and craigslist. I really don't care what the brand is as long as it's lighter, and fairly good quality. I feel like this longer distance cycling will become a more regular thing for me now.

cs1

What brand of steel frame do you have? What brand of bike does your friend have? Knowing what brands you like and dislike will help determine what you should look for in a frame and components.


Tim

jmraspa

It's a Schwinn Traveler, from the 80's. Nowhere near as heavy as the 70's frames that my fixies are built around. His was a Scattante; I'm not sure of the model. He said it cost about $500. Between Shimano and Campagnolo components, I really don't have a preference.