Buying my first racing bike

[cpaton]

All,

I’ve had my current bike for over 10 years, but I’ve wanted a nice racing bike for ever!! – my current bike is a well worn diamond back mountain bike with no suspension, it’s starting to jump gears more recently (I took it to a bike shop about 5 years ago and asked what should be fixed on it and they didn’t think anything was worth fixing! – I’ve done hundreds of kilometres if not thousands since then) so I figure this is my excuse to upgrade.

I mainly go for about a 20 minute ride 2 or 3 times a week for stress relief. Occasionally I ride for say 2 hours, but rarely, I’ve ridden about 90Kms in a day at most (that was in the Sydney to Wollongong). I love riding and I think I’ll do it more once I have a racer.

I haven’t been to a bike shop yet, so I’d love some very specific advice - particular brands and models would be more helpful than 'buy a racing bike’ for example.

My parameters / requirements are below:

* I am 31 years old, weighing 79 kg
* Height - about 6ft 1inc which I think is about 181cm.
* I will probably start riding more than I currently do once I get this bike.
* A friend gave me a pair of I think they’re called clip in pedals, he bought them on sale years ago and has never used them, they were $170 retail down to $20, brand is ‘Time’ they are either ‘mid 77’ or ‘mid 57’model so I presume I could put these on the bike I buy?
* I’ll probably want some clothing so advice on what to get, cheapest place to get it (including annual sales) and in what order to buy it (as I may get it as presents for birthday etc over the next 18 months) would be great.
* My budget is a little fluid. I am hoping to spend as little as possible but I am willing to spend up to $1500 for the bike if need be. I would be interested in options at different price points.
* Recommendation on shops? – I live at Hurstville.
* Do I need anything else?
* Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Clint

[sogood]

Nice road bikes start at $1500-2000 or there abouts. There are many brands out there that are good. Given the amount of investment, search all the brands that's available to you and then come back to discuss the details. Get your phone book out and visit all the LBS (local bike store) around your area and futher away. See what they have and get a list together. Then it's easier to discuss. As a minimum, the stores should give you 10% off on list. More if there's a sale or you get lucky.

[mikesbytes]

Hi Clint,

Road bikes in the sub $1,500 bracket are fairly even in what you get, so it boils down to personal taste. I have a Giant OCR2, which at the time retailed for $1,450 and have been happy with it. Others would probably say the same for their Treks and other brands.

What you could do, is visit your local bike club and have a chat to the guys/gals there. Gogood and I belong to Dulwich Hill Bicycle Club (DHBC) and this club has a ride called Saturday Slowlies that leaves from 299 Marrickville rd, Marrickville 6.30am on Saturdays and rides over to Centennial Park, you could turn up with your trusted mountain bike and go for a spin. Lindsay who runs that ride is a wealth of info and would provide some excellent advice.

Shoes are important, as they make a significant difference in taking the power from your feet to the bike. Whether your pedals are ok or not, depends on which time model they are, the issue being whether the cleats are compatible with the shoes you selected.

Clothing. The shorts or bib shorts (your preference) are much more important than the tops. If budget it tight, get the shorts first and get the top later.

Cheers, Michael.