Which bike?

[Smurfet47]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to buy my first roadie and want some advice on which one to choose. I am looking at either the Wilier Lavaredo, Specialized Dolce elite compact or a Giant Avail 1... They all seem to come with pretty standard componentry and are all around the same price point. The guys who have the Wilier are supposed to be fantastic at fitting bikes, the specialized guys are supposed to be good too and the giant sellers are supposed to be rubbish so I will take it elsewhere to get sized properly.

Anything else I should think of checking before I decide?

[Mulger bill]

Test ride!

[jasonc]

Test ride!

+1

[JustJames]

A test ride tells you very little, unless you can arrange a test ride that is hours long.

So, -2 for the test ride suggestion.

Buy the one that talks to you, the one with the colour scheme or some other identifiable "something" that has you reaching for the drastic plastic.

Once the bike is yours, if you find that you don't like it for some reason, pretty much everything about it except the frame geometry can be changed to suit you better.

(Red is generally recognised to be the fastest colour.)

[LM324]

A test ride tells you very little, unless you can arrange a test ride that is hours long.

So, -2 for the test ride suggestion.

Buy the one that talks to you, the one with the colour scheme or some other identifiable "something" that has you reaching for the drastic plastic.

Once the bike is yours, if you find that you don't like it for some reason, pretty much everything about it except the frame geometry can be changed to suit you better.

(Red is generally recognised to be the fastest colour.)

I'd agree with you here, a test ride can only show so much, and there are a lot of other factors that may affect how the bike feels compared to another.
good discussion on it here http://forums.bicycling.com/eve/forums/ ... 8991020616" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let me dive in here as I love this topic. For starters, I'm not only a shop owner, I'm an avid rider...duh. Of the last 30+ bikes I've owned, I've test ridden not a single one of them. NOT ONE. In fact, I've ordered bikes with the most basic of specs and they've worked out beautifully. Of the last 20+ bikes I've owned, I've bought them sight unseen. Some of my team issued bikes were given to me with only a top tube length as the guiding factor to which "size" to get. Granted, that was a tad lucky more often than not, but my point is....you don't HAVE to spend hours hopping from bike to bike to find your winner. Let me also say, I am EXTREME when it comes to fitment. I will not buy a bike unless I can get it to fit with unparalleled perfection.

So, with that in mind, let's say you do get the chance to ride a few bikes. What are you feeling?? There are so many variables that make a bike feel a certain way. Lets say you take out bike A and then bike B. Bike A might be smooth like butter. Maybe it's because the tires were under inflated by 10 pounds. I've actually seen customers get so confused by jumping from bike to bike one guy actually rode a bike twice and gave it two entirely different reviews!!! I had to say, "dude...that's the bike you loved an hour ago...." Things like seats, tape, wheels, tires, or just subtle adjustments can make one bike feel a particular way. As a cyclist of over a quarter century, I can't isolate those variables...no way. Who could!?!

There's also psychology to test rides. If I hand a customer a bike and say...this thing rides like a jackhammer, they'll come back and say, "oooo...it was bumpity." If I say this bike rides like greased velvet, guess what they almost always report about the ride? That's right. I've even seen customers say, "this bike didn't shift well, and that one did....those bikes had IDENTICAL PARTS!!!!

The best thing you'll gain out of a test ride is a rough approximation as to how the fit WILL FEEL once you undergo a proper fitting. You really can't even get a proper sense of handling on a test ride. Maybe one bike has the bars 1cm higher than the other. Maybe one bike has a 100mm stem and the other has a 120mm stem. That'll impact handling. Maybe one bike has low spoke count wheels and another has traditional 32 spoke wheels. That'll impact compliance. Maybe one bike has deep reach bars and another has shallow reach bars. That'll translate to the responsiveness. All of these are variables that can be changed, by the way.

I will say, there is some merit to actually test riding full suspension bikes as you really do somewhat need to feel how the dynamic of a suspension system works with your riding style. But even then, that really requires a few hours to dial in that suspension and that of the other bikes in the test to be objective. I've seen people ride a $7000 Yeti full sus bike and say, "too soft..." Well, inflate the goddamn shock unit properly!!!!!!

Ultimately, I see more people confused by test rides than those who have some epiphany and find their bike love. I also think this test ride thing is an internal justification process. If you walk in a shop, fall in love with a bike on the floor, guess what...when you test ride it, chances are you'll find all sorts of attributes that you love. If I were to force you to ride the ugly left over bike from three seasons ago, you'd come back from a ride and tell me how it was harsh, slow, squirly, etc.

In the end, my advice is - buy a bike using your brain....not your azz. Do your research. Find out what your needs are and look for bikes designed to meet those needs. Same for fit. Find out what you NEED for fit and find bikes that suit those needs.

One last parting thought. I'm one of those guys that might hop on a new bike, ride it for weeks and weeks before it really feels like it's mine. Bikes I love initially might eventually need a lot of tweaks. Bikes I don't groove on right away also might need tweaks down the road. I might log 700 hours on a bike in a year. If I really thought I could get to know that bike down to the core in an hour ride, I'd be nuts.

Test rides. OVER RATED.

Research. OVER LOOKED.

So, do a test ride to get a general idea of the bike. Do heaps of research and speak to the owners of the shop. Get the bike which you like the look of the best, from the place that you get the best customer service

[nuttzo32]

You don't state in your post what sort of riding you will be doing but make sure you leave enough money in your budget for clothing (especially some wet weather gear if you are commuting) and accessories like pump tube etc.The giant avail has 105 components while the specialized elite only has tiagra for about the same rrp(not sure about the willier) though there is nothing wrong with a full tiagra setup which is what i ride.

I say take a quick ride of all three and get some info on things like the geometry and comfort on the bike and pick one that feels good, but without knowing what sort of riding you will be doing and fitness level/previous biking experience you will have to go on feel/price alone.

[nuttzo32]

I just looked at the other thread you started and i see you are doing triathlons and stuff so you are obviously quite fit. I am looking at getting a decent fit done on my bike which is $100 at cyclemania and this is the description they give (Bike Fit Includes seat height, reach, stem height, handle bar drop, fore & aft position, cleat positioning, video analysis, pedaling technique). I think whatever bike you choose you should definitely get a proper fit for the type of cycling you are planning on doing.

[Smurfet47]

Thanks for all the great opinions. I am only an entry level rider interested mostly in improving my tri ride time at the moment but things could change once I get started riding. I am generally quite fit, I exercise almost everyday, twice somedays if you count sports and rock climbing. I can't remember the crank set of the wilier but I think its the same as the specialized one.
I was wondering about the test ride, as an inexperienced rider I am not convinced I would get all that much out of it. I think regardless of which bike I pick it is going to take me time to get used to riding it. I think I have decided to go for the wilier, the sales guy there seemed to the one who was the most interested in making sure it was a good fit (they do a 2hr fitting with the bike) and when I talked about needing to learn more about maintenance as well as riding he offered for me to join them for riding and he would take the time I show me the basics. I think for where I am at this sort of stuff could be the most valuable to me. Also it's red and as JustJames says it is clearly the fastest colour.
How important is clothing? I haven't really budgeted for that yet, my theory was that I wouldn't look like such an idiot while I am getting used to my bike (and the shoes) if I avoided the full Lycra for a bit.

[JustJames]

Dude, if it's a tri-geek bike and you ride it in anything other than full Lycra you'll look like a bike thief!