New Road bike purchase - Opinions?

My LBS has a Lemond Big Sky Road bike:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml

....on sale for $599, being a 2004 close-out. The bike's 'relaxed' geometry
seems to fit me rather well, 55cm frame is 7mm taller than the Trek 7500FX
I'm riding now. When I stand to pedal it's much easier than on the Trek,
which I'm having some problems with now.

It's got Tiagra 8-speed and the LBS will swap out the suspension seat post
for a regular post n/c.

Sound like a good deal? (I don't see the current prices, but the tag says
retail is $799.

They also have the next model up, for $799,

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_sl.shtml

....normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Is that enough of a price break where it's worth the extra $200 or would I
probably not notice a difference?

TIA,

-B

Badger_South wrote:
My LBS has a Lemond Big Sky Road bike:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml
--snip--

They also have the next model up, for $799,

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_sl.shtml

...normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Hey, those look a lot like Cannondale's sport road bikes or the
Specialized Roubaix bikes. Nice choice for fitness riding, IMHO.

I can't tell you which is the better deal, but whichever you choose, I
hope you have a great time with it.

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 23:22:15 GMT, the black rose
wrote:

Badger_South wrote:
My LBS has a Lemond Big Sky Road bike:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml
--snip--

They also have the next model up, for $799,

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_sl.shtml

...normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Hey, those look a lot like Cannondale's sport road bikes or the
Specialized Roubaix bikes. Nice choice for fitness riding, IMHO.

I can't tell you which is the better deal, but whichever you choose, I
hope you have a great time with it.

-km

Except they're aluminum, whereas the Cannondale is steel, I believe. Both
got good reviews on roadbikereview.com.

After some research, it looks like the 'S' is a good deal, and the 'SL',
for $799 is a -great- deal (the SL often goes for $1200bucks).

-B

"Badger_South" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 23:22:15 GMT, the black rose
wrote:

Badger_South wrote:
My LBS has a Lemond Big Sky Road bike:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml
--snip--

They also have the next model up, for $799,

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_sl.shtml

...normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Hey, those look a lot like Cannondale's sport road bikes or the
Specialized Roubaix bikes. Nice choice for fitness riding, IMHO.

I can't tell you which is the better deal, but whichever you choose, I
hope you have a great time with it.

-km

Except they're aluminum, whereas the Cannondale is steel, I believe. Both
got good reviews on roadbikereview.com.

After some research, it looks like the 'S' is a good deal, and the 'SL',
for $799 is a -great- deal (the SL often goes for $1200bucks).

As long as it *fits*, its a good deal. Lemond are known to have a longish
top tube, so it wouldn't be a good choice for some people, i.e., those with
long legs/short torso. Remember, fit, not frame material, should be one of
the main factors in choosing a bike. A poorly fitted bike means you won't
enjoy riding, and how "good" is a bike if it sits in a garage....

On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 16:44:43 -0700, "bfd" wrote:


"Badger_South" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 15 Sep 2004 23:22:15 GMT, the black rose
wrote:

Badger_South wrote:
My LBS has a Lemond Big Sky Road bike:

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_s.shtml
--snip--

They also have the next model up, for $799,

http://www.lemondbikes.com/2004_bikes/big_sky_sl.shtml

...normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Hey, those look a lot like Cannondale's sport road bikes or the
Specialized Roubaix bikes. Nice choice for fitness riding, IMHO.

I can't tell you which is the better deal, but whichever you choose, I
hope you have a great time with it.

-km

Except they're aluminum, whereas the Cannondale is steel, I believe. Both
got good reviews on roadbikereview.com.

After some research, it looks like the 'S' is a good deal, and the 'SL',
for $799 is a -great- deal (the SL often goes for $1200bucks).

As long as it *fits*, its a good deal. Lemond are known to have a longish
top tube, so it wouldn't be a good choice for some people, i.e., those with
long legs/short torso. Remember, fit, not frame material, should be one of
the main factors in choosing a bike. A poorly fitted bike means you won't
enjoy riding, and how "good" is a bike if it sits in a garage....

Hmm, didn't know that. I have long arms. The fit seemed good enough,
although the saddle was tapping me in the crotch/butt area when I stood to
test climb - that seemed a little strange, but I probably could work around
it since it was just lightly doing so - maybe the crank arms were too long
for me?

-B

It's got Tiagra 8-speed and the LBS will swap out the suspension seat post
for a regular post n/c.

They also have the next model up, for $799,

..normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Is that enough of a price break where it's worth the extra $200 or would I
probably not notice a difference?

It depends on how much you plan to ride. I have not fooled around with Tiagra.
Shimano 105 is considered entry level racing and it is what I use. Shimano
105 with proper maintenance will give you quite a few miles before things start
to need replacing.

On 16 Sep 2004 14:24:05 GMT, (Pbwalther) wrote:

It's got Tiagra 8-speed and the LBS will swap out the suspension seat post
for a regular post n/c.

They also have the next model up, for $799,

..normally $1000, with Shimano 105, and some other improvements.

Is that enough of a price break where it's worth the extra $200 or would I
probably not notice a difference?

It depends on how much you plan to ride. I have not fooled around with Tiagra.
Shimano 105 is considered entry level racing and it is what I use. Shimano
105 with proper maintenance will give you quite a few miles before things start
to need replacing.

I do about 100-150miles per week, and need something durable, b/c I weigh
about 225.

When you say 'proper maintenance' do you just mean keeping the chain clean
and lubed? By quite a few miles, can you give a ball park? I'd hope it
would last 2-3 years before needing replacement. I know most dedicated
bikers ride much more than 6,000 miles per year, thus my guess.

-B

Badger_South wrote in
:
When you say 'proper maintenance' do you just mean keeping the chain
clean and lubed? By quite a few miles, can you give a ball park? I'd hope
it would last 2-3 years before needing replacement. I know most dedicated
bikers ride much more than 6,000 miles per year, thus my guess.

Shimano 105 can last 50,000 miles or more with proper maintenance. Chain
maintenance is the most frequent item, but you should clean your brake pads and
lube your hubs periodically as well.

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:11:48 +0000, Ken wrote:

Badger_South wrote in
:
When you say 'proper maintenance' do you just mean keeping the chain
clean and lubed? By quite a few miles, can you give a ball park? I'd
hope
it would last 2-3 years before needing replacement. I know most
dedicated
bikers ride much more than 6,000 miles per year, thus my guess.

Shimano 105 can last 50,000 miles or more with proper maintenance. Chain
maintenance is the most frequent item, but you should clean your brake
pads and
lube your hubs periodically as well.

I've already replace my Shimano 600 brake pads, with about 1 year of
riding. The new pads are nicer, though (some type of red compound that
has much better wet stopping ability).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 15:11:48 +0000, Ken wrote:

Shimano 105 can last 50,000 miles or more with proper maintenance. Chain
maintenance is the most frequent item, but you should clean your brake
pads and lube your hubs periodically as well.

Yeah, I've had great experience with 105 as well. The parts that wear like
chains and cassette are going to cost the same to replace on either group
if you go aftermarket. If you trash a 105 derailleur, they're only around
35 bucks to replace. The brifters seem to be the same quality as Tiagra to
me at least, so it really shouldn't "feel" any different.

Save the 200 bucks and get some fun doo-dads to bolt onto the bike.