roadies

top_aussie said:

thanx for all ur help and keep it coming.
this isnt gonna be an instant thing, my parents have said that if i save half they will pay half so if i wait for the sales on the 07 modles i may be able to get myself an even better bike, maby an OCR C2 or sumthin.
thanks for everythin and keep the recomendations and help coming

BTW
anyone know of any good bike shops around Berwick

Hey dude,

Saw your mention about Berwick... That's my neck of the woods and the pickings are pretty slim in terms of a decent bike shop. Don't bother going to Goldcross as they are pretty useless and only really stock kids bikes and some basic road bikes. I'd suggest a trip to the city and pick something up there. As for clothing etc. - head over to the shops at Blackrock. Its about half the price you'll be charged elsewhere (and at goldcross)

When you've got your self set up, let me know and we can head out sometime.

yipe said:

Hey dude,

Saw your mention about Berwick... That's my neck of the woods and the pickings are pretty slim in terms of a decent bike shop. Don't bother going to Goldcross as they are pretty useless and only really stock kids bikes and some basic road bikes. I'd suggest a trip to the city and pick something up there. As for clothing etc. - head over to the shops at Blackrock. Its about half the price you'll be charged elsewhere (and at goldcross)

When you've got your self set up, let me know and we can head out sometime.

no worries mate
cheers
found a TCR C2 i think, 06 modle for 2grand.
think im gonna buy that.
ill giv u a yell when iv got myself set up yipe and yeah, we can go for a spin 😄

OK I know I know I don't have the "results" to post an authoritative reply.
But heck, here it is anyway.

I KNOW that comfort and efficency = good riding experience. Less pain = more time on bike = better rider.
So, I say forget about weight, only.

If I buy a computer I spend half on the monitor, 1/4 on the memory, the rest on the processor and the rest on other bits.

When I buy a stereo I spend half on the speakers 1/4 on the amp the rest on the other stuff.

So if had $1400 to spend on a bike I'd spend $300 on an assessment from someone who can tell you what geometry you need, you are going to be buying a production modek so this is the most important decision.

Your lbs MAY not be the best for this since they will be wedded to one brand IAP, if you pay for this advice you should get an independant assessment then buy the best frame, seat, wheels, tyres, pedals you can get.

My two cents🙂

You can also look at Felt bikes for bang for buck...

top_aussie said:

no worries mate
cheers
found a TCR C2 i think, 06 modle for 2grand.
think im gonna buy that.
ill giv u a yell when iv got myself set up yipe and yeah, we can go for a spin 😄

Theres lots of choices and it boils down to personal taste and budget.

I went down the OCR2 path and 04 and it was a good choice for me, the bike has a very good frame in its price range and has reasonable cheaper components. The Felt in some ways is a similar bike and most Felt owners are very happy with their purchases. Felts tend to have name brand components where people look and cheaper components elsewhere. Trek also has some good bikes in the lower price range.

The most important component is the rider, so getting a bike that is the correct fit, is more important that which brand and which bit, which by the way can be changed as part of the purchase deal and/or upgraded later.

You won't really know what you want until you have some riding experience. I would recommend that you don't spend too much, get a budget bike, possibly even second hand, ride it for a year and then either upgrade the parts you don't like or get what you want.

46kgToDate said:

OK I know I know I don't have the "results" to post an authoritative reply.
But heck, here it is anyway.

I KNOW that comfort and efficency = good riding experience. Less pain = more time on bike = better rider.
So, I say forget about weight, only.

If I buy a computer I spend half on the monitor, 1/4 on the memory, the rest on the processor and the rest on other bits.

When I buy a stereo I spend half on the speakers 1/4 on the amp the rest on the other stuff.

So if had $1400 to spend on a bike I'd spend $300 on an assessment from someone who can tell you what geometry you need, you are going to be buying a production modek so this is the most important decision.

Your lbs MAY not be the best for this since they will be wedded to one brand IAP, if you pay for this advice you should get an independant assessment then buy the best frame, seat, wheels, tyres, pedals you can get.

My two cents🙂

OK I know I know I don't have the "results" to post an authoritative reply.
But heck, here it is anyway.

I KNOW that comfort and efficency = good riding experience. Less pain = more time on bike = better rider.
So, I say forget about weight, only.

If I buy a computer I spend half on the monitor, 1/4 on the memory, the rest on the processor and the rest on other bits.

When I buy a stereo I spend half on the speakers 1/4 on the amp the rest on the other stuff.

So if had $1400 to spend on a bike I'd spend $300 on an assessment from someone who can tell you what geometry you need, you are going to be buying a production modek so this is the most important decision.

Your lbs MAY not be the best for this since they will be wedded to one brand IAP, if you pay for this advice you should get an independant assessment then buy the best frame, seat, wheels, tyres, pedals you can get.

this is great advice, only, you dont need to spend that much. head down to cyclefit in Blackrock, and speak to john kennedy, or brigid, and they'll look at your body and measure you up for a little over $100. that way, you can know exactly what you need. i went and saw them, and ended up ordering a custom bike (coming next sunday!) through them, because they discovered that i have spine curvature issues etc.

just my 2 cents

john

hmmm
im gettin measured up for free
😄
i think im set on a TCR aero 1, i have it on hold and i need to convince the parents into paying a bit more then they said they would for it.
they said they would pay half and i would pay half, its 1400 and i have just under 500, but i hav no way of gettin 700 bux, cos im quitting my job.
*im working with chemicals and i really dont want to be doin that*

Find another job, unless you like being a contract breaker. :eek:

top_aussie said:

hmmm
im gettin measured up for free
😄
i think im set on a TCR aero 1, i have it on hold and i need to convince the parents into paying a bit more then they said they would for it.
they said they would pay half and i would pay half, its 1400 and i have just under 500, but i hav no way of gettin 700 bux, cos im quitting my job.
*im working with chemicals and i really dont want to be doin that*

why r u set on the aero 1? isnt that a time trial bike? Its got a gemetry that is designed to get you riding in an aero position. I have not been riding my TT bike for long, but its quite different from the OCR I got.

I am guessing that at $1400 the bike shop must be clearing out the previous year's or 05 models.

Did you try out the TCR alu range? I think they are about $1400 as well.

Please share your thoughts, thanks.

mikesbytes said:

Theres lots of choices and it boils down to personal taste and budget.

I went down the OCR2 path and 04 and it was a good choice for me, the bike has a very good frame in its price range and has reasonable cheaper components. The Felt in some ways is a similar bike and most Felt owners are very happy with their purchases. Felts tend to have name brand components where people look and cheaper components elsewhere. Trek also has some good bikes in the lower price range.

The most important component is the rider, so getting a bike that is the correct fit, is more important that which brand and which bit, which by the way can be changed as part of the purchase deal and/or upgraded later.

You won't really know what you want until you have some riding experience. I would recommend that you don't spend too much, get a budget bike, possibly even second hand, ride it for a year and then either upgrade the parts you don't like or get what you want.

This is good advice. I second that as well, if your overall budget allows it.

im going for the tcr purely cos im gettin best value for money, a 2grand bike for 1400, sounds good to me. and yeah, its an 06 modle

top_aussie said:

im going for the tcr purely cos im gettin best value for money, a 2grand bike for 1400, sounds good to me. and yeah, its an 06 modle

Hi there,
The TCR Aero is different from the TCR. The aero is designed as a time trial bike with a steeper seat tube angle.

I personally would not use it as a ride all day bike, but I have seen many people who ride these time trial frame bikes as a commute bike. So just wanted to point that out to you.

$1.4 sounds like a good buy, what groupset is on it?

Agreed. As much as a bargain, it's a bad deal if the geometry isn't well designed to OP's purpose. May become a $1400 regretable decision. 🙁

hmmm
i think its got a 105 groupset, not too sure tho, itll be used for long rides pretty much, weekend 60-80k runs and things like the great vic.
seems to be the best value i can find, ocr's r impossible to find as an 06, which is what im lookin for.

top_aussie said:

hmmm
i think its got a 105 groupset, not too sure tho, itll be used for long rides pretty much, weekend 60-80k runs and things like the great vic.
seems to be the best value i can find, ocr's r impossible to find as an 06, which is what im lookin for.

How about diamondBack?
See bikes.com.auarticle view.aspOpen ↗

I know Berwick to Prahran may be a bit of a hike, but freeway, non peak, you can be there in 37 minutes. I bought my commuter there, and while they're very busy, they always seem to be the best bank for your buck.
They also have Felt, Scott, Merida amongst others..

Top Aussie,
You might find this link informative at the very least. Hope it helps you.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

Cheers

thomas_cho said:

Top Aussie,
You might find this link informative at the very least. Hope it helps you.

bikesportmichigan.comdifference.shtmlOpen ↗

Cheers

The caption on the picture with the tri bike and the backpack has me curious. What do they mean by "[font=Arial]if this is how you ride, a triathlon bike is right for you." ?
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mikesbytes said:

The caption on the picture with the tri bike and the backpack has me curious. What do they mean by "[font=Arial]if this is how you ride, a triathlon bike is right for you." ?
[/font]

Not too sure what they mean. But I believe the write-up claimed that the tri-position can be just as comfortable when set up correctly.

I have seen a few people riding their TT setup to work with backpacks.

Its a pretty good website and points out quite a few things about setup on a time trial position.

Irrespective of comfort, isn't it the main issue of not riding tri-bikes for commutes is that it's potentially not as safe in traffic? That is, weaker brakes, less responsive riding position, less responsive front end control setup.

sogood said:

Irrespective of comfort, isn't it the main issue of not riding tri-bikes for commutes is that it's potentially not as safe in traffic? That is, weaker brakes, less responsive riding position, less responsive front end control setup.

True, very good points.