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Recommendations for a road bike newbie



 
 
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  #31  
Old March 14th 05, 06:26 PM
jj
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On Mon, 14 Mar 2005 11:07:25 -0600, Pat Lamb
wrote:

jj wrote:
On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 16:19:24 GMT, TomP wrote:


Decide the maximum you want to spend. Then take 20% from that figure.
With the 80% figure, go to the L.B.S. and have them show you what they have
in YOUR price range. Then buy the bike that speaks to you and fits you
well. Just about anything you buy these days for a grand or more will be
more than adequate for your needs.



I'm curious as to where you get this 20% subtraction?


Makes sense to me on two fronts. First, you probably need some other
stuff -- bike shorts, gloves, jerseys, pedals and/or shoes. May as well
budget for them. Second, even if you don't need that other stuff, the
bike shop staff will show you what more you could get for only a little
bit more, and there's a good chance the buyer will bite. Go in with a
lowball!

Pat


Though I see the 'sense' in what you say, I don't think most people go into
a bike shop and think about 'bike plus accessories'. They typically have a
bike budget and try to get the best buy for that amount and then try to
talk the price down fifty bucks. The 'accessories' (except maybe for pedals
and shoes) are usually not figured in at all. If they're spending 2K bucks
on a bike, they probably have the accessories already, don't you think?

I don't pick a bike based on price except for in a very general sense. I
pick a bike based on certain minimums. I want to avoid picking a bike below
the price point/value point, for instance not picking Sora components
(which are not upgradeable), or paying a few extra bucks for carbon fork or
a lighter bike.

Just found it odd that someone would recommend going with 80% of the
person's probably carefully chosen budget. I don't dispute that your logic
makes sense.

jj

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  #32  
Old March 14th 05, 09:24 PM
Rangersfan
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"jj" wrote in message
...
Makes sense to me on two fronts. First, you probably need some other
stuff -- bike shorts, gloves, jerseys, pedals and/or shoes. May as well
budget for them. Second, even if you don't need that other stuff, the
bike shop staff will show you what more you could get for only a little
bit more, and there's a good chance the buyer will bite. Go in with a
lowball!

Pat


Though I see the 'sense' in what you say, I don't think most people go
into
a bike shop and think about 'bike plus accessories'. They typically have a
bike budget and try to get the best buy for that amount and then try to
talk the price down fifty bucks. The 'accessories' (except maybe for
pedals
and shoes) are usually not figured in at all. If they're spending 2K bucks
on a bike, they probably have the accessories already, don't you think?

I don't pick a bike based on price except for in a very general sense. I
pick a bike based on certain minimums. I want to avoid picking a bike
below
the price point/value point, for instance not picking Sora components
(which are not upgradeable), or paying a few extra bucks for carbon fork
or
a lighter bike.


I already have jerseys, shorts, shoes, pedals, gloves, a helmet, a bike
computer, and a vehicle mount. I already own a hybrid and a mountain bike,
but I've never owned a true road bike. Like you say, I'm not basing my
decision on price.


  #33  
Old March 17th 05, 11:52 PM
Booker C. Bense
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article .com,
Rangersfan wrote:
I'm looking to buy a road bike. I've been checking out the bikes of
some friends, and I have a general idea of what I want, but I'd like
some more input. Here are my particulars. Presently I have a hybrid
that I've been riding for a while. I ride approximately 15 miles per
day about 5 days per week weather permitting. I'd like to go a bit
faster in order to keep up with some of my friends who have road bikes.
I'd also like to participate in some of the advanced club rides in my
area. I don't mind paying what it costs for a quality bike, but I'm 38
years old and I know I'm not going to be setting any records. I'm
basically looking for something that favors comfort over all out
performance. My #1 candidate right now is a Lemond Sarthe, but I'm
open to other suggestions. I'm 5'7" and have a long torso. From what
I've read, some of the Lemond models seem to favor people with longer
torsos, but this may not be true from what little I know about the
subject.


_ That seems like a pretty reasonable choice if it fits, the only
way to know is to ride it and some other similar bikes. There are
two major factors to comfort when it comes to bikes.

1. Does it fit? (i.e. can you get the handlebars high enough?)
If the bike is anywhere near the right size, pretty much
everything but the top tube length can be adjusted. Some how
you need figure out what top tube length works for you.

2. Can you put wider tires on it? That bike comes with
25mm, but nothing adds comfort to a bike like 28mm or even
the blastphemous 32mm tires.

Keep money in your budget to throw away the first saddle and
maybe buy one or two more, I'm not saying that you'll have to
but getting the right saddle is also essentail and is one of
those things that you just have to keep trying until you find
the right one.

_ You might also look at Trek's Pilot line, the compact geometry
tends to work well for long torso'd people.

_ Booker C. Bense




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  #34  
Old March 18th 05, 12:10 AM
Booker C. Bense
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article ,
Rangersfan wrote:
"jj" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 12 Mar 2005 16:19:24 GMT, TomP wrote:

Decide the maximum you want to spend. Then take 20% from that figure.
With the 80% figure, go to the L.B.S. and have them show you what they
have
in YOUR price range. Then buy the bike that speaks to you and fits you
well. Just about anything you buy these days for a grand or more will be
more than adequate for your needs.


I'm curious as to where you get this 20% subtraction?

I would agree that it's important to ride a number of bikes and buy the
one
that 'speaks to you', or makes you smile when you ride it. However it is
difficult to tell just riding around in the LBS parking lot. Ride a number
of different bikes. Don't be too hasty to buy. Look up the bike in the
roadbikereviews.com page and the epinions.com page and check for obvious
problems.


That's my basic strategy right now. I'm not getting in a hurry. I'm just
trying to educate myself so I can make an educated decision when the time
comes. Right now the questions I'm researching a

How much of a difference the different frame materials really have on ride
quality.


_ Religious issue and almost impossible to compare in real life,
since mostly what you feel is dependent on the tire size and how
they are inflated. They are different, but that doesn't neccesary
mean one is better.


Which aspects of frame geometry are best suited for my situation.


_ Effective Top Tube length.... If you're 5'7" and have a
relatively long torso, then compact geometry could work for
you. A longer wheelbase and slacker angles make for a more
comfortable ride as well, but if the bike doesn't feel "twitchy"
to you on a test ride I wouldn't stress over it much.


Which components would really make a difference in my riding experience.
How does Campy Voloce stack up against Shimano Ultegra and should I even
care at my level.


_ I think the only real difference is in the brifters or the
brake shifter units. In terms of snoot level Ultegra is probably
a bit higher, but Veloce is plenty good enough. Pick the one that
you feel most comfortable shifting. There is one mechanical
difference in that Veloce brifters can be repaired were as
Ultegra's can only be replaced.


I'm not looking to buy a bike I might outgrow in a short period of time. I
don't want to spend $1K on a bike that might suit my needs today, but be a
real disappointment when I'm going out on some long club rides in the
future.


_ I would also take a close look at Lemond's Big Sky
bikes.

_ Booker C. Bense



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