help!

Shimano make good stuff, but then so do SRAM, and someone will probably be along soon to tell you to get Campagnolo. They all make a variety of products covering a wide price range so just knowing the manufacturer doesn't help that much. The stuff on cheap department store bikes made by some company that we've never heard of would be a concern but the bikes you ask about should be fine.

I think clipless pedals are great, but you need to develop the habit of getting out of them, and if you've not ridden for a while you have enough to think about. I'd suggest doing a fair bit of cycling before going clipless. A pair of platform pedals won't cost a lot, so replacing them in a few months won't add much to the price. You could perhaps get the shoes and pedals now, but I'd still suggest using platforms until you're used to handling a bike again, and then swapping the pedals.

I'm not convinced of the advantage of a double chainring, but if the terrain is mostly flat and you aren't carrying a lot you probably won't need the triple.

Ralieghs are good bikes and the Grand Prix is a good entry level bike. The best bet is to test ride several bikes and pick the one that feels best to you. If you can listen to your body instead of your wallet, you will probably enjoy the sport much more.

Shimano is sort of the GMC of the component world, they have been in the business a long time and are a forward thinking company. They are good in that they are innovative. The are bad in that they are innovative and bring out new must-have stuff every two or three years. This is the equipment that comes standard on most serious bikes.

Campaglono is sort of the Ferrari of the component world. It is top of the line equipment and the price certainly reflects that. Unless you are going to be racing as a professional, you probably don't need this equipment unless you have a lot of money and the bling factor is important to you.

SRAM, Bontrager, TruVative, and TekTro are sort of the new kids on the block. Their products seem to be good products and the price is usually comparative to Shimano.

The "front gears" are referred to as chainrings. Since you are not going to be climbing mountains, you can probably get away with using a double (two chainrings) instead of a triple (3 chainrings, one geared very low). Adjustments are easier on a bike with a double rather than a triple and there is a weight reduction.

Your primary concern with your bike should be that it is sized correctly. Riding an incorrectly sized bicycle can be pure hell. I doubt that you will outgrow any of the bikes that you have listed for a good long time. The great thing about bicycling is that if you get a bike with a good frame, you can upgrade it by replacing the old wheels with a newer, beter pair, or you can upgrade the componets, etc.

Anth addressed the clipless pedal issue very well and I agree with him.

kdelong said:

Shimano is sort of the GMC of the component world / Campaglono is sort of the Ferrari of the component world.

🙄

Ok - I don't get into the whole Campy V's Shimano debate, due to the fact that I haven't ridden Campy. However, being a qualified JOINER I do have experience with GMC tools and will happily go on record as proclaiming that the MAJORITY of their products are ABSOLUTE RUBBISH.

Professional tradespersons do not bother with GMC.
The majority of the Pro Peleton uses Shimano.

The remainder of your post carries sound advice. Find a LBS that you feel comfortable with, test ride and get the fit right. Also, don't resist spending a little more $$ for a little more durability.

gm

Do yourself a favor and do not drop $1200 on a bike right now. I suggest you take a bicycle maintenance class. Get a job in any capacity in a local bike shop. Join a local club. After about a year you will be an expert (I'm serious). At that point you can make an infomed decision about the $1200.

My advice: Consider a Xooter Swift ($700), or Downtube ($300) They are good all around folding bikes that are easy to ride, transport, and store. The Downtube is a bit cheap, but still fairly easy to maintain. The prices leave something extra for upgrades and maintenance.

As see:
"effective cycling" by doug forrest.
sheldonbrown.com
parktool.com

Hello Gravelmuncher,

My comparisson to GMC was not to demonstrate quality but rather to demonstrate that Shimano, like GMC, has many different offerings for nearly every type of bicycling, and that it is the most widely used brand in the US and probably worldwide.

While I cannot comment on the quality of GMC Vehicles, if you were to go into the car park of any shopping center here in the US and start counting cars, you would find more Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Saturns, and Buicks(all GMC products) than any other manufacturers.

I personally do not drive GMC vehicles but only because none of them ever appealed to me. My first car in the 1970's was a Chevrolet, but since then I have owned a Toyota, a Datsun(now Nissan), and three Fords. All of these were for personal transportation though and all performed admirably in that capacity.

As for sound advice, I have been riding, buying, and repairing bicycles for nearly 45 years and rode "professionally" for two of them in the early 80's, so I do carry a bit of experience. Once in a while it gets mixed up but not too often yet. As for the two years of racing, I finally decided that I liked sleeping indoors and being able to afford regular meals, so a career change was necessary.

Unless you have a particular reason not to use Shimano then they offer the best value for money than anyone else and more stuff is compatible with Shimano than Campag.

But for clipless pedals Time are better.

geo8rge said:

Do yourself a favor and do not drop $1200 on a bike right now. I suggest you take a bicycle maintenance class. Get a job in any capacity in a local bike shop. Join a local club. After about a year you will be an expert (I'm serious). At that point you can make an infomed decision about the $1200.

My advice: Consider a Xooter Swift ($700), or Downtube ($300) They are good all around folding bikes that are easy to ride, transport, and store. The Downtube is a bit cheap, but still fairly easy to maintain. The prices leave something extra for upgrades and maintenance.

As see:
"effective cycling" by doug forrest.
sheldonbrown.com
parktool.com

Do you really think this advice - work in a bike shop, learn a lot, then decide, or, get a folding bike really addresses the OP's request. I do not think so.

OP wants to try road cycling. He wants to start now. He wants some simple, basic advice to get started. He has some money to get started. His goal is to get some basic advice so he won't make a big mistake. Let's give him some advice he can use.

Also, this arcane debate between Campy, Shimano and others is just nonsense for this beginner. It helps him not at all and is not germane to his questions.

To OP: your budget of $1200 will get you a bike that, I feel, may last quality- and performance-wise until you absolutely wear it out many years from now. In a couple years, if you really get into it, you might find you want a different (not necessarily better) bike or simply a better bike, but $1200 will get you a pretty darn good bike.

That said, you don't have to spend that much to get started in an excellent way. For $6-700 US, you can get an excellent major-brand beginner's road bike, brand new, from a local bike shop (LBS) that will fit, adjust and service it. As ONE EXAMPLE (there are others, check around), I bought my 19 year old daughter a Giant OCR3 with Shimano Sora components. Sora is the bottom of the Shimano road components, but it is excellent equipment as far as I can tell so far. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. This is a smooth functioning, lightweight bike that will serve her very well untill she either wears it out or gets into cycling enough to require a better bike. I urge you to consider this grade of bike.

Don't obsess about this - shop around your local bike shops, find one you feel comfortable with and/or is recommended. Shop within your price range and buy a bike that is in that price range. Frankly, in a given price range, you will fnd essentialy (not exactly, but essetially) the same grade of bike across all manufacturers. You might save $50 here or there, or maybe even more if you're lucky to find a last year's model, but I think for you as a beginner, the overall expertise of the shop and how good you feel dealing with them trumps any minor savings you might find.

Also, remember you might have to spend another $200 for basic road tool kit, gloves, a saddle pack, helmet, maybe bike shorts, and maybe shoes and pedals. But for starters, you can't go wrong with regular pedals, running shoes and something like Power Grips or plain pedals. You could get into clipless shoes and pedals later for about $100 - $150 on sale.

Don't get too obsessed. Buy a bike you can afford from a reputable shop and RIDE IT!! Most cyclists are very happy following this strategy. Those of us that debate campy vs. shimano have nothing better to do, it's really irrelevant.

kdelong said:

Hello Gravelmuncher,

My comparisson to GMC was not to demonstrate quality but rather to demonstrate that Shimano, like GMC, has many different offerings for nearly every type of bicycling, and that it is the most widely used brand in the US and probably worldwide.

While I cannot comment on the quality of GMC Vehicles, if you were to go into the car park of any shopping center here in the US and start counting cars, you would find more Chevrolets, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Saturns, and Buicks(all GMC products) than any other manufacturers.

I personally do not drive GMC vehicles but only because none of them ever appealed to me. My first car in the 1970's was a Chevrolet, but since then I have owned a Toyota, a Datsun(now Nissan), and three Fords. All of these were for personal transportation though and all performed admirably in that capacity.

As for sound advice, I have been riding, buying, and repairing bicycles for nearly 45 years and rode "professionally" for two of them in the early 80's, so I do carry a bit of experience. Once in a while it gets mixed up but not too often yet. As for the two years of racing, I finally decided that I liked sleeping indoors and being able to afford regular meals, so a career change was necessary.

Oh my - please excuse me friend. The mighty gap between American and Australian culture has once again revealed it's enormity. When I read your comparison to "GMC", I automatically pictured the brand of Chinese built power tools which have taken over the market since the birth of a large chain of HUGE hardware stores here in Aus. I had completely neglected to recall the fact that GMC is a MAJOR motor company in the US.

Your post makes perfect sense, and I have no debate with it whatsoever. I just hope that my explanation helps to make me look like LESS of a total [censored]. :o

My, my. I hope that no Aussies have seen this - they'll be wetting themselves.

gm