recommendation on a road bike for triathlon and century rides

Hi bikers,

Recently, I signed up with Team In Trainig for my first half-ironman
(or any triathlon for that matter) - The Big Kahuna tri in Santa Cruz,
CA. The training is going to start soon and I don't have a bike yet! I
am desperately looking for some recco. I have been browsing through
various bike sites and newsgroups and have gained a lot of useful
info. However, I am still not able to make up my mind since my budget
is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so brands like Trek,
Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach. BTW, I don't need a
tri-specific bike as I hope to do century rides in the future.

Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan. I
am going to Chainreaction (in Los Altos) this weekend to get my size
info so that I can order on the web if I have to, though, I wish I
could ride these bikes just to get an idea of how it feels but then I
don't have anything to compare it with as its been years since I rode
a bike. Does anybody know a LBS (performance?) in Silicon Valley that
might have a good road bike for my price range?

Any pointers or suggestions are highly appreciated.

thanks!
-RA

On 2004-05-07, CatcherInTheRye wrote:

Recently, I signed up with Team In Trainig for my first half-ironman
(or any triathlon for that matter) - The Big Kahuna tri in Santa Cruz,
CA. The training is going to start soon and I don't have a bike yet! I

Congratulations! You'd better get a bike soon though, so you can
work out all the inevitable little annoying problems before the event.

is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so brands like Trek,
Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach. BTW, I don't need a
tri-specific bike as I hope to do century rides in the future.

Here is just one of quite a few quality, major brand bikes that fit
within your budget:
Bianchi Brava, $649: http://www.bianchiusa.com/brava.html

am going to Chainreaction (in Los Altos) this weekend to get my size
info so that I can order on the web if I have to, though, I wish I

Chain Reaction is a good shop. Stick with shops of that quality
and you won't go wrong. Bicycle Outfitter in Los Altos (963
Fremont Avenue, Los Altos, CA 94024) is another fine establishment.
Performance is a good mail order establishment but is not known for
customer care in their LBSes--but YMMV.

Basically, your plan is sound. Go to Chain Reaction, then stop by
the Outfitter or another shop of your choice to get a different
point of view; then make your decision and buy a bike. I encourage
you to buy from an LBS, though, and not off the web. The LBS will
offer many benefits if you buy the bike from them, and especially
their tuneup/service plan will be of value to you.

Best of luck in your tri and beyond!

Greg
--
Gregory S. Sutter "How do I read this file?"
"You uudecode it."
http://zer0.org/~gsutter/ "I I I decode it?"

Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan. I
am going to Chainreaction (in Los Altos) this weekend to get my size
info so that I can order on the web if I have to, though, I wish I
could ride these bikes just to get an idea of how it feels but then I
don't have anything to compare it with as its been years since I rode
a bike. Does anybody know a LBS (performance?) in Silicon Valley that
might have a good road bike for my price range?

Any pointers or suggestions are highly appreciated.

thanks!
-RA

Whenever I have people ask me for suggestions on a bike but with a
very limited budget, I always suggest looking for a used bike. There
are many good values out there to be had. Lots of people upgrade and
change their bikes often. Have a look at Ebay to get an idea but I'd
recommend shopping at your LBS that sells used or maybe has a bulletin
board with stuff for sale and your local "For Sale" paper. Either of
these options are good as you can see it an try it out. If you are
buying from a private seller you can always ask to take it to a shop
to have it checked out for condition and fit. If a seller won't allow
it, move on. You should be able to save 25-50% of the cost of new.
In fact, if you find a Tri bike that's fitted with Tri stuff you
probably won't pay much on the dollar for the added options. In my
mind this is the best way to get quality gear on a limited budget.

Good luck,

Neil

Catcherintherye wrote:
Hi bikers,
Recently, I signed up with Team In Trainig for my first half- ironman
(or any triathlon for that matter) - The Big Kahuna tri in Santa Cruz,
CA. The training is going to start soon and I don't have a bike yet! I
am desperately looking for some recco. I have been browsing
through various bike sites and newsgroups and have gained a lot of
useful info. However, I am still not able to make up my mind since
my budget is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so
brands like Trek, Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach.
BTW, I don't need a tri-specific bike as I hope to do century
rides in the future.
Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan. I am
going to Chainreaction (in Los Altos) this weekend to get my size info
so that I can order on the web if I have to, though, I wish I could ride
these bikes just to get an idea of how it feels but then I don't have
anything to compare it with as its been years since I rode a bike. Does
anybody know a LBS (performance?) in Silicon Valley that might have a
good road bike for my price range?
Any pointers or suggestions are highly appreciated.
thanks! -RA


Be sure and tell the guys at the bike shop that you have no intention o
buying from them, that you just want to use their knowledge and the
order off the web... they appreciate folks like you

Honestly, ask the people in your Team in Training group to help you. Yo
don't want to buy a used bike OR a mail order bike unless you know wha
you're doing, but someone in the team will be able to give specifi
advice for you


-

However, I am still not able to make up my mind since my budget
is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so brands like Trek,
Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach. BTW, I don't need a
tri-specific bike as I hope to do century rides in the future.

Not sure why you believe that to be true; for $750 you can get a TREK 1200
with Tiagra components, lightweight aluminum frame and carbon fork. Quite a
nice bike for the price (and much better than you could get for $1000 just a
couple years ago). Add clipless pedals (about $35 more) and you're set as
far as the bike goes.

The best thing about buying from a local shop will be the support that goes
with the purchase. For example, we'll take great care to get the initial
fit right, but will continue to work with you down the road, even on an
entry-level bike. You might find yourself comfortable with a relatively
relaxed position now, for example, but want to try out something a bit more
aggressive as you close in on your event. What a decent shop offers with a
bike purchase is often something a "fitter" might charge a whole lot of
money for with each visit.

Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan.

Nothing wrong with components made in Taiwan per se, but there are
significant differences in quality and warranty support from one company to
another, especially when you're comparing a business that doesn't sell
retail (since they're not nearly as concerned with the quality of the goods
since they don't have to keep picky bike shop mechanics happy). A good shop
filters out the riff-raff and typically deals only with those companies that
really stand behind their product.

There's also great value in test-riding a bike, since frame geometry and
construction makes for a very large difference between one bike and the
next. You should check out this article on our website to get a good idea
of what to look for when evaluating bikes-

http://www.chainreaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"CatcherInTheRye" wrote in message
om...
Hi bikers,

Recently, I signed up with Team In Trainig for my first half-ironman
(or any triathlon for that matter) - The Big Kahuna tri in Santa Cruz,
CA. The training is going to start soon and I don't have a bike yet! I
am desperately looking for some recco. I have been browsing through
various bike sites and newsgroups and have gained a lot of useful
info. However, I am still not able to make up my mind since my budget
is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so brands like Trek,
Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach. BTW, I don't need a
tri-specific bike as I hope to do century rides in the future.

Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan. I
am going to Chainreaction (in Los Altos) this weekend to get my size
info so that I can order on the web if I have to, though, I wish I
could ride these bikes just to get an idea of how it feels but then I
don't have anything to compare it with as its been years since I rode
a bike. Does anybody know a LBS (performance?) in Silicon Valley that
might have a good road bike for my price range?

Any pointers or suggestions are highly appreciated.

thanks!
-RA

Mike,

I did go to Chainreaction (at Los Altos) on Sat and there was only
Trek 1000 available under $1000 - Two models - 2003 and 2004. I just
browsed through the bikes and didn't ride any. I didn't see any Trek
1200... Perhaps its there in the other location?! I also went to
Bicyle Outfitters and they only had a Bianchi Brava for around $600.

BTW, I did check various articles on your website and found them to be
very informative.

-RA


"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message . com...
However, I am still not able to make up my mind since my budget
is around $700 (with about $300 for accessories) so brands like Trek,
Specialized, C-dale etc seem to be out of reach. BTW, I don't need a
tri-specific bike as I hope to do century rides in the future.

Not sure why you believe that to be true; for $750 you can get a TREK 1200
with Tiagra components, lightweight aluminum frame and carbon fork. Quite a
nice bike for the price (and much better than you could get for $1000 just a
couple years ago). Add clipless pedals (about $35 more) and you're set as
far as the bike goes.

The best thing about buying from a local shop will be the support that goes
with the purchase. For example, we'll take great care to get the initial
fit right, but will continue to work with you down the road, even on an
entry-level bike. You might find yourself comfortable with a relatively
relaxed position now, for example, but want to try out something a bit more
aggressive as you close in on your event. What a decent shop offers with a
bike purchase is often something a "fitter" might charge a whole lot of
money for with each visit.

Bikesdirect.com has deals on Mercier road bikes (ya, I know the whole
story of using a defunct company name). Another website,
bicycleblowout.com also sells bikes with components made in Taiwan.

Nothing wrong with components made in Taiwan per se, but there are
significant differences in quality and warranty support from one company to
another, especially when you're comparing a business that doesn't sell
retail (since they're not nearly as concerned with the quality of the goods
since they don't have to keep picky bike shop mechanics happy). A good shop
filters out the riff-raff and typically deals only with those companies that
really stand behind their product.

There's also great value in test-riding a bike, since frame geometry and
construction makes for a very large difference between one bike and the
next. You should check out this article on our website to get a good idea
of what to look for when evaluating bikes-

http://www.chainreaction.com/roadbiketestrides.htm

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I did go to Chainreaction (at Los Altos) on Sat and there was only
Trek 1000 available under $1000 - Two models - 2003 and 2004. I just
browsed through the bikes and didn't ride any. I didn't see any Trek
1200...

I just downloaded the current inventory from our Los Altos store; looks like
they only have two 1200s in stock at the moment. I'll try to re-balance the
inventory by the end of the week (we've got all sizes in stock in Redwood
City).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Please support your local shop! You could not make a bigger mistake
than buying a complete bike mail order!

Evan Evans wrote:
Please support your local shop! You could not make a bigger mistake than
buying a complete bike mail order!



Let's keep our perspective here.

LOTS of folks would not only argue with that statement as it concerns
the bikes they purchased, but others would say that buying a bike in any
regard is galaxies from the world of "real" mistakes.



--