Budget Road Bike advice
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Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Sun Aug 19, 2012 2:24 pm
I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I used to cycle competitively in high school and early uni both road/track and I have been away from the sport for about 10 years. Despite this I know nothing about brands etc. I want to ride to and from work 3 days a week and join a weekend ride. After about three - six months of training I want to start entering in races again.
Now here comes the problem - I have a very young family and very very tight budget... why did I not buy a bike before kids??? I am realistic that what you pay for is what you get so I am going to have to enforce to adage 98% fitness - 2% bike! Obviously I need best bang for buck for the $1000 - $1500 range...the cheaper the better. I am struggling as there are so many brands and bike shops out there. There are a few carbon bikes around just under the $2000 mark - how much do stores move in price to get the sale if you haggle a bit?
I've been measured twice now and am recommended a size 54.
Advice, tips, recommendations would be greatly appreciated - the sooner I sort this out the quicker I will be on the road!!!
Many thanks in advance.
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby Crawf » Sun Aug 19, 2012 7:28 pm
http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/bik ... e-blk.aspx
http://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2011-p ... bon-frame/
http://www.this link is broken/Jamis-Xenit ... gory=12632
http://www.this link is broken/Cell-Cyclon ... gory=12632
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Sun Aug 19, 2012 8:36 pm
- DoogleDave
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby DoogleDave » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:01 pm
THIS will be the best bang for buck bike (FOR YOU).
Otherwise, you may end up buying a bike simply on price (or recommendation alone) and then after riding it for a while you may hate the bike and want to off-load it to buy a more suitable bike...which will end up costing you more money in the long run (resulting in less bang for buck).
Much better to try and get it right first time around...as much as you can.
You're still going to want to upgrade in time but if you find a bike you're happy with then living with it for longer than you want to isn't such a chore.
Personally, you don't need carbon fiber but if the bike in your price range that feels the best is a CF bike then go for it. If its an ALU bike, go for that one.
For that price range you should get a reasonable training bike, but I wouldn't expect much from it in a racing environment - where your competitors will be riding much lighter bikes. Whilst weight isnt everything when riding, it does help during acceleration and uphill riding.
Dave
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby bychosis » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:11 pm
What is most important is that you get a bike that you will ride and feel comfortable on. more comfort => more riding => better fitness => competetive racer.
Dont forget to budget for helmet, shoes, clothing etc.
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby MREJ » Sun Aug 19, 2012 9:15 pm
Re test riding, that's got some merit but you need to keep in mind the impact of whether the bike has been set up for you, the type of tyres (and wheels) which are easily changed, and different road conditions.
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:32 pm
Also any further recommendations out there?
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby munga » Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:44 pm
i'm going to say that wheels make more difference than groupsets.
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby Wal42 » Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:27 pm
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:15 pm
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby DavidI » Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:11 am
If you'd rather a better known name (Merida/Giant/Avanti/Fuji etc) you're still going to get a pretty good bike in the <$1500 range, and this time of year there are usually a lot of runout specials as they try to clear last year's models to make way for the new ones (which are generally the same but with new colours!). To be honest you can't really go too wrong with whatever you get (what I'm trying to say is don't stress about it too much), the most important factor is how well it fits you, and even then things like stems can be changed fairly easily to adjust that.
When you take the next step and start racing don't be intimidated by how flashy/expensive everyone else's gear is, it's more about the motor
Things to look for: Minimum of Tiagra (Sora works well enough but will disappoint if you put in a lot of hard miles), you should even get 105 in your price range; Don't sweat which brand of frame it is, 70% of them come from the same manufacturer (and 25% of the rest come from one other); Set aside enough for extras - clothing, helmet, shoes, pedals, spares - you might be able to haggle for these to be included at a discount; Don't pay the full list price - ever; A top of the line Alloy frame is probably better than a bottom of the line Carbon frame - probably; And finally, when you get it, remember Fausto Coppi's 3 pieces of advice about becoming a better rider: 1) ride your bike, 2) ride your bike, and 3)most importantly, ride your bike
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby vbplease » Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:02 pm
http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/bicycles ... /102127133
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:28 am
Keep the recommendations com=ming!!!
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby manlyman » Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:04 pm
Thank you all for your advice. My mate has lent me his 2004 Apollo Race Line Giro to commute to work in and begin training. This will allow me to save for a better bike, increase my fitness and knowledge base to ensure I get something I will be happy with to race.
Very nice gesture from my mate. He says its collecting dust and taking up too much space in his garage. Its a size for so too big and the stem is about 125 mm - so I have ordered a 60 mm stem which should make a okay short term fix.
Cheers
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby Wal42 » Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:16 pm
To start out, maybe look at buying something 'bottom end' of a manufacturers range (providing they use the same frame through their range), it'll have low end groupset, these are normally a bit heavier & work a little more agricultural but will last ages, as you get better, wear stuff out, get the upgrade bug, you can fit better items to your bike, yes in the long run it'll cost more but you have the fun of saving/shopping for that 'bit' you just 'have to have'.
Just my thoughts, guess everyone has a different one but that's what makes us individuals.
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Re: Budget Road Bike advice
Postby themerlin » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:23 am
Crawf wrote:Not big name brands but you'll get more bang for your buck...
http://www.cyclingexpress.com/cycle/bik" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... e-blk.aspx
http://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2011-p" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... bon-frame/
http://www.this link is broken/Jamis-Xenit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... gory=12632
http://www.this link is broken/Cell-Cyclon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... gory=12632
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