decent entry-level road bike under $400?

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

Take a look at:

http://www.bikesdirect.com

and

http://www.ibexbikes.com

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ? said:

Is there a such thing?

Barely.

Quoted message said:

A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and Build
(http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used
steel mtb but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new
roadie. She found a steel Fuji League for $360
http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?

Not really, Fuji's are good bikes. But that is the low low low end of
the new road bike market.

Naysaying: If I was planning on doing a long distance walk, would I buy
the cheapest possible pair of shoes? God knows I'm cheap^H^H^H^H^H^H
frugal, but let's not be stupid. Does it even have eyelets for fenders
or a rack? It looks like it's a fully supported tour, so I suppose she
wouldn't *need* a rack.

Practical: I'd suggest a handlebar bag to carry snacks, sun tan lotion,
and what-not though.

Vote for Used: Really at 5'9" she should have a lot of choice in the
used market (small and tall riders usually have a rougher go of it).

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
The only "intuitive" interface is the nipple. After that, it's all learned.
(Bruce Ediger, [email hidden], in comp.os.linux.misc, on X interfaces.)

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360 http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

The Fuji League is probably about it for new bike store bikes, though
are you sure it is still available? It last appears on the Fuji web site
as a 2005 model, and they wrecked it by going to a) compact frame, b)
aluminum frame, c) threadless headset. It isn't even there for 2006 or 2007.

Other road bike choices for under $400:

"http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/dover.htm"
"http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/lt1000.htm"

If she can go to $500, see
"http://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/galaxy.htm"
which she'll almost certainly be a lot happier with on the sort of ride
she's doing, with the steel frame, quill headset, non-compact frame, and
rack.

I'd classify all of the above as "decent" but a lot depends on how well
they are assembled. I'd definitely pay a shop to assemble and tune one
of these bikes prior to going out across the country.

I think your friend is making a big mistake. For a new road bike, she
really needs to up her budget to $600. A Bianchi Brava often goes on
sale for $600.

There are so many recent vintage used road bikes available on craigslist
for 50-60% of the new price.

"SMS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It last appears on the Fuji web site as a 2005 model, and they wrecked it
by going to a) compact frame, b) aluminum frame, c) threadless headset. It
isn't even there for 2006 or 2007.

....

Quoted message said:

which she'll almost certainly be a lot happier with on the sort of ride
she's doing, with the steel frame, quill headset, non-compact frame, and
rack.

To the OP (I think I'm safely in SMS's killfile) - it may be worth noting
that although he's not alone in his views, there are many who believe what
he's written above to be nonsense. Including most bike makers...

cheers,
clive

In article <[email hidden]>,

SMS said:

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360 http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

The Fuji League is probably about it for new bike store bikes, though
are you sure it is still available? It last appears on the Fuji web site
as a 2005 model, and they wrecked it by going to a) compact frame, b)
aluminum frame, c) threadless headset. It isn't even there for 2006 or 2007.

Other road bike choices for under $400:

"http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/dover.htm"
"http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/dawes/lt1000.htm"

If she can go to $500, see
"http://bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/galaxy.htm"
which she'll almost certainly be a lot happier with on the sort of ride
she's doing, with the steel frame, quill headset, non-compact frame, and
rack.

Steven, are you engaging in Ferric Realism? Some of us think that
aluminum frames and threadless headsets are mighty fine things, and even
compact frames have their advantages (especially if one is buying a bike
by mail order).

But I'm more interested in the revelation that there's now a Shimano
2200-spec brifter, as seen on the Dawes Lightning 1000 there.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LD2200

Hm! 8-speed, Sora-style shift controls. Adjustable reach like the Sora?

http://tinyurl.com/18r

This Shimano tech doc shows a reach adjusting screw. That's good! I know
a very small rider or two who would be pleased to have access to these.

Quoted message said:

I'd classify all of the above as "decent" but a lot depends on how well
they are assembled. I'd definitely pay a shop to assemble and tune one
of these bikes prior to going out across the country.

I think your friend is making a big mistake. For a new road bike, she
really needs to up her budget to $600. A Bianchi Brava often goes on
sale for $600.

Quoted message said:

There are so many recent vintage used road bikes available on craigslist
for 50-60% of the new price.

I love used bikes. Love love love them. Ride to work most days on a
garage-sale Miyata. But these prices are starting to give me pause.
There's a lot of nice features in those bikes for the price.

The thing is, I can fix the problems I find on a used bike. This friend
probably can't. As you say though, the devil is in the setup.

Mr. Ijit: are you willing to assemble a bike for your enthusiastic
friend?

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:20:17 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

But I'm more interested in the revelation that there's now a Shimano
2200-spec brifter, as seen on the Dawes Lightning 1000 there.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LD2200

Hm! 8-speed, Sora-style shift controls. Adjustable reach like the Sora?

http://tinyurl.com/18r

This Shimano tech doc shows a reach adjusting screw. That's good! I know
a very small rider or two who would be pleased to have access to these.

Cute parts. Too bad it seems that there isn't a cheap 9-speed shifter
like that --- I'd buy it.

--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

In article <[email hidden]>,

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:20:17 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

But I'm more interested in the revelation that there's now a Shimano
2200-spec brifter, as seen on the Dawes Lightning 1000 there.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LD2200

Hm! 8-speed, Sora-style shift controls. Adjustable reach like the Sora?

http://tinyurl.com/18r

This Shimano tech doc shows a reach adjusting screw. That's good! I know
a very small rider or two who would be pleased to have access to these.

Cute parts. Too bad it seems that there isn't a cheap 9-speed shifter
like that --- I'd buy it.

JT: are you admitting to small hands??

Sorry. That was more of an rbr wisecrack, wasn't it?

The 9-speed option appears to be the R600 9-speed shifters, with
reach-adjustment shims. They're about three times the price.

For riders for whom the reach is a key issue and when $300 is...out of
reach, I think devolution to 8-speed is a reasonable step. Nobody really
misses the extra cog, do they? I changed my CX bike from 8 to 9 only so
I could share wheels with my road bike more easily.

These are all interesting shifters (along with the R500 8-speed) because
they put paid to the idea that Shimano abandons its previous customers.

Here they are with a bunch of new components at various grades, all
serving primarily as replacements, upgrades, and problem solvers for the
8- and 9-speed users of the world.

I'm not sure if it's still available, but there was also a 7-speed Sora
available until recently.

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Ryan Cousineau said:

Steven, are you engaging in Ferric Realism? Some of us think that
aluminum frames and threadless headsets are mighty fine things,

Some may think that, but it doesn't make it true.

On Fri, 11 May 2007 03:28:05 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:20:17 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

But I'm more interested in the revelation that there's now a Shimano
2200-spec brifter, as seen on the Dawes Lightning 1000 there.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LD2200

Hm! 8-speed, Sora-style shift controls. Adjustable reach like the Sora?

http://tinyurl.com/18r

This Shimano tech doc shows a reach adjusting screw. That's good! I know
a very small rider or two who would be pleased to have access to these.

Cute parts. Too bad it seems that there isn't a cheap 9-speed shifter
like that --- I'd buy it.

JT: are you admitting to small hands??

Naah, more that I have an old 8-speed bike I'd love to put 9-speed on
but don't want to spend much money.
--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels) and get a Shimano 105 equipped Giant aluminum frame
for around $450.

-M

In article <[email hidden]>,

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Fri, 11 May 2007 03:28:05 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Fri, 11 May 2007 01:20:17 GMT, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>
wrote:

>But I'm more interested in the revelation that there's now a Shimano
>2200-spec brifter, as seen on the Dawes Lightning 1000 there.
>
>http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=LD2200
>
>Hm! 8-speed, Sora-style shift controls. Adjustable reach like the Sora?
>
>http://tinyurl.com/18r
>
>This Shimano tech doc shows a reach adjusting screw. That's good! I know
>a very small rider or two who would be pleased to have access to these.

Cute parts. Too bad it seems that there isn't a cheap 9-speed shifter
like that --- I'd buy it.

JT: are you admitting to small hands??

Naah, more that I have an old 8-speed bike I'd love to put 9-speed on
but don't want to spend much money.

Mirage 9 shifters with cables for $100 last time I checked at Nashbar.
Add old-vintage Campy 9 rear derailer via eBay, and you can shift across
a Shimano 9 cassette with ease. Some even claim that more recent Campy
derailers will do the same thing: Sheldon once mentioned that 9-speed
drivetrains seem to be more intercompatible than the numbers would
suggest.

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=3946

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

Marian said:

On May 11, 4:34 am, "Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ®"

Quoted message said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bikeand
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steelmtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels) and get a Shimano 105 equipped Giant aluminum frame
for around $450.

-M

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie.

The person in question wants a NEW bike. Not a used bike like your
Giant. Or a used bike similar to yours that is readily available in
her area for $450.

email hidden said:

Marian said:

On May 11, 4:34 am, "Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ®"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a roadbike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

Quoted message said:

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels) and get a Shimano 105 equipped Giant aluminum frame
for around $450.

Quoted message said:

-M

Quoted message said:

The person in question wants a NEW bike. Not a used bike like your
Giant. Or a used bike similar to yours that is readily available in
her area for $450

Time to replace your humor appreciation circuitry, Russell.

email hidden said:

Marian said:

On May 11, 4:34 am, "Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ®"

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a roadbike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

Quoted message said:

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels) and get a Shimano 105 equipped Giant aluminum frame
for around $450.

Quoted message said:

-M

Quoted message said:

but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie.

The person in question wants a NEW bike. Not a used bike like your
Giant. Or a used bike similar to yours that is readily available in
her area for $450

Ummm, I was talking about a new bike.

Provided the person in question is willing to eat the cost of a $1100
round trip air ticket and bring me lots of expensive goodies like
pretzels and cheesy poofs I would be so grateful for these difficult
to obtain goodies (add Krispy Kreme and a corn beef sandwich on rye to
the list please) such that a Shimano 105 equipped Giant frame would
run a mere $450 (after the 'olive' and 'English reading materials'
rebates are applied).

-M

Marian said:

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels) and get a Shimano 105 equipped Giant aluminum frame
for around $450.

Are you sure it's not a Giamt bike with 1O5, rather than a Giant with 105?

Marian said:

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

I'm mostly being a pain in the ass with this response, but if she's
also willing to eat the cost of a plane ticket (around $1100 round
trip) she can come visit me in the tropics, bring me books and cheese
and olives and cheesy poofs and pretzels (I'd pay seriously big bucks
for the pretzels)

Someone should open a dairy over there. Cheese is the one thing I
absolutel missed for the couple of western-style meals I had. Had some
milk and butter from New Zealand but zero cheese.

Greg
--
The ticketbastard Tax Tracker:
http://www.ticketmastersucks.org/tracker.html

Dethink to survive - Mclusky

Marian said:

Provided the person in question is willing to eat the cost of a $1100
round trip air ticket and bring me lots of expensive goodies like
pretzels and cheesy poofs I would be so grateful for these difficult
to obtain goodies (add Krispy Kreme and a corn beef sandwich on rye to
the list please)

Sounds like you're looking for America in China!

FWIW, you can't get a good corned beef sandwich in California (at least
Northern California) and have the be content with the Asian food and
save the corned beef cravings for trips to the east coast. I can't get
Cheese Doodles out here either, which I think is what you mean by cheesy
poofs. Krispy Kremes are closing out here, the fad is over.

OTOH, you can probably easily get 牛肉燒餅 and 蔥油餅 where you are,
while most people in the U.S. would have a hard time finding these
delicacies.

Bellsouth Ijit 2.0 - Hayfever Edition ® said:

Is there a such thing? A 5'9" female friend of mine will be doing Bike and
Build (http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/) this summer and wants a road bike.
I suggested maybe she look for a used touring bike or even a used steel mtb
but with slicks, but she's got her heart set on a new roadie. She found a
steel Fuji League for $360http://tinyurl.com/2g6wam. Any other options?
TIA.

Hi there.

There are some nice bikes in or close to that price.

I would recommend you and she go to a good bike shop and tell them
what you plan to do. Some times the shop will have a leftover older
model that you can get cheaper than what it normally retails for. You
might also come across a verey slightly used bike that some one traded
in for the latest thing.

Cheers from Peter

SMS said:

which she'll almost certainly be a lot happier with on the sort of ride
she's doing, with the steel frame, quill headset, non-compact frame, and
rack.

Rack, sure. Not that it's hard to find one for just about any bike.
I wouldn't value that included feature more highly than the price of
an aftermarket rack.

Steel frame, hmm. I suppose it's just a matter of taste. I have
several each of aluminum and steel framed bikes, and I have not
developed a sense of what might make one material better than the
other from a rider's perspective. I have owned and ridden both steel
and aluminum bikes that were very flexible, and I have ridden both
steel and aluminum bikes that were quite stiff. Whether you prefer a
supple frame or an unyielding one, I don't see that it would be
difficult to find one in either material if the age and cost of the
bike are negotiable. It's clear that a new bike for a tight budget is
going to be more readily available with an aluminum frame, and it's
also clear than no cheap new bike of either material will have the
limber feel of an ultra-lightweight model.

Quill stem... I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that. I can
see the merit in a system that allows a novice cross-country rider to
easily meddle with fit issues while on the road, but that's also
feasible with a threadless stem that has a handful of extra spacers in
the stack. I wouldn't quibble about one or the other if I were an
average-sized young lady, but I am not. Personally, I get a lot of
roll-axis wag at the bars when I use a quill stem. I use only steel-
quilled stems, but I still have to run them all the way down to
minimize the annoying flex-- and that pretty well nullifies any
potential advantage of a quill stem, no?

As for the compact frame thing-- what the heck difference does that
make as long as the bike fits? The orientation of the top tube has no
effect on the relative locations of pedals, saddle, bars, contact
patches, and steering axis. How would you even know the difference
when riding?

It is easier to throw a leg over a heavily loaded bike if it has a
sloping top tube. That doesn't look like a major issue in this case,
though.

Chalo