First Road Bike

trickpony said:

Hi! I'm a college student and I currently ride around town quite a bit on my junker bike (and it really is pretty [censored]... I picked it up for like $100)

Anyway, I'm riding about 15 miles a day, which isn't tons but my bike is starting to fail. I'm considering doing Ride the Rockies in June (a ride through Colorado, generally runs about 65 miles/day) so I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a decent road bike.

Any suggestions? I feel overwhelmed about what is important for a beginner rider such as myself and what is just technical stuff. I ride a decent amount, but technique/training wise I would consider myself a beginner.

Is buying used a no-no? It seems like bikes aren't really something that hold their value well, but I'm not sure on that front either.

Any suggestions on where to get started, brands to stay away from, etc? Thanks for your opinions. 🙂

I too am about to buy my first road bike, and I've been looking at the Trek 1000. I started a thread on this board asking others here what they thought, and I've heard good things and most recommended that one. The folks on here are the experts though, and I'm sure they'll be more than willing to offer you some good advice just like they did for me. They know their stuff.

If your budget is tight, then definitely get a second hand. As you said, bikes don't hold value. You just need to be patient and willing to compromise on model and make and features when they do come up, and then you'll need to beat others who are also fishing.

If you don't have a budget issue, then buy what you need and like. It's an open market out there!

The other issue is whether you are good with your hands and is happy to build and repair something. That can open your options quite a bit.

Used is the way to go. First you need to figure out what to buy to fit you. Go to a bike shop and tell them you're thinking about a new bike and what size do you need? Test ride any bikes they offer.

Also do research on the relative costs of component groups. E.g. learn that Shimano Sora is cheap and Shimano Dura-Ace is real expensive.

That way you'll know something about what the used bikes' values are.

While you will certainly get more for the money with a used bike, do not compromise on fit. Above everything else, getting the right fit is most important.

As DMF mentioned, Sora is cheap and Dura Ace is expensive, but between those extremes are Tiagra, 105, and Ultegra. Up to the 105 level, it is worth spending the extra money for improved performance and longevity. Above the 105 level, you are paying a lot more for small weight savings, the bling factor, and very small incremental improvements in performance and longevity. The advantages get smaller and smaller for more and more money. IMO, it is not worth going above the 105 level unless you are a serious racer or ride more than 300 miles per week. Even for the high-mileage rider, I would probably buy a bike with 105 components and upgrade the components when the originals wear out.

Hey guys... thanks for the advice!!!

I ended up going to a big bike swap with my uncle who's pretty hard-core into cycling. He's a mountain biker, but his friends are all about road bikes and helped me pick out a decent bike (I think).

So... I bought a used Specialized Allez Triple for $400, don't think it was too bad of a deal. It has all Ultegra components, and cosmetically is perfect - I don't think the woman who owned it used it much.

After a quick trip to the bike store to buy a shorter stem, I'm ready!!! Thanks for your help, buying used was definetly the way to go as I don't have the $$$ this bike would've cost brand new. I rode 25 miles yesterday - and aside from my ass hurting like hell (hello bike shorts?) it felt really good and pretty fast - came with a little speedometer thing and I pushed it up to 25 mph w/o a problem, which was pretty cool (and by that I mean cold... it was below freezing..)

Anyway, thanks again... hopefully I'll be posting again with slightly more technical questions... the guy at the bike store was a [censored] who kept hitting on me and wrote his phone number on my credit card slip, signs I can only hope will translate to free repairs and a bike store [censored].