AlanKHG

I have some nice 70s road bikes and a touring bike, but I figure a modern road bike would be good to have, especially because my everyday commute is 20 miles round trip with 2000 feet of climbing. Since my riding is so climby I like the sound of Apex, which seems as well-reviewed as the rest of SRAM's road stuff. I don't care that much about weight, especially since the touring bike I'm currently commuting on weighs 30+ pounds and still feels good.

This BD special barely costs more than an Apex group:
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...per_strada.htm

And a basic Kinesis aluminum frame with a generic geometry can't go that wrong, can it? Sounds like the wheels may be junk but the bike costs as much as an Apex group plus the Ritchey components.

I already do all my wrenching on my own bikes so putting together another wouldn't be trouble. And if I get tired of the frame I can just find a decent frame on eBay or get a Habanero or something and sell the frame for, like, $100.

So do y'all internet buddies think this would be a good purchase? Or do you think it'd be a better idea to wait until "wintertime" here in San Diego & find something that's a good deal out-of-season at a bike store? I guess I'm looking either for outside enablement of my purchase, or a good reason to look elsewhere. In all honestly, mostly enablement, since I'm not used to having enough money to afford new road bikes, but my mind isn't closed to being dissuaded.

canam73

You sound to me like the perfect candidate for this bike. You can wrench, and you are aware and realistic about the quality of the wheels. I say do it.