amh wrote:
wrote in message ...


Please help with opinions. Are the two sale bikes good deals? Should I buy
the serotta just because it is the most expensive. Should I buy the Lemond
because it is the cheapest. They all ride very nice, but I am new at this
and I can't really distinguish between a GREAT ride and a VERY GOOD ride and
I don't want to repurchase next year because I missed something.


I've been riding at a little more than your level (occasional
triathlon and riding mostly for my own pleasure) for 10 years and
still can't distinguish from a great ride and a very good ride. I know
the beater bike I ride to work every day is a passable ride. I know my
road bikes are a nice ride.

Alas, a great ride, for an amateur has more than the bike as a factor.
I've spent 9 of the past 10 months doing training rides, whether I liked
them or not (mostly did not) on a bike I've been happy with for years.
The quality of the rides were very low as a medication affected liver
function and required me to eat like mad to keep strength up. Two weeks
clear of the medication and everything clicked a training ride was one
of the finest I'd had since I could remember, ascending steep grades
with speed and stamina and dieseling long flats.

So it's going to be subjective. The weather, how you feel, how the
saddle feels, etc. I haven't known whether I like a particular bike
until I've put in a solid ride, including as much variety as possible
(which is easy here.) Ideally you put a paper bag over the bike so you
don't know which you are riding and get all that image nonsense out of
your head.

The folks than can make this distinction are those who contest sprints
or want to climb faster than the rest of the group or need a
responsive bike for the Tuesday night crit. Unless you are at that
level or hope to approach that level what you ride will not be
noticed.

Sure it will. But subjectivity is a challenge to overcome.

Ride what feels comfortable. I'd be more concerned with the value I'm
getting in the componants than the frames.

At our level if you prefer the paint job on either of your choices
you're still getting a good enough ride.

my $0.02
Andy

Maybe if he's only interested in staying at a low level. I destroyed a
few bikes before I learned to pick one which could handle what I put it
through. Granted, todays bikes are quite a bit better, so long as you
stay away from the boat-anchors they sell at Target, CostCo, etc.