ColinL

Carry on, then, badass!

Right Said Fred

Wrong. $2100 can get you a full Ultegra, 16.5 pound BMC SL01 from Competitive Cyclist or my local LBS. If you are getting 105 for $2500 you're overpaying or don't know how to negotiate.

pgjackson

Their bike graphics certainly are uninspired. If they offered a custom graphics package, I'd actually consider them next time.

PhotoJoe 

I don't think I've EVER seen a bad review of a Moto Ti bike (from someone who has owned one). Plenty of BD haters, but the Ti seems to be an very good bike at a very good price point.

Beau210

Take a look at the Orbea website on the Carbon bikes of past years they are trying to get rid of. I got a 2010 Orbea Onyx for 2,400 including tax. It has full Ultegra components and I love it.

abstractform20

OP, whatever fits best and feels best.

before deciding, google "peter white bike fit" for a brief and informative how to for sizing.

good luck!

sosojeffcc

couple more weeks left for the cervelo deal. just picked this up for $1600+tax. LBS took care of finding a "friend".

ancker

Two options come to mind quickly.
1) Giant TCR Composite, superb all-carbon framed bike. You can probably find a 2011 for cheap and afford a nicer wheelset and but all the necessary accessories.
2) Motobecane Ti with Rival from bikes direct, full Rival and a Ritchey cockpit/seatpost. Slap on a nicer wheelset and still plenty left over for goodies.

Mike F

Mine too. I also got Hydrox instead of Oreo's in my lunch and Toast'ems instead of Pop-Tarts. No wonder Im a mess...

peterkhoanguyen

Hey Guys,

Thank you so much for the advice. Today, I test rode a 2011 Specialized Roubaix Comp which is on sale right now for $2100. Is this a rip off?

Tomorrow, I am going to test ride two trek bikes: a 2011 madone 5.1 and a 2012 madone 4.5. Anything I should keep in mind?

Thanks guys for all of the help.

bitingduck

I was just looking at bikes in a similar range-- I'd also check out the Giant TCR Composite, and if you can find a Gary Fisher Cronus, check that out, too. They were closing out the Cronus at a local dealer and it was a really nice bike for really cheap. I ended up getting a 1 yo BMC Racemachine with DA from a friend who had too many bikes.

Debusama

Take as many bikes as you can for the longest test ride the dealer will let you take. Without any regard for manufacturer, component levels, or frame material, the one you can afford and enjoy riding most is never a ripoff, unless you are buying the bike to impress someone else.

revchuck 

Peter - It sounds like this is your first try getting a bike. The price point you've picked is really the sweet spot - good frames and good components.

The folks here recommending getting a bike online are doing so with the best of intentions. If you know what you're doing, there are some awesome deals out there. However (comma, pause for effect) if you don't know what you're doing, you can end up wasting a bunch of money and getting turned off to cycling.

If this is indeed your first time, get your bike at a local bike shop (LBS). Ask around among local cyclists which shops are comfortable with first timers (not all are) and which have good customer service. Those are the shops on which to focus your search. Decide what kind of riding you want to do - are you thinking about racing, or just long rides with friends? Are you fairly fit and limber, or otherwise? There are two types of road bikes, one oriented more toward racing and the other more toward "endurance" riding. Note that they're not exclusively made for one activity or the other - racers often take their race bikes on long rides, and endurance bikes are fast and often raced when their geometry and construction favor the course. The Specialized Roubaix you rode - an excellent bike - is an endurance bike that has been raced at the highest levels. Most brands have a version of each type; for Specialized, their race bike is the Tarmac.

When you buy your bike at an LBS, you get stuff that you don't get when you buy online. The shop will ensure you get the right size bike, set it up correctly, fit you to the bike, and usually have at least one tune up (often more) as part of the purchase price. An experienced cyclist knows how to do this stuff, but if it's your first time, this is worth more than the potential savings from buying a bike online.

ThinLine

Wilier!!

Biscayne05

I'm trying to overhaul a BMC SL02 w/ SRAM components and a custom wheelset for under $2200 (that's assuming I get to sell everything on my sig).

SL02 was $1500 to begin with.

bikejrff

+1

mihlbach

I disagree. You are just as likely to wast a bunch of money at the LBS, if not more likely, then you will on the internet. The reason I am a nearly a 100% internet shopper is because of bad fit advice and piss poor overpriced service from numerous LBSs. Not to mention the scarcity of stocked items, and utterly biased advice about what brands are good vs bad. Not only can you get better prices on the internet, you'll find much better and more impartial advice about fit, quality, and so forth. When you ask a forum about fit, or plug your measurements into a fit calender, you tend to get impartial advice. Generally fit advice at the LBS is more about convincing you that whatever they have in stock will fit. Likewise for advice about comparative quality of different brands or different component levels. If you buy at the LBS, do your research elsewhere. Their motivation is to sell you a bike, not put you on the best bike possible. Trust your LBS like you'd trust a used car salesperson.

Getting good information from the internet takes more effort than walking into your LBS and listening to some LBS sales pitch, but if you want quality input, the internet is collectively far far far more informed than your average LBS employee.

peterkhoanguyen

Hey Chuck, thanks for the awesome advice!!

peterkhoanguyen

Thanks guys for all of the advice thus far. I will be going with an LBS on this one since I don't know my fit very well and I don't know how to assemble bikes just yet. Perhaps a future purchase can be done on the internet but not this one. Does anyone have opinions on the Madone 4's and 5's? It doesn't seem like anyone cares for Trek but I'd like to know why. Thanks guys.

twodownzero

I built my most recent full carbon/Ultregra bike for around $1500.

My girlfriend rides a Giant, all carbon, 105; she paid $1500.

You don't need $2500 to get into a carbon bike.

peterkhoanguyen

That is an amazing deal. Carbon Ultegra for $1500! Did you build this up yourself? How did you get that price for you and your girlfriend?

RobertL

Trek owners generally like their Trek bikes very much and there are very many of us, but we're just not as vocal as some.

I have a 2011 Trek Madone 4.5 that has been a great bike and trouble free. I'm hoping to upgrade to a 2012 Madone 5.2 in the next couple months. I think you'd be very pleased with a Trek Madone. Having said that, shop around try as many different bikes as you have time and patience for and buy what's best for YOU.

While you're looking pay attention to the bike dealers, you'll want a good dealer that you get along with and are confident that they are there to help you.

peterkhoanguyen

Thanks Robert. This is great advice. I just got back from 3 hours of riding. I was switching off between my current Trek 2120, a madone 4.5 and a madone 5.1. I had a lot of fun and will continue searching.

peterkhoanguyen

So right now, I have my eye on two different bikes.

A Cervelo RS, Rival Gruppo and Shimano wheels for $1600.
Or a Scott Addict R3 (new but a few years old), Ultegra Gruppo (2009) and Ksyrium Elite Wheels for $1800.

Of these two, which is a better deal?

0100

I say go cervelo with the $1000 off, or a caad10(yeah I know it's not cf) with nice wheels.