Quoted post said:Originally Posted by oldbobcat
He will if the 2015s with 105 come out this summer. And most indications say they will. Besides, I didn't say he will find one, I said he might.
Quoted post said:Originally Posted by Froze
Under $1500 for your first bike? How about under $800 for your first bike? I am always concerned with a new person comes on a forum wanting to start a new hobby and want's to spend money fast, problem is most people who start a hobby like this, or a some sort of workout machine, usually quits the hobby after about 3 to 6 months tops and then they bought an expensive bike or machine that becomes expensive garage art. If you find an adequate bike for under $800 (personally I would find one used for less than $300, but that's just me), and if you find yourself still riding a lot after 2 years or so then go looking for a really nice bike. Why spend $1,200 (besides the garage art comment I made) and then ride it for 2 or so years and then buy a better bike because you outgrew it? Save that $400 to $900 and add to it over the next 2 years if you're still riding and love riding then you have a good start on a new and better bike.
by the way, just a thought that's all, not trying to tell you what to do.
I agree that $1500 is probably too high for a first drop bar road bike. Some people just never adapt to drop bars, or just don't take a liking to road bikes in general. They handle very differently than hybrids esp compared to flat bar hybrids. I won't bother with all of the specifics, but you'll notice the difference immediately in a quick parking lot test ride, and then in your general riding if you buy one.
I think $800 is a great price point. The trek 1.1 comes in right at that price point for example.
I just think it's better to start with a lower investment road bike to see if you actually like that type of bike and that type of riding. Your first bike is also a great starting point for your NEXT bike as far as getting a better understanding of what you want exactly from a road bike.
I don't know about anyone else, but it's a challenge for me to find an off the rack bike that fits my physique optimally. Your first bike will give you a better sense of what your next bike should be like: frame angles, head tube height, top tube. You'll also get a sense for whether you want a stiffer frame or a more comfort oriented frame. Whether you want something to tour with, or something racier. Whether you can handle very tight gearing, or wide gearing.
Theoretically, a good shop will ask a lot of questions to help you narrow down your choices to something which is best suited for you. However, a lot of novice riders don't know what they really want, and won't know until AFTER they've bought and ridden their first road bike. And often, a shop doesn't want to invest a lot of time and will want to sell a size that's been sitting in the shop for a long time, or a model that's slow to move.
A good shop should size you properly, but MOST shops are pretty lazy when it comes to proper fit. Getting a bike's fit dialed in can take 2-4 hours initially and then may require numerous visits afterwards to get the rider position optimized.
Realistically, most shop employees don't make squat and don't want to invest several weeks of intermittent visits to get a rider properly setup.
It's really up to you to ride, insist on changes and them compromise with the shop, ride some more, experiment with seats, perhaps stem length, handlebar tape, and so on.
Even if you are willing to do all of this, some people just can't adapt to a road riding position and bike. The front end can seem really twitchy, or the toe overlap with the front wheel may bother them, or they don't feel right in the drops and so on.
Anyway, this post is getting ridiculously long.
So tl, dr: spend half of what you were going to, and try to get fitted properly, but realize that your first bike is just that: a first approximation.
