amh said:<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Please help with opinions. Are the two sale bikes good deals? Should I buy the serotta just
because it is the most expensive. Should I buy the Lemond because it is the cheapest. They all
ride very nice, but I am new at this and I can't really distinguish between a GREAT ride and a
VERY GOOD ride and I don't want to repurchase next year because I missed something.
I've been riding at a little more than your level (occasional triathlon and riding mostly for my
own pleasure) for 10 years and still can't distinguish from a great ride and a very good ride. I
know the beater bike I ride to work every day is a passable ride. I know my road bikes are a
nice ride.
Alas, a great ride, for an amateur has more than the bike as a factor. I've spent 9 of the past 10
months doing training rides, whether I liked them or not (mostly did not) on a bike I've been happy
with for years. The quality of the rides were very low as a medication affected liver function and
required me to eat like mad to keep strength up. Two weeks clear of the medication and everything
clicked a training ride was one of the finest I'd had since I could remember, ascending steep grades
with speed and stamina and dieseling long flats.
So it's going to be subjective. The weather, how you feel, how the saddle feels, etc. I haven't
known whether I like a particular bike until I've put in a solid ride, including as much variety as
possible (which is easy here.) Ideally you put a paper bag over the bike so you don't know which you
are riding and get all that image nonsense out of your head.
Quoted message said:The folks than can make this distinction are those who contest sprints or want to climb faster
than the rest of the group or need a responsive bike for the Tuesday night crit. Unless you are at
that level or hope to approach that level what you ride will not be noticed.
Sure it will. But subjectivity is a challenge to overcome.
Quoted message said:Ride what feels comfortable. I'd be more concerned with the value I'm getting in the componants
than the frames.
At our level if you prefer the paint job on either of your choices you're still getting a good
enough ride.
my $0.02 Andy
Maybe if he's only interested in staying at a low level. I destroyed a few bikes before I learned to
pick one which could handle what I put it through. Granted, todays bikes are quite a bit better, so
long as you stay away from the boat-anchors they sell at Target, CostCo, etc.
