Best bike for the money

I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.
thanks

tonyfranciozi wrote:
I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

Modern lugged steel frames aren't going to be inexpensive. If cost is
your main concern, look for a complete bike with an aluminum frame.

The Trek 1000 comes to mind as a good candidate (if you're looking for
a road bike):
http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=7009

What kind of riding do you want to do? Maybe a hybrid bike would be a
better (and less expensive) choice.

Art Harris

On Mar 27, 1:36 pm, "Art Harris" wrote:
tonyfranciozi wrote:
I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

Modern lugged steel frames aren't going to be inexpensive. If cost is
your main concern, look for a complete bike with an aluminum frame.

The Trek 1000 comes to mind as a good candidate (if you're looking for
a road bike):http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=7009

What kind of riding do you want to do? Maybe a hybrid bike would be a
better (and less expensive) choice.

Art Harris

I'm mostly looking at older lugged frames. The bike i have now is
fine for commuting i'm looking for a rode bike to go on fast rides
with. Also, prices being equal, is it better to buy a new midrange
frame or an old high end frame?

On Mar 27, 1:44 pm, "tonyfranciozi" wrote:
On Mar 27, 1:36 pm, "Art Harris" wrote:





tonyfranciozi wrote:
I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

Modern lugged steel frames aren't going to be inexpensive. If cost is
your main concern, look for a complete bike with an aluminum frame.

The Trek 1000 comes to mind as a good candidate (if you're looking for
a road bike):http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=7009

What kind of riding do you want to do? Maybe a hybrid bike would be a
better (and less expensive) choice.

Art Harris

I'm mostly looking at older lugged frames. The bike i have now is
fine for commuting i'm looking for a rode bike to go on fast rides
with. Also, prices being equal, is it better to buy a new midrange
frame or an old high end frame?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I think you're going to have a lot of trouble in that price range
finding a new "real" road bike. If you do find one and are happy with
it, let us know what it was!

For comparison purposes, I got an email from a LBS in the area via
NEMBA who's doing a big sale on leftovers. Even with the leftover
discounts, they didn't have anything with drop bars for under $584.
There 2 cheapest options were $584, and it was all up from there.
These prices seemed inline with what I am used to seeing, unless I'm
in a "bike section" of a store that does a million things, and isn't
too concerned with bikes (i.e. Philbrick's, shady grumble grumble).
I'd avoid these places.

They did have a couple flat bar road/fitness bikes for not too much
over 400, and every hybrid but one was under or around $400, with
Giants from $270 & Bianchis from $320.

That said my speculation is that you'd be better off going used,
unless some sort of hybrid/flat bar deal fits your needs. Where
you're already riding on drops and looking to step up the performance,
I doubt these less expensive and heavier bikes will be in line with
your needs. If you're shopping used I suggest the best fitting bike
you can find, as opposed to worrying yourself trying to find a
specific model in your size.

tony franciozi wrote:
I'm mostly looking at older lugged frames. The bike i have now is
fine for commuting i'm looking for a rode bike to go on fast rides
with. Also, prices being equal, is it better to buy a new midrange
frame or an old high end frame.

Unless you have a good source of parts, it's more cost effective to
buy a complete bike. That being said, I've built up at least three
frames over the years for various reasons (all lugged steel).

If you want to buy a used, lugged-steel frame, there are lots of good
ones on eBay. Many mid to late '80s frames were of good quality, and
provided better geometry and tire clearance that most modern frames.

Things to watch out for: French or Swiss threads which will be hard or
impossible to get parts for. Frames designed for long reach brakes.
Frames with other that standard down tube shift bosses.

I currently have two mid '80s steel frames fiited out with modern 9-
speed drivetrains. The best of both worlds!

Art Harris

On 27 Mar 2007 10:23:03 -0700, "tonyfranciozi"
wrote:

Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

I think that a Soma Smoothie or Smoothie comes close to what you are
looking for. It isn't lugged but it is very well designed and made.
www.somafab.com

I'm mostly looking at older lugged frames. The bike i have now is
fine for commuting i'm looking for a rode bike to go on fast rides
with. Also, prices being equal, is it better to buy a new midrange
frame or an old high end frame?

I wouldn't get too hung up on construction methods, or even materials. Older
lugged steel frames, for example, are far more likely to get damaged in a
frontal crash than their modern tig-welded cousins, which are often built
with stronger air-hardened steels. Lugged steel frames (at least high-end
ones) have an aesthetic thing going for them you don't find elsewhere. But
from a functional standpoint (and functional is really what you should be
looking for in an entry-level first road bike), your concerns should be-

#1: Fit. Don't compromise on fit. Getting a great deal on a bike that's the
wrong size is a bad move.

#2: Suitability to task. Double or triple crankset? Don't just think about
today; think about the sort of places you might want to ride in the summer.
Or next year. And if you see yourself carrying much while commuting, you're
going to want something with a bit longer wheelbase and clearance for wider
tires.

Your price range is underneath what you can buy a high-quality new road bike
for; generally you're going to be in the $600-$700 range. The advantages of
buying new will be that, at a better shop, you're getting fit expertise
along with the bike, and a place that maintains a sense of ownership if
anything's not quite right. Also a warranty.

You *may* get a better deal on a used bike... but you have to be careful.
Aside from getting the fit correct (which is more than just standing over
the bike), you'll also want to inspect it carefully for any signs of having
been crashed, check the rims for any denting or excessive wear on the sides,
and make sure that any upgrades you might want to do for it won't end up
driving the cost up higher than a new bike (adding STI integrated
brake/shift levers, for example). Also, many people simply want more than
their old bike is worth. Still, there can be some killer deals out there if
you're patient.

You might check out this article on our website, which will help you
evaluate bikes when you test ride them. It's one of the few things I've
written that's entirely brand & material neutral.
www.ChainReaction.com/roadbikethestrides.htm.

Good luck and have fun riding-

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA
"tonyfranciozi" wrote in message

On 27 Mar 2007 10:36:02 -0700, "Art Harris" wrote:

tonyfranciozi wrote:
I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

Modern lugged steel frames aren't going to be inexpensive. If cost is
your main concern, look for a complete bike with an aluminum frame.

The Trek 1000 comes to mind as a good candidate (if you're looking for
a road bike):
http://brandscycle.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=7009

What kind of riding do you want to do? Maybe a hybrid bike would be a
better (and less expensive) choice.

Yeah.

And if you know bikes well *perhaps* the best value would be a used
bike.
--
JT
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tonyfranciozi wrote:
I've been riding a modified(drop bars, no fenders, ect) armstrong 3-
speed for the past year or so and am looking for something a bit more
performance oriented. My question is, what is the best road bike for
the money? Obviously thats nothing with collector appeal (cinelli,
masi, ect) I'm mostly looking at lugged steel frames as this is what
i'm familiar with. Are there any good quality underrated frames out
there? Looking for something under $400.

For under $400 in lugged steel, you are either looking at used bikes or
theft. With used, you have to concentrate more on getting your size
than anything else. With theft, you have to get out of the shop before
someone sees you. You choose.

I recommend you unbend a bit in terms of frame material. You can get a
halfway-decent bike for that money, but the frame will be aluminum.

--

David L. Johnson

Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig...
You soon find out the pig likes it!

tonyfranciozi wrote:

I'm mostly looking at older lugged frames. The bike i have now is
fine for commuting i'm looking for a rode bike to go on fast rides
with. Also, prices being equal, is it better to buy a new midrange
frame or an old high end frame?

It really is not clear. Once you get old enough to find a high-end
frame at that price, you may be getting into either obsolete components
or the possibility of hidden damage.

But even mid-range bikes will be more than $400, by quite a bit. That
price range is essentially hybrids and mountain bikes, nothing for fast
club rides.

--

David L. Johnson

Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig...
You soon find out the pig likes it!