I am new

I was also thinking about buying a Cervelo frame, Fort frame, or maybe something else. I need to know what I should be saving for. I need to get a job first.

Thanks in advance

Jeff

Buying a made up bike costs a lot less than a custom job. Unless you have money to burn buy off the peg for your first mount.
Keep in touch.

Don Shipp said:

Buying a made up bike costs a lot less than a custom job. Unless you have money to burn buy off the peg for your first mount.
Keep in touch.

Don's right. Trek has the purchasing power to buy bicycle components lots cheaper than you can. Unless you are very savvy at picking up compatable components on sale via the internet (and you say that you are new) you are going to use up your limited budget to build a lesser bike.

Now I am thinking about buying either a BMC or a Bianchi both are about 1800 and I can buy FSA Gossamer compact cranks because the double chainring with 53/39 is probably too big for me. I am all legs and no upper body at all. Also I am only knew to actually riding road bikes but I know almost everything about road bikes. When I am not in school me and my friends search the internet for bike parts. The reason I do not have a bike yet is because I just started working andd I bought a trials bike. Then the restaurant did not need me any more so now I am inbetween jobs.

Thanks for all the help

Jeff

Jeff D. said:

Also I am only knew to actually riding road bikes . . ..

Don't take this advice negatively. Remember that it is only one guy's opinion.

I think that the best thing for you to do would be to get an inexpensive but decent USED bike for a few hundred bucks. Ride ALOT and figure out what you like. As of now you are a relatively UNinformed buyer without sufficient real world experience to know what you like/need. If you had sufficient riding experience, you would not say 53/39 is "probably to big for me". You would actually know whether you would benefit from a compact or not. The guys with the fat wallets can make a custom job their first bike, decide they don't like it and then get another one.

Reading your post makes me think of a guy telling a girl, "I am only new to actually having sex, but I know almost everything about sex because of the Internet"

By the way, unless you are an elite racer for whom a few hundred grams may make the difference between winning or not paying your rent, Veloce and Centaur function nearly as well as Chorus and cost a lot less. If you do end up building up a bike, I would get the best frame you can afford, use cheaper but adequate components and upgrade gradually over the years to better stuff when things wear out or as your budget allows.

Good luck and I hope you are out on the road soon.

Jeff D. said:

I want to buy a new road bike but I do not want to buy anything over $2200. I was thinking about building my own bike because I want campy chorus components. I really do not want a specialized or trek. If anyone has any suggestions please send them.

A Campy Chorus build kit goes for $1750 from Colorado Cyclist. You could probably find a pretty good $400 used frame and build it up within your budget with new components. You really have to know what you're doing though - not recommended for newbs.

Also, Campy is OEM on almost no off the peg full bikes. And Chorus is pretty high end - you might be quite happy and better off financially with a gruppo or two down the ladder and getting a better frame.

Jeff D said:

I want to buy a new road bike but I do not want to buy anything over $2200. I was thinking about building my own bike because I want campy chorus components. I really do not want a specialized or trek. If anyone has any suggestions please send them.

What I would suggest:

Figure out what kind of riding you'll be doing (are you planning to race, ride recreationally at a leisurely pace, ride club rides at 22mph, do centuries, tour, etc.?). This helps narrow down frame geometry and the relative importance of weight.

Will you be riding hilly terrain or relatively flat (helps determine gearing).

Once you have a better picture of what kind of riding you'll be doing, it's time to start test riding bikes in your price range. To another poster's point: if you aren't familiar with riding road bikes, then you should try quite a few to decide what's most comfortable for you. Something that's nagging at five miles will be aching at 75 miles!

Don't be afraid of the big name brands. There's a reason they've become big name brands. Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, etc. all make excellent bikes in your price range. You can see decent info at roadbikereview.com, too.

I also agree with those who say buy an already-built bike. If you're looking for the hands-on, mechanical experience, you're going to pay for it....

Jeff D. said:

I want to buy a new road bike but I do not want to buy anything over $2200. I was thinking about building my own bike because I want campy chorus components. I really do not want a specialized or trek. If anyone has any suggestions please send them.

Jeff, I agree with the other posters. Don't build a bike in order to save money. I've done it, for my own pleasure, but it is not as cost-effective as buying off the rack, unless you have access to lots of little special deals.
The advise to pick up a 2nd hand bike is good. I currently ride a fixed-wheel track bike on the road and I picked it up for about USD $250. I have a few bikes sitting down in Australia, but this is the one I keep with me as I move around - I love it (although it doesn't look as if I do!). It fits me at least as well as my old DuraAce-equipped Saronni road bike does, and is a helluva lot of fun to ride (I have to go easy now because I've got 2 cracks in the right-hand crank (old DuraAce square-section 165's) and don't want to replace the crankset until I get back to Australia)
I'm not quite sure why you've ruled out Specialized and Trek (both good frame manufacturers and turn out some very good value complete bikes), nor why you have set your heart on Chorus, ruling out the other Campy and Shimano groupsets.
It's a lot more important to get a bike that fits you and is suitable for the purpose, than it is what brand-names are hanging off it. When you turn up to a race on your Colnago C50 and get whipped by a vet riding an old Raleigh Chopper, you'll know what I mean. If I was you, I'd scour the local bike shops to see what they have sitting out the back that they may want to get rid of for a good price.

Jeff D. said:

Now I am thinking about buying either a BMC or a Bianchi both are about 1800 and I can buy FSA Gossamer compact cranks because the double chainring with 53/39 is probably too big for me. I am all legs and no upper body at all. Also I am only knew to actually riding road bikes but I know almost everything about road bikes. When I am not in school me and my friends search the internet for bike parts. The reason I do not have a bike yet is because I just started working andd I bought a trials bike.

There are alot of fools that drop a pile of money for a bike then after riding for a few months just let it sit in a closet. Many of these, slightly used, bikes are for sale on ebay.

Do your self a favor. Drop $300 to $400 for a good used bike and ride it hard for a year, then, when you are worthy, reward yourself with an even better Bianchi or BMC.

I rode a 20 year old Schwinn for the last two years trying to figure out just what kind of riding I wanted to do, what ride group did I belong in, what fit did I need. After numerous flats, new wheels, cogs, chain, etc. my reward came today in the form af a Scott Cr1 Pro.

I could have bought a bike like this on day one but buying it today after two years of, "in the field research", I feel I've earned it.

Good luck

I want to start racing so that is why I want to get a Bianchi or a BMC. I have tested trek bikes and they are not comfortable and also specialized bikes but they are the same. Money is not really that big of an issue because once I get the money from working that is all I need to spend on a bike. I have been sick for the past year and a half and now I am feeling better so I wanted to reward myself with a new bike. Also I love the feeling of campy shifters and that is why I am going to get a bike with campy. I have heard a lot of BS about trek and specialized but I just do not trust them. Finally, the Bianchi and BMC bikes both have Campy veloce but if I was going custom then I would buy chorus because I am extremely skinney. My people at my local bike shop told me that buying a compact crankset would be easier for me to pedal.

Jeff

Sounds to me like you came here for advice. I think you got very good advice. It's obviously your right to disregard all of it.
.

Jeff D. said:

I want to start racing so that is why I want to get a Bianchi or a BMC.

When you have the time, perhaps you can explain this statement to the rest of us....

I'm glad your health has returned. Being sick sucks.

Explain this one too please.

Jeff D. said:

if I was going custom then I would buy chorus because I am extremely skinney.
Jeff

I'm not going to pass judgment on why you want to do what you want to do. If you want to spend $2200 on a nice frame w/ Campy Chorus even though you don't have a job, be my guest. You might want to check out the bikes at Excel Sports in Boulder. They have a pretty nice ti frame made to their specs by Lightspeed for <$900 and they have many build kits including Chorus among others. I think that you'll find that the cost of a Chorus build kit pretty well wipes out your budget, so you might want to consider Centaur. Or, maybe you'll decide to get a 2nd job to pay for the Chorus. As for the compact crank, I agree. I ride a 34-50 compact crank w/ 13-29 for training and can quickly and easily change the cassette for an event that requires more top-end. I don't get laughed at too often.

I am only in high school so jobs are off and on. I can get about two grand in a month. Actually to answer Neil5052's question I have a problem with thinking with too many thoughts and I was actually saying I am thinking about racing and I want a stiff bike. That is why I was going to go with BMC or Bianchi because I heard that they were pretty stiff bikes. To answer DiabloScott's question if I were to buy a custom bike I want to get good parts and I would really like to get chorus but if I could not then I would get something else. I want a compact crank because it is easier for a skinney person like me to gget started. I know I do not make total sense but that was my thoughts.

I came to this website to hopefully get some decent info but it seems like everyone here just wants to try and pick a fight and yell at someone because I have different ideas than you.

Jeff

http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_san_mateo.html#http://www.rockers-bikeshop.de/foto/bmc/bmc_streetfire1.jpg

The BMC would have veloce as in world cycling product catalog.

Jeff D. said:

I came to this website to hopefully get some decent info but it seems like everyone here just wants to try and pick a fight and yell at someone because I have different ideas than you.

As you get older, you'll realize the part you played in this little dance, too.

Happy New Year!

Jeff D. said:

http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_san_mateo.html#http://www.rockers-bikeshop.de/foto/bmc/bmc_streetfire1.jpg

The BMC would have veloce as in world cycling product catalog.

The Bianchi San Mateo looks like a great bike to me, despite the over-hyped ad copy. It's way better than what I started riding and racing on 30 years ago.

You obviously like the style of the italian brand names vs the major LBS brands. Nothing wrong with that. Recommend you closely shop and compare at your Bianchi dealer, and test-ride any bike before buying.

As you've already found out, they all fit and ride a little bit differently, and the only way to tell what's best for you is to try them out with a good test ride. If you decide this is the bike you want, and you can afford it, then get it....you don't need permission or approval from anyone on this forum.

Jeff D. said:

I am only in high school so jobs are off and on. I can get about two grand in a month. Actually to answer Neil5052's question I have a problem with thinking with too many thoughts and I was actually saying I am thinking about racing and I want a stiff bike. That is why I was going to go with BMC or Bianchi because I heard that they were pretty stiff bikes. To answer DiabloScott's question if I were to buy a custom bike I want to get good parts and I would really like to get chorus but if I could not then I would get something else. I want a compact crank because it is easier for a skinney person like me to gget started. I know I do not make total sense but that was my thoughts.

I came to this website to hopefully get some decent info but it seems like everyone here just wants to try and pick a fight and yell at someone because I have different ideas than you.

Jeff

Jeff,

Different strokes for different folks.

I have a really nice bike and I think I bought it the right way with alot of testing of myself and studying what others were riding.

If you want to go ahead and buy the Bianchi or BMC, that is fine, go for it. Of the two, I'd go with the Bianchi...that brand is steeped with tradition and campy would be right at home on that frame.

Now lets talk about wheels. Might as well go with campy wheels...keep it all Italian

Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy your new bike.

CB

Jeff D. said:

...I came to this website to hopefully get some decent info but it seems like everyone here just wants to try and pick a fight and yell at someone because I have different ideas than you.Jeff

Jeff, I don't see anyone picking a fight. You came and asked a question. People have answered, and / or asked for more clarification. Remember, some of us have done many years of racing and have been through the first-bike situation, often with less accessibility to advice than you are experiencing. If you ask the question, but are not interested in listening to the answers, you didn't need to ask the question.
Riding an Italian Stallion in 'A' Grade, I have been beaten by a vet riding an old rusty Hillman. The bike does not maketh the man. My current ride is a 20 year old fixed-wheel and (as an old fart who hasn't raced for many years) I still managed to hold my own in the break on a 50k race a while ago (until the tailwind on the home stretch had me seriously undergeared).
Some of your comments seem a little strange to some of us - things like "I have tested trek bikes and they are not comfortable" relate more to the particular set-up of the bike/s you tried, rather than who the manufacturer was. Bianchi are also capable of turning out frames that you would not feel comfortable on. It is more important to get the fit right (including frame, seat, seat post, handlebars and stem) than whose sticker is on the down-tube. I've never ridden a Trek, but I would guess that, when they can make a frame stiff enough for pro-riders to use, they probably are able to cover your needs.
The best advice I can offer you is to go and find a good 2nd hand bike that fits you well. Ride and race it so that you learn what really does work. Then, once you are making inroads at racing, buy yourself your dream bike and use the other one for training. Each time you hop on your race bike, it will feel good.
The other thing, if you go down this path, is that going out and starting racing will often open up doors to getting a good deal on a bike through LBS's who support racing. You may also be pointed in the right direction for getting good advice on the set-up to suit you.
For me - race first, then decide what bike is going to help you improve, otherwise you may end up with a very flash bike that only gets used for commuting. As has been said before, Jeff, it's your money. Take our advice for what it is - just advice. Nobody is yelling at you.
Regards,
Eoin