road bike for under $2000

ultrachoc said:

What road bike can i get for $2000. Looking to do about 100 - 150km a week. Also, for the road bike im looking for at least a full 105 group set. Been visiting a few LBS around sydney, here is a few that I have been eyeing out

http://www.gitane.com.au/2005mach1800.html
http://www.trekbikes.com.au/catalogue.cgi?rm=product&product_id=7&subcategory_id=1
http://www.orbea.com.au/html/gavia.html
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?model=9877
http://www.avantibikes.com/bikes_detail.asp?id=164&t=1

With the gitane it is currently on special for $1399, however it isnt a full 105 groupset but it is $400 cheaper then the other bikes ....
Anyways, can anyone recommend or give their opionions on the above bikes

Also one of the guys at the LBS advised me that with campag group sets veloce isnt worth considering ... is this true ? or is this a matter for personal preference?

lbs guy is full of shyt!

LBS guy said that with campag, its not worth considering unless your using at least centaur.

Also with flatbar road bike, ive got one already .... Ive got a CRX-3 which im currently riding .... its got sora components ... and at first i didnt shift too well .. but after the first service, the LBS re-adjusted everything ... rode it today .. its quite nice ...

Also another bike that I was looking at was the cannondale r500 triple
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/05/cusa/model-5RR5T.html

mixture of 105 and tiagra .... doesnt seem that much of a value for money kinda bike ....

Any non flat bar road bikes worth considering ?

Look, IMHO, any new bike around the 2K mark will be VERY good. It really comes down to personal taste, preference and any irrational desire that you might have at that moment.

I bought a Giant TCR1 bike for 2070au$ two months ago and absolutely love it. Comes with 10 speed Ultegra, which is a big change from the 9 speed one.

If you can, ride them all and decide not on brand, but rather on how it rides and feels. Plain and simple.

Cheers mate

ultrachoc said:

What road bike can i get for $2000. Looking to do about 100 - 150km a week. Also, for the road bike im looking for at least a full 105 group set.

Also one of the guys at the LBS advised me that with campag group sets veloce isnt worth considering ... is this true ? or is this a matter for personal preference?

Sounds like you want to get the most bang for your buck, so a visit to ebay may be worthwhile. There are sales of new bikes with 9sp ultegra or dura ace components on a regular basis for less than $2000 which are at a significant discount to the original price. I understand the latest models are 10speed and some believe the performance is much superior to the 9speed groupos but I find the cost of chains and cogs is a factor to be considered and remember your original target was 105 group and the ultegra and dura ace are much smoother to operate and the weight!, less of course.
You need to know the dimentions the bike you buy is able to be adjusted to fit, no suprise there though. Good luck.

cycleski said:

Sounds like you want to get the most bang for your buck,You need to know the dimentions the bike you buy is able to be adjusted to fit, no suprise there though. Good luck.

Have a look at Fuji's range, they have entry level for $900, but from $1400 to $2000 you get much better group sets....plus they make a frame that is much more stable than the run of the mill mass produced lot, if you want a good performing ( I mean comfortable at sustained high speed and especially downhill, you dont want a mass producer like Trek or Giant, they have short chain stays and will be/are hairy on any downhill at speed.... you need at least a 42.5cm chainstay length from drop out to centre bottom bracket to have a stable bike, anything less is for short crits and Tri-sprints where you cant stay comfortable and the pain will drive you nuts.....and better still include at least $250 in your budget for a decent fit and get that before you go looking for anything to ride.....(you'll save at least a $1000+ in the long run..trust me I've been there ( as have most others , but they won't admit it !!)

I know, out come the knives after me again, but guys/gals until you ride a bike that fits you...you will go on believing the crud that comes from LBS's...
and never know the difference...ah the bliss of it!!...the serenity!!!!...the vibe!!

roo😄

rooman said:

and especially downhill, you dont want a mass producer like Trek or Giant, they have short chain stays and will be/are hairy on any downhill at speed.... you need at least a 42.5cm chainstay length from drop out to centre bottom bracket to have a stable bike, anything less is for short crits and Tri-sprints where you cant stay comfortable and the pain will drive you nuts.

This is rank overgeneralisation. Maybe I just don't know any better, but my Giant, with very short chainstays, is stable and comfortable at least up to 75km/h...did you mean faster than this? I can ride this bike all day, although it is a harsher ride than my MTB.

rooman said:

.....and better still include at least $250 in your budget for a decent fit and get that before you go looking for anything to ride.....(you'll save at least a $1000+ in the long run..trust me I've been there ( as have most others , but they won't admit it !!)

The only problem with this idea is that there is a large number of hypotheses in use regarding bike fit, not all of which are compatible. The only certainty is that they don't all work for every cyclist. If you DIY some of the widely available formulae for various bike dimensions, you could save yourself a fair amount of money. Take some measurements from bicycles that you know are comfortable for you. Most importantly, try lots of different bikes.

rooman said:

, if you want a good performing ( I mean comfortable at sustained high speed and especially downhill, you dont want a mass producer like Trek or Giant, they have short chain stays and will be/are hairy on any downhill at speed.... you need at least a 42.5cm chainstay length from drop out to centre bottom bracket to have a stable bike, anything less ....

I just can't beleive how much tecno-mided we're becoming. He just wants to do 100-150K a week !

I have a Giant, ride around 100-150K a week and I think the bike is just about perfect. Im sure many other Giant and Trek users would the same for their bikes.

Beginners are getting blown away by too much tecnospecification from cycling companies (and fellow ciclysts as well). I'd like to think that cycling is still all about the ciclyst, not the bike.

Like I said, any 2000$ bike will likely to perform very good. Trek, Giant, Cannondale, Fuji, Felt, Specialized, Orbea, Avanti, etc. all of them make good bikes. Just shop around, try as many as you can, get the one that you like and fits best (only way to know is to ride them).

Cheers

Go the giant crx1 for around $1500 if you want an awesome looking flat bar road bike that commands respect and biker envy. Ben

ultrachoc said:

What road bike can i get for $2000. Looking to do about 100 - 150km a week. Also, for the road bike im looking for at least a full 105 group set. Been visiting a few LBS around sydney, here is a few that I have been eyeing out

gitane.com.au2005mach1800.htmlOpen ↗
trekbikes.com.aucatalogue.cgiOpen ↗
orbea.com.augavia.htmlOpen ↗
giant-bicycles.com030.000.000.aspOpen ↗
avantibikes.combikes detail.aspOpen ↗

With the gitane it is currently on special for $1399, however it isnt a full 105 groupset but it is $400 cheaper then the other bikes ....
Anyways, can anyone recommend or give their opionions on the above bikes

Also one of the guys at the LBS advised me that with campag group sets veloce isnt worth considering ... is this true ? or is this a matter for personal preference?

flatbarfanatic said:

Go the giant crx1 for around $1500 if you want an awesome looking flat bar road bike that commands respect and biker envy. Ben

Yeah it is a very nice bike .. i have a crx 3 ..... however i wanted a non-flat bar road bike for my next bike
if i Had my way id buy this http://www.kuota.com.au/products/framesets/kharma.asp

Well i went $150 over my budget ....
ended up getting a trek 1500 for $2150 rrp is $2699

Soo im a happy chap ....

Good you got a bike you like.

I bought a trek 1000 about a year ago when I first got into riding. I still outsprint riders with $8000 bikes so it's all down to personal taste. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to upgrading but I'm in no hurry.

its awesome isnt it. i have a giant crx 1 and got up to 63.5 km/h on w/e and my friend has a pinarello prince and hasnt hit 50km/h !

mezzinator said:

Good you got a bike you like.

I bought a trek 1000 about a year ago when I first got into riding. I still outsprint riders with $8000 bikes so it's all down to personal taste. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to upgrading but I'm in no hurry.