Bicycles

[racedoll]

What is your preference on brand? Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc?

I'm looking for a good entry level road bike.

[Amber Lamps]

What is your preference on brand? Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc?

I'm looking for a good entry level road bike.

Specialized

[azoomm]

Depends, how much do you want to spend? :lol:

http://www.roadbikereview.com/ Shop the hot deals.

Actually, before you do ANYTHING - go to your local bike shop and get fitted. :wink:

[racedoll]

Depends, how much do you want to spend? :lol:

http://www.roadbikereview.com/ Shop the hot deals.

Actually, before you do ANYTHING - go to your local bike shop and get fitted. :wink:

I've done this and have road a few different bikes/brands. I know which one I like but I want to hear what others had to say.

My budget has drastically increased, but the more it increases the longer it will be until I can make the purchase.

[Cutty72]

Fleet farm special $69.99

[Cruzergirl]

Actually, before you do ANYTHING - go to your local bike shop and get fitted. :wink:

Absolutely. Don't buy brand, buy fit.

For the record, I bought a Felt. It fit me the best.

[wildchild]

g/f and I have Trek, my son has a Felt. they are very comparable in quality.

[askmrjesus]

Any brand that can stay out my way.

JC

[CrazyKell]

I'm so jealous. But like others have said, buy fit not brand.

Do you have a local bike show you can go to? I found the best deals at the spring bicycle show.

I ride an old school, snoop style bike with a banana seat. It's my pit bike. :lmao:

[Cruzergirl]

This is mine. Exactly. Well, minus 4 years and mine is creamsicle orange. :lol:

[azoomm]

I've done this and have road a few different bikes/brands. I know which one I like but I want to hear what others had to say.

My budget has drastically increased, but the more it increases the longer it will be until I can make the purchase.

Really, there is nothing worse than buying a bike and it not fitting - it might feel ok, but the FIT is really important.

My current favorite is my Bianchi. It's a single speed, I get an awesome workout on it. To "shift" I simply work harder. My workhorse is my BMC, it's my tri-bike, I can do distances [and hills] that I wouldn't dream of on my SS.

Like others say - it's about fit, not brand. The brands now are quite close as far as the beginner bikes go. It's more about the components on them. Like, a beginner Grouppo.....

[Rider]

This is mine. Exactly. Well, minus 4 years and mine is creamsicle orange. :lol:

A buddy of mine here at work who does triathlons has a Felt. $6000 for a bicycle? That's fucking nuts.

I have a 15 yo GT mountain bike. Still in great condition. I've been a fan of GT bikes since I got my first BMX bike nearly 35 years ago.

[Cutty72]

No doubt, 6K that fucker better pull me around, I sure as hell don't want to have to PEDAL!

[Cruzergirl]

A buddy of mine here at work who does triathlons has a Felt. $6000 for a bicycle? That's fucking nuts.

I have a 15 yo GT mountain bike. Still in great condition. I've been a fan of GT bikes since I got my first BMX bike nearly 35 years ago.

Got mine for $1600. For me, it's the perfect bike. I don't know that I would pay $6000 for the perfect bike though...:lol::screwy:

[CrazyKell]

I remember paying $1800 for my first mountain bike when I was into racing. I worked all summer to buy that damn thing!

Now, this is what I ride. Not quite the same but my grin is ear to ear when I'm on this thing. (only mine's black)

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/XcrazykellX/bananaseat.jpg

[Cutty72]

This is the closest thing I can find to what I'm rollin'

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_080W115271110001P?vName=Fitness+%26a mp;+Sports&cName=Bikes+%26amp;+Accessories&sName=Bikes&keyword=mens+bicycle&prdNo=18&event29=18&eVar28=G18

[azoomm]

I remember paying $1800 for my first mountain bike when I was into racing. I worked all summer to buy that damn thing!

Now, this is what I ride. Not quite the same but my grin is ear to ear when I'm on this thing. (only mine's black)

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d60/XcrazykellX/bananaseat.jpg

:)

We have a sick addiction to things with wheels in our household. Bicycles are included in that. My husband used to build them for other people [as a side job/for fun]. Now, he just builds them for us :lol:

My Puch - got the frame from Yellow Bike, the rest was just bonus. It now has red wheels and a great bell... I use it to ride to school and the store.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b56/azoomm/_Bicycle/Bicycle008.jpg

[CrazyKell]

Awesome Moira!

I just put a bell on mine on the weekend. I just ring-a-ding ding it for fun! :lmao:

[z06boy]

Awesome Moira!

I just put a bell on mine on the weekend. I just ring-a-ding ding it for fun! :lmao:

:lol: We rented bikes in San Francisco and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and my bike had a bell so I just had to keep ringing it. :rofl:

[azoomm]

Awesome Moira!

I just put a bell on mine on the weekend. I just ring-a-ding ding it for fun! :lmao:

I have a guy that has one on his race bike - everytime he goes past the track marshall... ring-ding, ring-ding :lol:

There is just SOMETHING about a bike bell...

[Dave]

i miss my cannondale :(

[Sean]

I have a 20-year old Schwinn Circuit that I never ride. I got a Kona Dawg off a guy on my local forum for 600 bux...he rode it twice. Tough as nails, way tougher (read: heavier) than I needed, but nice bike and couldn't beat the price.

Then I went camping and this happened:

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x3/ignatius_reilly/4615_1155975063209_1342706113_40386.jpg

D'oh.

I claimed it on my homeowners' insurance. They asked me to get an estimate to fix it. Of course the estimate was way more than the bike was worth. But they paid out that amount, minus my deductible, instead of the cost of the bike itself. So I got 1200 bux, then I sold the smashed bike for 220 bux on Craigslist. Net profit: $820.

I then found a Kona Dawg Deluxe on closeout for absolutely stupid cheap. I was shopping XC bikes but I figured for the price this thing was probably a better climber than the XCs in that price range would have cost.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x3/ignatius_reilly/PIC-0036.jpg

[Kaneman]

Fit over Brand definitely. All the top bike makers make an excellent product. Stay away from the absolute entry-level bikes and you're bound to get a quality piece of hardware.

I prefer older or more rare road bikes, and new, technology heavy mountain bikes. For the street I have a newer Trek 1200 and a 1994 Bridgestone RB1. I prefer riding the RB1, despite being older and having downshift levers it transfers power beautifully.

My wife rides a Tommasso and Peugeot road bike and loves them both.

[Sean]

I get frustrated with cardio. It seems with weights, I put on some strength and it stays there for a really long time. If I get into a little cardio shape, if I stop for a month it's aaaaaaalll gone. Every ounce of it, and I'm back to resting three times just to get up my in-shape warmup hill.

[CrazyKell]

Sean...how exactly did "that" happen? :scratch:

[Homeslice]

Go to a shop, get fitted, then leave and shop craigslist. Bike shop prices are pretty much ripoff, even for used bikes.

[askmrjesus]

Sean...how exactly did "that" happen? :scratch:

It was an Avalanche.

JC

[anthonyk]

Really, there is nothing worse than buying a bike and it not fitting - it might feel ok, but the FIT is really important.


No doubt. I'd always wanted a Dean titanium road bike, and found a great deal on ebay. Too bad it was about 1 or 2 cm too big. I tried for years, and never got it to fit right. Had to sell it eventually.

[Smittie61984]

I have a Trek Discovery Edition. Basically the Repsol of the bike world. Fancy looking but nothing over the top about it. However I use it in Triathlons and many road conditions and I love it. I bought it used and it's still been great.

On a road bike make sure you get fitted correctly on it or you're going to be hating life.

[Sean]

Sean...how exactly did "that" happen? :scratch:

3 people were unloading my truck, I had no idea someone took the bike out, much less that it was on the ground right next to it.

[racedoll]

Do you have a local bike show you can go to? I found the best deals at the spring bicycle show.


Yep. Been to 4 of them now to ride various bikes/brands as each carry something a little different whether it be the same brand but different model or completely different brand.

i miss my cannondale :(

This is what I'm leaning toward right now as it feels the best. I have to wonder if it feels the best because whomever put it together just happened to have adjustments made that feel good to me. Where if adjust another brand or bike, maybe it will feel just as good or better. Then again maybe it never will.

Go to a shop, get fitted, then leave and shop craigslist. Bike shop prices are pretty much ripoff, even for used bikes.

I've been looking but no luck.

[wildchild]

Go to a shop, get fitted, then leave and shop craigslist. Bike shop prices are pretty much ripoff, even for used bikes.


I'm not sure how that would help. I bought all of our bikes at a local shop, scored great deals on all, and all were fitted to us.
roughly 15-20 minutes on a little bike trainer with shop owner adjusting the bike to your body.
once you and a bike are fitted it wouldn't do any good to shop CL because you would still have to "fit" a bike you would purchase.
other than to have them tell you what frame size to look for, the other adjustments would still need to be done.

[azoomm]

No, not have the bike fitted. Be measured and told what size is right for you. That is what we mean by getting fitted. :wink:

Riding a bike and it "feeling good" < right size/fit.

[anthonyk]

Knowing the right size based on your measurements is great, but having a pro make all the adjustments to the seat and bars is also a really great thing. I got a workup done about 10 years ago at Eric Heiden's sports medicine clinic when he was in Sacramento, and I still use those measurements to set up all of my bikes now.

[wildchild]

No, not have the bike fitted. Be measured and told what size is right for you. That is what we mean by getting fitted. :wink:

Riding a bike and it "feeling good" < right size/fit.

ah I see. There is a lot more to it then just getting the right frame size though. Like above, we had the bikes adjusted to us specifically. of course that was after getting the right size frame first.