Bikes (Read 703 times)

I guess this is the right place to put this, if not I apologize. I'm looking for a road bike that I can afford. After going to a couple of bike shops yesterday I kinda felt that biking is a very 'elitist' sport. I really don't mean to offend anyone. It's just that every time I went in to a shop and said this, 'I'm looking for a no frills entry level road bike', this was the general reply, 'Brand x starts at 750$ and goes up from there while Brand y starts at 1150$ and goes up from there.' What's with that. Are there any bikes out there that are a little more cheaper? Right now with the 2 kids I just can't afford that and the wife thinks I have to many hobbies as it is, including running although I haven't spent quite that much on equipment. I just want to get started somewhere and I know that there are some cyclists here and was looking for some input on bikes. Right now budget is around 500$ with the ability to upgrade later on. Thanks.

Have you checked Craigslist? A lot of entry level bikes show up there as the people who bought them decide to upgrade or decide that they just don't like biking. Make sure the bike fits, you get a good deal and inspect the bike for damage. I'm in a similar position. I've got a 20+ year old entry level sport touring bike that actually fits me (short females are not a big market, I guess) and I'm just looking to upgrade the components. I'm getting a lot of 'just replace it with this $1000 bike' attitude from my LBS. I just don't have a grand laying around and I don't ride enough to justify getting another bike.

I spent around $200 on a road bike from Walmart and peddled it around for about a year, then saved up and bought a nice lightweight bike for around $1300. Big difference! Like night and day. With road bikes, the lighter they are the more expensive they are, and the lighter they are, the faster and more comfortable they are.

Heyo, self-designated bike guru checkin' in. This is a pretty dang common question, and I've got a fair amount of experience with helping to answer it, as a result of riding with the most awesome charity team in the whole universe for the last three years (see mine siggy down there). I've seen a lot of people buy their first road bike. What you're seeing isn't elitism by any means, it's simply economics. Most bikes sold in this country are mountain bikes, and so there's been more competition to build them at low cost. There really aren't any Wal-Mart type road bikes (well, there's one, but it uses a number of MTB components) pulling the rest of the market downwards. My "standard" advice is to budget $1000 to get started road biking. This gets a good starter bike - along the lines of a Trek 1.2 or similar - as well as a helmet, a basic tool kit, a couple of spare tubes, an air pump, and some clothes. The good starter bike will be a serious machine, durable, precise, and maintainable (maintainability is a big problem with really cheap Wal-Mart bikes), and worth some upgrades. It won'te be so costly that you'll feel like you wasted money if you stop riding in a couple of years; it won't be a "dream bike," either, but it won't make you dislike riding, which is important - a cheap bike you hate is wasted money. As for buying off Craig's List or eBay, yeah, it can be done, but I'm leery of it, and not so much for the possibility of getting ripped off. Bar none, the most important thing about a road bike is FIT. A good bike shop will fit you properly for your bike, and will make adjustments, and will even swap out the saddle if need be. You can take a bike purchased elsewhere in for that kind of service, but you'll pay for it; my guess is that you wouldn't come out that far ahead. It sounds to me like you need to shop for a shop. I completely understand how some places, staffed by young racer types, seem to look down their noses at recreational riders. The best shops understand that helping someone with their first bike will bring about a long-term relationship. The first question any good shop should ask is "what kind of riding do you want to do?" You need a place that's about bikes and bike culture first, and making lots of money second. Buying in late fall or winter can help bring the price down, particularly if you can find a bike that's being replaced by a new model in the following year. Your hypothetical great bike shop might be able to help you find a local used bike, too; mine maintains a classified ad page on its web site. You can also join your local JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes team; Cannondale is a sponsor, and gives registered riders 20% off any of their products, from $5 water bottles to $9000 Liquigas Team Super Sixes. Of course, you gotta do some fundraising, but there's a lovely ride in Asheville in early August that has a lower fundraising minimum... Or you could just say screw it and get yourself a nice shiny custom Seven! did

Well guys I went out and got one. The wife was nice enough to let me have my birthday and xmas for the next couple of years early. I went with the Trek 1.2, and here's the reasons; I don't really have a lbs where I live and the closest is 20 miles away. The owner there was the best out of all that I talked to, I checked out 4 shops total. He's the only one that didn't push anything or tell me that I had to spend a lot of money and he was more than happy to help with any question I had. It comes in tomorrow and I'm really excited. Gonna be alot of side street riding until I get comfortable and then hopefully some highway, although all I have is 2 laners around me.. gotta figure something out. Thanks for all the help!