Superior bike brands???
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Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:18 pm
I've been browsing the forum for a long while, just got around to signing up as I have afew questions.
I'm planning on buying my first road bike as I am missing this football season due to injury, I have quite a high level of fitness and looking to buy something that I can happily put 5000+ Kms on in relative comfort.
The main question I have is I have noticed that there are afew bike brands that do not have their own section on this forum. I understand that this will always be the case with smaller brands, but there are some brands that I have seen a lot of on my travels and in my noob opinion would class them as large brands for recreational cyclists.
These are brands such as Avanti and Lapierre (the sensium 200 is on my list to look at). I see quite afew of these for sale but are they not worth my time? I didn't know if there was a reason for them not having a specific section.
I work 6 day weeks so getting into my LBS is still on my to do list but im sure that you guys will have as much of an idea as them and the more opinions the better!
Thanks guys!
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby AUbicycles » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:49 pm
Any brand not listed is just as worthy so check out the Bike Brands Owned by Members thread which will give you a better 'rough' idea of ownership.
Avanti and Lapierre are both well known brands so certainly worth your time if they have what you want.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Red Rider » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:00 pm
I suggest posting in the 'Buying bikes' section and giving a bit of a brief of what you are looking for, budget, your weight. Giving an idea of where you live, members here may know some reputable bike shops to get reliable advice when going to the store.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Duck! » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:01 pm
Similarly, Avanti have been around for yonks and are pretty dependable.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby rjk » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:08 pm
you will ride quite a few and when you finally do find the right bike, your bum will sing to you.
dont ignore this, because a bike your bum likes will mean you will take it out more and more
a bike your bum doesnt like means it will sit in the shed gathering cobwebs.
my pearls of wisdom for new bike purchases
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Tue Apr 08, 2014 10:56 pm
Ah awesome, I didnt see that thread, should make for some good reading.AUbicycles wrote:A fair question, the brands with their own section are either one of the top brands (sales) or have a following (cult).
Any brand not listed is just as worthy so check out the Bike Brands Owned by Members thread which will give you a better 'rough' idea of ownership.
Avanti and Lapierre are both well known brands so certainly worth your time if they have what you want.
Not many of the Avanti bikes tick all my boxes but the lapierre seems like a nice package for the price.
Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before). Im not going to build a bike from scratch for my first sled but am more than happy to work on it and upgrade parts as I go along.
Im honoured that you have such a high level of care for my bumrjk wrote:when you find something you like the look of, go take it for a ride and your bum will tell you whether it is right for you.
you will ride quite a few and when you finally do find the right bike, your bum will sing to you.
dont ignore this, because a bike your bum likes will mean you will take it out more and more
a bike your bum doesnt like means it will sit in the shed gathering cobwebs.
my pearls of wisdom for new bike purchases
Im hoping that my LBS lets me ride afew, im quite tall and that will limit my options to some degree but I have a highly regarded LBS near my house in Adelaide who should be able to help me when I can get in there
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Duck! » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:09 pm
Not really all that much of an issue. The vast majority of the components on any bike are sourced from other manufacturers, so there is very little stuff that is restricted to whatever bike you end up with.Corms wrote: Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before).
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:20 pm
Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.Duck! wrote:Not really all that much of an issue. The vast majority of the components on any bike are sourced from other manufacturers, so there is very little stuff that is restricted to whatever bike you end up with.Corms wrote: Im a little bit cautious about the availability of parts to suit less common models (I have had this issue with motorbikes before).
I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!
This will all come with research I guess.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby AUbicycles » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:29 pm
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby il padrone » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:30 pm
Then don't worry about the bike manufacturers..... worry about the big S - they do have a record for doing such things*. The bike industry is not like the car industry, the component manufacturers have much greater market power than any individual bicycle manufacturer.Corms wrote:Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.
I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!
* Search for Shimano ax cranks and pedals, Biopace rings, Positron, yada, yada.... a long time ago I know but there are probably other more recent examples.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:38 pm
Very good point! Makes life much easier when if comes to modifying!....my missus is going to hate this :pil padrone wrote:Then don't worry about the bike manufacturers..... worry about the big S - they do have a record for doing such things*. The bike industry is not like the car industry, the component manufacturers have much greater market power than any individual bicycle manufacturer.Corms wrote:Yeah it seems a bit like that. Im just hoping that I don't get stuck with something that has decided to use something rediculous like a weird size bearing or something that is near impossible to replace.
I work in the automotive industry and I know that car and motorbike manufacturers love doing things like that!
* Search for Shimano ax cranks and pedals, Biopace rings, Positron, yada, yada.... a long time ago I know but there are probably other more recent examples.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Red Rider » Wed Apr 09, 2014 12:24 am
You learn very quickCorms wrote:....my missus is going to hate this :p
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Strawburger » Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:05 am
And these are pretty easy to get if you are willing to shop online!AUbicycles wrote:The only thing would be a derailleur hanger though as Duck! mentioned, as long as it isn't too exotic or cheap (supermarket) then you generally wont have issues.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby AUbicycles » Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:43 am
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby marckietan » Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:41 pm
Lucky the bottecchia is a great bike.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby HappyHumber » Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:50 pm
Ignore the marketing hype about branding. Research bike fit. Be prepared for contradictory and confusing information with regards this from different sales staff. However, a little bit of research into your own proportions and the ball park proportions you'll need in a bike will go a long way. Spend a little time with a ruler, tape measure and your SO and punch your numbers into Competitive Cyclist free fitting tool.
Be wary that sometimes Sales staff will be just trying to move floor stock and be less concerned, if at all, about your fit. They might knock some good $ off but......
A bargain is not a bargain unless it fits.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby clackers » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:23 pm
+1 to getting a bike that fits and that you like enough to be proud of.Corms wrote: I see quite afew of these for sale but are they not worth my time? I didn't know if there was a reason for them not having a specific section.
All bikes are assembled from components purchased wholesale, so the difference between brands is often only the frame - and even then, those may be produced in the same factory as other brands.
The major manufacturers know it's a buyer's market. They price match similar specced rival machines, so if something's $200 cheaper it's missing something, even if you can't tell at first.
The smaller manufacturers try to defy that sales model, because they can't buy the parts in the same quantity as, say, Giant, and get the same discount. They may target enthusiasts instead of the price-sensitive average consumer.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby 2ndeffort » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:25 pm
What I did notice was that the shop I bought it from spent a while fitting me up and adjusting the bike for the test ride. Other bike shop straight across the road from them (trying to sell me a Cube bike) literally just had a bit of a guess and raised the seat a bit whilst I stood next to the sales guy. In the end the Trek felt way better than the Cube. At the time I thought it was the bike and it might have been, but now I reckon getting the fit closer probably played a bigger part. The Cube felt cramped, the Trek felt 'right'.
I also tested a Willier, a Giant a De Rosa a Specialized and a couple of others I can't remember much about. I had made arrangements to test a Focus and a Cervelo but the search was dragging on and the Trek felt 'right' so I went with it. No regrets, loving it, very happy.
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:10 pm
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby HappyHumber » Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:51 pm
That's a more than adequate starting budget. A lot of people start tonnes more humbly than that. Just spend it wisely!Corms wrote:probably 2-2.5k but I will hopefully find something that will work for me and I can improve on!
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby Corms » Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:48 pm
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby clackers » Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:10 pm
If you know you'll love riding, don't buy something you'll have to upgrade or replace later.Corms wrote:I don't want to end up with a lemon but I won't be riding the tour next year. That sort of budget seems to get you something that you can rack up several thousand Kms on at a decent pace in comfort.
Buy nice, not twice!
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby GaryJ » Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:26 pm
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Re: Superior bike brands???
Postby rodneycc » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:30 pm
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