Biking Beginner - What to buy?

mudvayner said:

I live in Australia and am looking to puchase a road bike.

This is not to compete or anything, but to get me around comfotably and fast.

I'm looking to spend probably $500 tops, and thus will probably take a look at a second hand bike.

What im looking for is specs and brand etc to look for.

Thanks for any recommendations/opinions, Much appreciated!

Rohan.

EDIT: what kind of frame am I looking at for this price on a second hand bike?

Hi Muddy,

Up until this morning, I had been looking for exactly the same item as yourself, more or less - A good bike for tops of $500 although I do want it for Triathlon as I have just taken up the sport this season.

I have spent several weeks looking at bikes around this price range and there are certainly some nice bikes, eg I could have had a Giant OCR3 55.5cm for $450, A Felt 2500 52cm for $500 or a custom built Wheeler 54cm for a little more that had never been ridden.

The problem I had was, I do not know enough about the vast differences I found in the sizes and equipment levels of bikes. It also was apparent that it was imperative to get a bike that fitted me well to ensure that the actual riding was not in itself causing me undue stress when it should not be.

So, I have actually bitten the bullet and put a new bike on lay by at a cost of just over $800 (list price $940) but I have had it professionally fitted and I also know it does not have any hidden damage or wear that I was not aware of. It is a new 2008 Apollo Ventoux 46.5cm. Hopefully this will suit me fine for my needs.

So, I suppose my experience has been that it is easy to find a bike that seems suitable but whether you actually end up with what you want/need at the end of the day may be a bit of a lucky dip.

Cheers,

AdamVW[img]cycling.net.ausmile.gifOpen ↗[/img]

AdamVW said:

Hi Muddy,

Up until this morning, I had been looking for exactly the same item as yourself, more or less - A good bike for tops of $500 although I do want it for Triathlon as I have just taken up the sport this season.

I have spent several weeks looking at bikes around this price range and there are certainly some nice bikes, eg I could have had a Giant OCR3 55.5cm for $450, A Felt 2500 52cm for $500 or a custom built Wheeler 54cm for a little more that had never been ridden.

The problem I had was, I do not know enough about the vast differences I found in the sizes and equipment levels of bikes. It also was apparent that it was imperative to get a bike that fitted me well to ensure that the actual riding was not in itself causing me undue stress when it should not be.

So, I have actually bitten the bullet and put a new bike on lay by at a cost of just over $800 (list price $940) but I have had it professionally fitted and I also know it does not have any hidden damage or wear that I was not aware of. It is a new 2008 Apollo Ventoux 46.5cm. Hopefully this will suit me fine for my needs.

So, I suppose my experience has been that it is easy to find a bike that seems suitable but whether you actually end up with what you want/need at the end of the day may be a bit of a lucky dip.

Cheers,

AdamVW[img]cycling.net.ausmile.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Thanks for the advice mate, I'll take it on board.

mudvayner said:

I live in Australia and am looking to puchase a road bike.

This is not to compete or anything, but to get me around comfotably and fast.

I'm looking to spend probably $500 tops, and thus will probably take a look at a second hand bike.

What im looking for is specs and brand etc to look for.

Thanks for any recommendations/opinions, Much appreciated!

Rohan.

EDIT: what kind of frame am I looking at for this price on a second hand bike?

Look on ebay - but do a little bit of research first.

I don't think you will get anything new for that amount of money, so used will probably be good - I would say something like a giant OCR, Apollo, with Shimano Sora or Tiagra, and if your lucky you could find a 105 equipped bike - this would be eight or nine speed. But still, Sora is good, shifts smoothly and will last.

Do some research on sizing, this is important - there are some useful threads on this forum.