Well I spent about 6 hours shopping around at a number of cycle shops in my area that had been suggested to me. I had gone into the game considering the Masi Alare, Felt F90, Specialized Allez, and Giant OCR3. I had a chance to try each of the bikes out. My initial impressions were that I wasnt very impressed with the OCR3 and the specialized didnt feel as good to me either. I did like the components on the Allez a lot, but then again it was about 200$ more than the other bikes. I was very impressed with the F90 and even more so with the Masi. The F90 was an even 600$ and the Masi 650$. My main concern came when one dealer told me neither we worth buying and that I should look at the OCR2 at the very minimum but perhaps look at the OCR1 or Cannondale R500. The 1 and R500 were both 1000$ bikes which was out of the price range I had set for myself. I guess the main thing Im asking is this: I do have the money to purchase a 1000$ bike or so, but I would much rather stay in the 600-700$ range which is where the Masi falls. The main thing Ive wondered about is whether or not I should move up to a 9-speed bike so I would be able to upgrade components. The OCR1 in particular was 999$ and came with all ultegra components and sure did look nice, but then again like I said, it was 1000$ and I would still need to buy some accessories on top of that. If anyone has any advice as to what to do in my situation then please help. I am stuck. I figured that being as new to cycling as I am, I would be best off staying at the entry level and if I really get into cycling, then I could buy a pricey/really nice road bike in a couple years after college is done and over with. Any advice is welcome. At this point Im still leaning towards the Masi as it was the most comfortable for me, looked fantastic, and for only 50$ more came with a nicer seat and a tiagra rear dereileur (sp?) which I did notice was smoother. I only wish there was a way to upgrade to at least tiagra shifters. Thanks in advance.
~Nick
One more thing: I have done a lot of searching on Masi bikes and I have heard that they are good but other than that, they dont seem to be as well known...would I be safer with the F90?
~Nick
One more thing: I have done a lot of searching on Masi bikes and I have heard that they are good but other than that, they dont seem to be as well known...would I be safer with the F90?
