First post, typical newbie question!
 

hey there. I live in nyc, and as anyone who lives here knows, cycling is the best way around the city. Last summer I realized this, and like every poor young man, bought an incredibly overprice, 30 year old POS off craigslist. Well, despite it's shortcomings, the 70s era Varsity got me riding and I have that to thank it for. Near the end of last summer I picked up a converted 80s Sprint singlespeed. I put about 300 miles on it and then the season ended for me(I don't like the cold).

So I took it out again this year and put about 500 miles on it in the past few months. Then I was donated a 35 year old Schwinn Traveler. It's not in the best shape, but the gears work and it gets me the 10 miles to work and back.

However, I'm starting to really enjoy this whole cycling thing, so I'm going to buy a modern road bike. My commute now takes me right past central park 5 days a week, so I'm thinking I will use the bike to get to work and then ride a loop or two around the park on my way home.

All this is essentially useless and not related to my question, but thanks for reading!

My question is, as my first real road bike and my first significant money put into it, I want to get it right.

Obviously, if I've learned anything lurking here is that proper fit is the #1 priority, so no matter what I get, I'll make sure to get fitted and try a bunch of different bikes to make sure I know what a good fit feels like.

My question is, at my price point of $800 or so(less is always better, of course) should I go for a bike from a LBS with most likely Sora components, or try and get one 2-5 years old used with anything from Tiagra to 105 being possible.

Obviously I'm going to see how I feel about the thumbshifts and all that in the first place because that might make my decision easy, but assuming that it isn't an issue, is the support of a LBS for my first purchase something that should factor into my decision money wise?

I'll also need some accessories and clothing as well to go with my bike, I've factored in the cost but does my need affect the decision of used vs LBS?

Welcome to BF :)

If you've been lurking, you already know what I'm going to say but will say anyway.

Go to your LBS. Discuss with them what you want. Test ride a few bikes and narrow it down to a few. Return to BF with a few pointed questions to resolve which bike is best for you. Return to LBS, get bike.

Ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride............

But then what do I know. My road bike is a 24 year old steel bike I got off Craigslist in graduate school. Test rode a bunch of road bikes for$1000 prince range. None equaled what I already had. Am now saving up for a Titanium bike. It's going to be awhile before I have a new road bike :(

$800 will get you a good bike, but for around $1000 you can get the an Allez Elite with 105. It's well worth the $200 to get the better bike if you can scrape together the cash. Heck, thats just two months savings from not needing a metro card ;-)

Shop around... but if you can't find a LBS in the city that will give you a good deal, send me a PM and I can connect you an LBS who will get you a fair chunk off MSRP.

woah, I can get an allez elite for $1k?!? It's listed at shops for $1300 minimum...

How much negotiating is typically possible on 1k-1.3k bikes? I'm not exactly in the financial position to say "only $200 more, oh ok np!" but getting what I want will be worth it. There's a limit of course but I don't foresee me being able to tell the difference between tiagra and 105, much less 105 up.

Thank you so much for the offer, I will keep you in mind if I find the nyc shop scene a lot tougher than I hope for!