Looking to buy new bike

Hi,

I'm wondering if I can get some opinions on a road bike. I've deided to
return to biking after a 19 year layoff. I'm now 36 and have decided to
trade my weightlifting belt for a bike. Can anyone recommend a good
manufacture/model and price range?

My goals would be distance ridinging, probabaly about a good 15-20
miles per ride. I'm 5'6" 180lbs powerlifter. The last time I was on a
bike it was a redline BMX and things have changed a lot since then.

Thanks,

Javier

You probably should go over to rec.bicycles.marketplace or
rec.bicycles.tech for answers to your kind of questions.

But in general - the best bike is one you can buy from your local
DECENT bike shop. That is - go to a bike shop and not a K-Mart.

You're heavy but not a problem if your health is reasonable.

A lot has changed but road bikes are essentially unchanged except they
cost a lot more now.

Tom Kunich a =E9crit :

A lot has changed but road bikes are essentially unchanged except they
cost a lot more now.

My impression is that road bikes cost about the same as they did 20
years ago, if you compare high level bikes of that period and entry
level bikes today, which are much better in most respects.=20

-ilan

wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good
manufacture/model and price range?

Any number of manufacturers and models will give you good service.
Making sure that you get fitted properly is probably the most
important... there are online resources for this, and/or you could have
it done at a good shop. Price range is up to you... you could pay under
$500 for a decent road bike or you could pay a lot more for mostly
esoteric improvements.

Hey, it is almost end-of-year-clearance time!

In article
.com,
wrote:

Hi,

I'm wondering if I can get some opinions on a road bike. I've deided to
return to biking after a 19 year layoff. I'm now 36 and have decided to
trade my weightlifting belt for a bike. Can anyone recommend a good
manufacture/model and price range?

My goals would be distance ridinging, probabaly about a good 15-20
miles per ride. I'm 5'6" 180lbs powerlifter. The last time I was on a
bike it was a redline BMX and things have changed a lot since then.

As others have said get fitted at a bicycle shop
Go to several local bicycle shops and shmooze.

Something to consider: your physique will change. You may lose
weight. You may become more flexible. Try to fit the bicycle for
now and for later. Leave in some adjustment. For instance when you
order the bicycle leave the steering tube long; do not let the
shop cut it down immediately.

rec.bicycles.tech added.

--
Michael Press

If I may criticize this a little - Michael is completely correct that
going from weight lifting to bicycling you are going to see a large
change in your body shape and flexibility.

But my take on this matter is that you will also be learning a lot
about bicycles and developing your own tastes. I don't think that it's
likely that you are going to buy a first time bike that you are going
to be happy with. If for no other reason that curiosity you're going to
want to try different bikes.

So don't worry too much about "the perfect bike" because in a year or
two of riding your ideas of what constitutes a perfect bike are going
to change dramatically.

And simply paying MORE for a bike will generally not get you much
except better components (since Shimano 105 stuff will last 5 years
whose worried?) or a lighter frame. And you are going to lose more
weight from your shoulders, chest and arms than the difference in
weight between a $900 and a $5,000 bike so that should be the last
thing on your agenda.

If someone asked me for a good high end first bike I'd suggest the
Raleigh Pro. But Trek, Specialized and others have equally good
products and it's better to go to a local shop and buy what they have
then to try to get a specific bike unless you REALLY want it.

I had to make the same decision earlier this year and trawled around
the shops looking for a good quality road bike.

Generally, the American designed bikes were more prolific and seemed to
offer more bang for your buck. I liked the Cannondale R600 but in the
end I opted for a Trek 2000 and I'm really pleased with it. It has an
aluminium frame, carbon forks and ultegra gears. It's light, stiff,
smooth and very quick. It retails for =A31500.

Regards
Rich.



wrote:
Hi,

I'm wondering if I can get some opinions on a road bike. I've deided to
return to biking after a 19 year layoff. I'm now 36 and have decided to
trade my weightlifting belt for a bike. Can anyone recommend a good
manufacture/model and price range?

My goals would be distance ridinging, probabaly about a good 15-20
miles per ride. I'm 5'6" 180lbs powerlifter. The last time I was on a
bike it was a redline BMX and things have changed a lot since then.
=20
Thanks,=20
=20
Javier

In article .com,
says...
Hi,
I'm wondering if I can get some opinions on a road bike.

Wrong newsgroup. Try r.b.m or r.b.t.
--------------
Alex

Wow... a lot has changed in 19 years! Bikes are no longer limited to 7
speeds. We have Alum, Titanium and Plastic (Cabon/Boron/etc...) bikes
now, too. Even the prices have changed... 19 years ago $1500 bought a
top of the line bike. Today $1500 gets you into an Entry level Road
bike. The top of the line, Off-the-Shelf bike is $5000-7000 and the
customs start $10K+. Whew...

Guess what! Don't get confused. A nice steel frame bike , ie. Kelly,
($1200 new) will ride as good or better than a nice aluminum frame, ie.
Felt, ($2500 new) and it will ride better than most plastic frames you
can buy from all the major Mfgr's ($4000 new). To match or better the
steel frame's ride in plastic expect to spend $6000+.

Its your personal preference which material your bike frame is made.
Remember all bike frames are stuck in a 2lb. box rule with all the same
geometry, so you are buying just preference in what you like. Ride and
Buy which you like smooth steel or road-feel Alum or _high_ performance
plastic bike. They will all be around 2 libs and ride very differently.

On 8 Aug 2005 23:29:26 -0700, "
wrote:

Wow... a lot has changed in 19 years! Bikes are no longer limited to 7
speeds. We have Alum, Titanium and Plastic (Cabon/Boron/etc...) bikes
now, too. Even the prices have changed... 19 years ago $1500 bought a
top of the line bike. Today $1500 gets you into an Entry level Road
bike. The top of the line, Off-the-Shelf bike is $5000-7000 and the
customs start $10K+. Whew...

1500 bucks gets you a Trek with 105 components which is, istm, an entry
level racing bike, which is a much better ride than you could get for 1500
bucks, or any amount 19 years ago, afaik.

Guess what! Don't get confused. A nice steel frame bike , ie. Kelly,
($1200 new) will ride as good or better than a nice aluminum frame, ie.
Felt, ($2500 new) and it will ride better than most plastic frames you
can buy from all the major Mfgr's ($4000 new). To match or better the
steel frame's ride in plastic expect to spend $6000+.

A top of the line Kelly frame is about 1400:

http://www.kellybike.com/2nd_road2.html

Looks like a nice bike, though! Nice post.

jj

Its your personal preference which material your bike frame is made.
Remember all bike frames are stuck in a 2lb. box rule with all the same
geometry, so you are buying just preference in what you like. Ride and
Buy which you like smooth steel or road-feel Alum or _high_ performance
plastic bike. They will all be around 2 libs and ride very differently.