$1000-$1500 budget, need advice

hey buddy,

You will def. notice a huge speed increase... if you are averaging about 17 mph on a mountain bike smooth tires or not .. that is impressive. i would expect you to average about 22 on a rode bike... there are seveal factors that play into this speed increase...

A. less mass- a lighter bike is going to be significantly easier to push up a hill, i mean it is simple physics you know less mass means less work, so if you push the same amount as you would with a 30 pound mountain bike on a 20-22 lb road bike you will def go faster

b. smaller tires- a thinner tire means that you will have less friction on the road... less surface area touching concrete means you will have to do less to keep your inertia going, it also means you will have a much lighter wheelset, and the difference between a MTB tire and a road tire is huge, so that is also a speed advantage

c. higher gear ratios- since it is a road tire, the ratio at which your crank and cassette will propell you is going to be significantly more, also adding to your speed.

now for $$1000-1200 you will be able to make out like a bandit, i work at a performance bicycle shop in richmond, and for that kind of dough you can get a super nice, super light weight bike with ultegra components and a sick wheelset... my last suggestion would be... don't worry so much about getting a 2006 or 2007 bike if you look for a 2005 model bike it will be greatly discounted and you will get way more for your money, and there will not be a difference in quality, the only real difference i could think of... it may be a nine speed, and shimano is phasing out 9 speed in favor of ten speed,, but the difference is not that significant, and truth be told i prefer a 9 speed to a ten speed simply because it is a thicker chain and it gives you less problems..

hope that helps man, and good luck, i think you will really enjoy a road bike if you get one, they are a blast and it is excellent cardio vascular exercise, even more so than a mountain bike as mountain bikes are more often than not an anaerobic exercise.

well like i said, hope that helps

Phil

For the money, you should look at the Cannondale Synapse, R700 and R800. The Synapse is a touring bike and will have a different ride then a race oriented bike like the R800. A Synapse should run you $1049.00 in certain component groups. The R700 is about the same. For a little over $1500, ($1550 perhaps) the R800 has the newly designed 10 speed Shimano 105 crank, 105 shifters and an Ultegra rear deraileur. It also uses the a pretty good mid-level wheelset (WH-R550). Only because you had been looking at Cannondale's. They the best job with quality aluminum.

Trek also makes a great road bike, and the 1500 or 2100 would be great for you as well. Stay away from the 1200, the Tiagra shifters can be trouble makers, I hear people complain about them at the shop all the time. The 105's are a huge difference.

When I buy a bike, I like to get the newest and the best, so the latest model year is all that I look at. You pay a bit more than you might otherwise, but if a bike is a few model years old when you buy it, it seams less fun to ride. If it's not a problem for you, then some great deals can be had.