looking for a bike

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by eurorides
i am looking for a road bike, i have never owned a road bike before, but have ridden bmw and then mountian for a few years now. i would like to get something thats not going to be obsolete in a year or 2. i am going to get the bike used maybe off ebay, because with my budget (appx $1000) i have limited choices. i am wondering what bikes do you reccomend for someone who is looking for a high quality bike they will enjoy for a long time. i dont mind swapping out for new componets now and then, but want the frame to be top notch (within my budget) btw im 5'11 160lbs.

A$1,000?
US$1,000?

Big difference

Don't worry about the frame too much (as long is it is correctly fitted)

The frame will still be going fine years after cheap components have fallen to bits.

Forget ebay, talk to your LBS and consider second hand. Also, plenty of 2003 models going cheap at the moment.

im talking us $1000, so should i get a really good frame, then upgrade slowly with better componets. or get a bike im not going to have to do alot to. im interested in getting a bike that is easy to get good parts for (not a relativley unknown company) and something that will be a very fast bike. will have about 1000us for the compete bike, but not including, pedals and shoes etc. thanks

btw the area i live in has near perfect roads, so potholes are not an issue.

Agree, I'd buy new from the LBS rather than risk a used, beat up deal on ebay. $1000US with C'dale or Trek should get you a sturdy AL frame with low-end Shimano stuff. Both should last you a low time, with proper maintenance and care. Whether it's "very fast" really depends on the motor, ie you. The extra 5 lbs this bike weighs over a 16 lb wonderbike really won't make that much difference in your performance.

That's what's great about our sport....anybody with a fat wallet can buy flash, but it takes dedication and training to go fast!

Dan

One of my riding buddies bought a LeMond Buenos Aires for around $1k new, on sale. Very sweet riding machine, extremely smooth, reasonably light and efficient. I'd highly recommend it.

The only upgrade I've ever made that yielded a noticable performance improvement was a set of aero wheels.

ebay can be a good deal, and it can also be risky. I bought my first MTB off of ebay, turned out most of the components were shot and had to be replaced. Expensive...

If you're coming from a mtb, keep in mind that road bike design is fairly mature. You don't see the radical change of equipment or framesets over a couple of years, like you do with MTB's. What was good five years ago is still quite good today.

thanks for thew replys, so the general opinion is to get a bike for the 1000price new from a dealer, maybe pick up an 03 they want to get rid of. would it make more sense to maybe jump from the $1000 level up to like $us 1300, or am i giving myself a good budget for a quailty bike that i will enjoy for a good while?