Suggestions for a new bike? (Read 1710 times)

    Most bike shops now-a-days realize that the majority of their money is coming from repairs, and so don't really do that anymore boomer. Plus, people move from other places. However, I had a good relationship with my bike shop and they, imo, treated me well. Then again, they also joked that I was the reason they were still open.

     Yeah I can see it changing.  As a person who moves every 3-4 years I try and make a connection in each new location.  I may be the reason some running stores have stayed in business from time to time.

     

    I stand corrected I do believe.

    "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas"  Davy Crockett

      so in a country like japan, where everyone rides a bike, do you still find the same service and quality? it seems like in the states most shops are just barely staying open (sad reality) so its no surprise that they treat us with such care, but im sure they just love what they do.

       


       

       Yeah I can see it changing.  As a person who moves every 3-4 years I try and make a connection in each new location.  I may be the reason some running stores have stayed in business from time to time.

       

       

        so in a country like japan, where everyone rides a bike, do you still find the same service and quality? it seems like in the states most shops are just barely staying open (sad reality) so its no surprise that they treat us with such care, but im sure they just love what they do.

         

         In Japan there are small bike shops everywhere but finding one that knows how to work and has parts for nice road bikes and performance style bikes is a bit more difficult.  Japanese people as a whole are very hard working and their level of customer service exceeds what we in America are used to.  Bike shop is the same as they will order and repair whatever you need done.  They are a bit more expensive these days due to the exchange rate. 

         

        Funny story I got lost when I first got here and the guy motioned for me to follow him and he escorted me a half hour to my destination.  I offered to make it worth his while and he made it clear that it was not necessary. 

         

        The bike shop I use here are some of the best bike mechanics I have ever witnessed.

        "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas"  Davy Crockett

           In Japan there are small bike shops everywhere but finding one that knows how to work and has parts for nice road bikes and performance style bikes is a bit more difficult.  Japanese people as a whole are very hard working and their level of customer service exceeds what we in America are used to.  Bike shop is the same as they will order and repair whatever you need done.  They are a bit more expensive these days due to the exchange rate. 

           

          Funny story I got lost when I first got here and the guy motioned for me to follow him and he escorted me a half hour to my destination.  I offered to make it worth his while and he made it clear that it was not necessary. 

           

          The bike shop I use here are some of the best bike mechanics I have ever witnessed.

          Yeah, try buying an NJS frame in the US. A used one will set you back over a grand.

           

          Kerry1976


          Master of the Side Eye

            I too am looking at buying my first road bike and immediately went to talk to my LBS. In October, I purchased a Trek Pure from him and was hoping to do the same with my first roadie.

             

            However, he only had two road bikes in stock - I think both were 50 or 52cm. Given I'm 5' tall or so, the chances of me actually fitting a 50cm would be pretty low. And of course neither were WSD, and I would like to look at one of those. He said he could, of course, get any Trek bike I wanted, but the idea of buying my first road bike without a test ride, no matter how shaky I am (I've never ridden a road bike), is something I simply can't do.

             

            Trying to figure out how to proceed....try bikes at other shops and buy from him or just shop around. Probably will just shop around for more selection, I guess. I want to give him my business though, so if I find a Trek is my favorite, I'll probably get the specs and buy from him.

            TRUST THE PROCESS

             

             

             


            Why is it sideways?

              Anybody in Philly looking for a bike should start here: Firehouse Bicycles. Super helpful people; they can hook you up!

              Kerry1976


              Master of the Side Eye

                Anybody in Philly looking for a bike should start here: Firehouse Bicycles. Super helpful people; they can hook you up!

                 

                Pretty awesome looking shop. Would def stop in if I lived anywhere close to Philly.

                TRUST THE PROCESS

                 

                 

                 

                Slice


                  I think I may have found the bike for me! Please add any input/advice. I'm right on the fence of the 52 and the 54. Thinking maybe the 54...

                  http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/fens_xi.htm

                  I don't half-ass anything

                   

                  "I have several close friends who have run marathons, a word that is actually derived from two Swahili words: mara, which means 'to die a horrible death' and thon, which means 'for a stupid T-shirt.' Look it up." - Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning

                   

                  zoom-zoom


                  rectumdamnnearkilledem

                    I think I may have found the bike for me! Please add any input/advice. I'm right on the fence of the 52 and the 54. Thinking maybe the 54...

                    http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/fens_xi.htm

                     

                    I might be missing it...but do they have a geometry chart for that bike anywhere?  At the very least you want to make sure that the standover height is not greater than your crotch-to-floor inseam.  For a mtn. bike you'd want a couple of inches clearance.  For a road bike you basically just need to be able to stand over it.  An inch or so of clearance is ideal.  More than that isn't necessary.

                    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                         ~ Sarah Kay

                    zoom-zoom


                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Ok, they apparently have a sort of generic chart.  I'm thinking 54 would be too long through the top tube.  You can always add a longer stem, but if the TT is too long you can't do anything to make your reach shorter.  I'm 5'3.5 (with a proportionately long torso--so I do better on unisex/men's bikes than I do on a WSD frame--you look leggier, so you may be a lot happier on a bike that is built for a woman with longer legs and shorter torso) on a 48cm frame with a 51.5cm top tube, if that gives you any frame of reference.  My existing stem is pretty short (I think maybe 80-90cm...I may go longer, but it would still be on the shorter end of things).

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay


                      Team HTFU NCTR Driver

                        I think I may have found the bike for me! Please add any input/advice. I'm right on the fence of the 52 and the 54. Thinking maybe the 54...

                        http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/fens_xi.htm

                         

                        It looks good - almost too good. The retail price of the Shimano 105 groupset is around $1000, so, corners gotta be cut. Yeah, wholesale on the 105 is probably half the retail for a bulk buyer, but that still doesn't leave much for the frame, fork, and wheels. It's got a cheap crank with throwaway bearings, and the brakes are pretty meh - the low-end Tektros are known for being mushy.

                         

                        The thing I'd be worried about is the return policy. It's only a 30 day thing, after that, you're sunk. Unless you can ride OUTSIDE on real roads, you won't know if it's right for you. Riding a trainer won't tell; riding anything on a trainer sucks goat tongue.

                         

                        I admit to having a low opinion of bikesdirect.com; it probably stems from their apparent primary advertising method, which is to spam message boards...

                         

                        did



                        Slice


                          Ok, they apparently have a sort of generic chart.  I'm thinking 54 would be too long through the top tube.  You can always add a longer stem, but if the TT is too long you can't do anything to make your reach shorter.  I'm 5'3.5 (with a proportionately long torso--so I do better on unisex/men's bikes than I do on a WSD frame--you look leggier, so you may be a lot happier on a bike that is built for a woman with longer legs and shorter torso) on a 48cm frame with a 51.5cm top tube, if that gives you any frame of reference.  My existing stem is pretty short (I think maybe 80-90cm...I may go longer, but it would still be on the shorter end of things).

                          I got measured today and the guy said I could go either way. I do have a pretty long torso and long arms (the trend of "belly" shirts was not a fun time for me!) and the guy at my LBS said I'd probably be better off with a 54. I couldn't look at either in person b/c they had such a limited selection. I would feel more comfortable & better about who I'm supporting if I went with a LBS but with the price range I'm looking at (sub $1,000, pref sub $800) I would be looking at a super entry level bike. Or if I go with Bikes Direct I can get a better bike. I'm still going to check a consignment shop on Friday but this bike looks like the most bang for the buck I've seen.

                          I don't half-ass anything

                           

                          "I have several close friends who have run marathons, a word that is actually derived from two Swahili words: mara, which means 'to die a horrible death' and thon, which means 'for a stupid T-shirt.' Look it up." - Celia Rivenbark, You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning

                           

                          zoom-zoom


                          rectumdamnnearkilledem

                            That's tough if you are in-between sizes and can't do an actual test ride on the bike you buy.  You could either end up cramped or too stretched-out...either option is not ideal.  Were you measured for the specific model/brand you are looking at, or generically?  Different bikes and different brands will tag a bike with a size...but it's all relative.  Kind of like a size 8 shoe won't fit the same in every manufacturer, or even from shoe to shoe in the same brand, KWIM?  A 54 in one brand won't fit like a 54 in another brand.

                             

                            In the end, you may save some $, but you may not end up with a bike that fits you well...and then you won't ride it (ask me about the mountain bike in our garage that is too big for me.  It is physically painful within a half mile.  I ride a mile each way maybe a handful of times every year--that's it).  A less expensive bike that is uncomfortable isn't really money saved, then.  Buying a bike you can't test ride is always a gamble, but it's less of a gamble when you buy it locally from a shop that will stand behind the sale, IMO.

                            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                 ~ Sarah Kay

                            xhristopher


                              Of course, you can't take one's height and say you should ride "x" size bike but, I'm 4 inches taller than you and ride a 54 (seat tube) bike. My top tube is 55, chain stays 41, and head and seat tube angles are both 73. This is the exact same advertised geometry as the bike you're looking at. My last road bike, a Cannondale, was a 56. It initially seemed to fit but ultimately was too big. To deal with this I ended up swapping to a shorter stem. I tell you this because I think it could be a risk for you to buy that 54 not having tried it or having been fitted on it. I've seen lot's of people buy bikes too big for them.

                               

                              I've never been much of a bike shop loyalist but believe you should either know exactly what you need, or test it reasonably well, or have someone help, which, I guess, is what a bike shop does, too often with some degree of bias, IMO. Personally, I'd be uncomfortable buying this bike but, who knows, it could work out great. If your willing to buy a bike based on maximizing the value of components, etc... without riding it first, why not try getting something in the same price range on eBay with even better specs. This "new" Felt, for example, ended at your budget but likely offers a nicer ride and does have better components, wheels, and frame. Knowing what I was looking for, I picked up two "new" Stumpjumpers on ebay at great prices for my wife's parents who ABSOLUTELY LOVE them.

                               

                              Good luck. It's pretty cold and crappy out there so, perhaps waiting another month or two and adding 2-300 to your budget may be worth your while. If you take care of it, your bike could last years and years.

                              xhristopher


                                Time for a little bike porn.