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Advice for Entry Road Bike
Guys, what's going on? I am looking into getting a basic road bike for about
$ 500-700. Last time I rode a 20yo Panasonic until it was stolen 2 years ago. I am moving back to the States and looking to get back on the horse, but don't know where I should look. I looked at KHS and Trek. But have not gone further into it. Maybe you can suggest something. Thanks a lot for the help. _______ C A III A |
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Guys, what's going on? I am looking into getting a basic road bike for
about $ 500-700. Last time I rode a 20yo Panasonic until it was stolen 2 years ago. I am moving back to the States and looking to get back on the horse, but don't know where I should look. I looked at KHS and Trek. But have not gone further into it. Maybe you can suggest something. Thanks a lot for the help. The TREK 1000 is a very nice entry-level machine, much nicer than what was available for that price just a short time ago (the carbon fork is a feature added for the '05 model). There are going to be some other nice machines out there as well, although I can only speak to those that I'm familiar with (which, naturally enough, are those that I sell). But aside from the bike itself, there are two other things to consider. First is the quality of the shop. Consider how well they assemble it, and later take care of it if something isn't quite right (which can vary greatly from shop to shop, and has more to do with their attitude in terms of keeping you on the bike and making sure your investment pays off). Ask yourself if it seems like you'd be comfortable going back to them for such things. Second, your enjoyment of the bike is greatly dependent upon how well they fit it to you. Do they take the time to check out your position on the bike, and watch you actually ride it (even a parking lot ride can tell a lot)? Or do they just have you stand over the top tube and tell you "Looks good!" and leave it at that? Finally, as far as test-riding goes, you might check out this article on our website- www.ChainReaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm. It's one of the few that are entirely unbiased (doesn't talk about brands or say that one frame material is superior to another), but gives you an idea of how the bike should be set up and what to look for. Hope this helps- --Mike Jacoubowsky Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member |
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C A III A wrote:
Guys, what's going on? I am looking into getting a basic road bike for about $ 500-700. Last time I rode a 20yo Panasonic until it was stolen 2 years ago. I am moving back to the States and looking to get back on the horse, but don't know where I should look. I looked at KHS and Trek. But have not gone further into it. Maybe you can suggest something. Thanks a lot for the help. There's something to be said for shopping for a bike shop. Find a bike shop that you like, that you feel comfortable in. Then discuss with them what kind of riding you want to do and how much you want to spend and let them show you some bikes that fit the bill. The major bike manufacturers all make good bikes; the trick is just finding one that suits your personal geometry. Good luck and have fun. :-) -km -- Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts proud to be owned by a yorkie |
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On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 20:15:19 +0000, C A III A wrote:
Guys, what's going on? I am looking into getting a basic road bike for about $ 500-700. Last time I rode a 20yo Panasonic until it was stolen 2 years ago. I am moving back to the States and looking to get back on the horse, but don't know where I should look. I looked at KHS and Trek. But have not gone further into it. Maybe you can suggest something. Thanks a lot for the help. Others have covered the good shop aspect, so I won't discuss it. Definitely get a bike that fits you well. This is essential and really colors your experience. You won't want to ride an ill-fitting bike, and a bike that fits well feels like a dream. I encourage you to look at touring bikes. This gets you drop bars, reasonably skinny tires, etc. -- a machine designed to be used on the roads, but not a racing bike (which is what most "road" bikes are designed to be). These machines have gearing for normal people, and sacrifice a few grams for durability and comfort. Specific product endorsement: I ride a 2004 Jamis Aurora and find it fabulous. It cost $730 new. HTH Reid |
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Giant makes 3 levels of road bikes, one around 600, one around 800,
one around 1000. ocr1, ocr2, ocr3. They look like really good bikes. |
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Giant makes 3 levels of road bikes, one around 600, one around 800,
one around 1000. ocr1, ocr2, ocr3. They look like really good bikes. Only if you buy into the idea that bikes only need to come in a couple sizes and can be stretched or shrunk to fit. I'm not convince that's a good idea. Saves Giant a ton of money, but... --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReactionBicycles.com |
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Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Giant makes 3 levels of road bikes, one around 600, one around 800, one around 1000. ocr1, ocr2, ocr3. They look like really good bikes. Only if you buy into the idea that bikes only need to come in a couple sizes and can be stretched or shrunk to fit. I'm not convince that's a good idea. Saves Giant a ton of money, but... Well, if you come close to the right size for the bike, it's fairly nice. I was happy with the fit of my OCR2, it was the lack of clearance for a rear fender, and lack of eyelets that made it not the best bike. But it worked as a first bike for me. After riding it I knew more *precisely* what I did want out of a bike. -- Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about. -- John von Neumann |
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