new Road Bike

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tophtoph
I'm looking into getting first road bike. Currently MTB on a Klein Attitude, and road riding on a hybridized Bridgestone MB-3. Looking in the $1000-1200 range. Currently have narrowed it down to a Cannondale R600, Trek 1500, Specialized Allez Elite, and a Felt F70. Any opinions....the Felt looks like a great deal for the money overall.

thanks

I trust you have test ridden all of them. Go with what works the best for you. A good deal for the money is no deal if you don't feel right on the bike. From a quality perspective I don't think you can go wrong with any one of those listed.

Good point from Larry, of course. Assuming you've got a good feel for each, though, there's nothing wrong with lining up specs and getting a sense of value. I agree; Felt is generally very competetive, value-wise. They're sort of gunning for Giant, in that respect.

I know a few guys on Felts. Nice, well-made, sturdy, yadda yadda.

In the end, those are all good bikes. Get some test-miles on them. Good luck deciding.

I am also looking for a new bike in this range (<1200$). However, due to my stature, Trek bikes are out. Any other suggestions, like the Eros or the OCR1?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by keydates
I am also looking for a new bike in this range (<1200$). However, due to my stature, Trek bikes are out. Any other suggestions, like the Eros or the OCR1?

Those both work, too. Lots of good, all-purpose road bikes from good manufacturers in the $1000-$1500 range.

Consider the LBS you're buying from also. A good shop can set you up on the bike properly, do the initial adjustments right and keep you on the road. Since a lot of bikes in this price range are pretty close in specs, the LBS could well be the decision factor.

All the bikes rode well, seemed similar to me as I am not a roadie. Ended kicking up a notch to a Felt F60, it rode noticably better (for me) than the others. Cannot beat it for the price either $1200 - full ulstegra - CF seat stays and fork. Also, I really liked the LBS I got it from. They worked with me a great deal on fit, much more so than the other stores I tried.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tophtoph
All the bikes rode well, seemed similar to me as I am not a roadie. Ended kicking up a notch to a Felt F60, it rode noticably better (for me) than the others. Cannot beat it for the price either $1200 - full ulstegra - CF seat stays and fork. Also, I really liked the LBS I got it from. They worked with me a great deal on fit, much more so than the other stores I tried.

Sounds like you did well. A good LBS is a valuable commodity. Enjoy!!!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tophtoph
All the bikes rode well, seemed similar to me as I am not a roadie. Ended kicking up a notch to a Felt F60, it rode noticably better (for me) than the others. Cannot beat it for the price either $1200 - full ulstegra - CF seat stays and fork. Also, I really liked the LBS I got it from. They worked with me a great deal on fit, much more so than the other stores I tried.

out of curiosity, by rode better, do you mean from a comfort perspective, possibly as a result of the carbon seat stays, or the shift/brake action was easier/smoother with the ultegra vs. 105? i'm looking at bikes in this price range as well.

thanks,
phil

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by philbert
out of curiosity, by rode better, do you mean from a comfort perspective, possibly as a result of the carbon seat stays, or the shift/brake action was easier/smoother with the ultegra vs. 105? i'm looking at bikes in this price range as well.

thanks,
phil

From a comfort perspective...purely subjective. The action between the Ultegra and 105 did not seem signifigantly different. I know there is a small weight savings 105 to Ultegra, but going from a MTB to a RB, I don't think I'm going to notice that anytime soon. I put 25mi on it after getting it and was extremely happy. It sailed on the flats, climbed wonderfully, and handled like a dream (especially considering I am getting used to drop bars). This considering I am waiting for a slightly longer stem to come in (feel a touch cramped when I am in the drops with the stock stem right now). The LBS I went to was great about fitting - we spent ~1hr or so screwing around with positions and stems. I would have to say, given my limited exp. w/ RB's, Felt's seem like a great bang for the buck.

Good observation regarding 105 and Ultegra -- most people who've used all three can testify that 105, Ultegra, and Dura Ace are quite similar in performance. As you go up the Shimano food chain, the action gets a touch snappier and requires a lighter touch, but beyond Sora and Tiagra (the first two groups in their road family), the reliability and smoothness of your braking/shifting improves only slightly between groups.

Comparing 105 to Dura Ace is easier than comparing it to Ultegra. Next to DA, 105 feels a little heavy; the mechanisms don't feel quite as refined. All in all, though, it's a great groupset and a tremendous value.

Ultegra is more icing on the cake -- good enough for any rider.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by lokstah


Ultegra is more icing on the cake -- good enough for any rider.

ya and in most cases itll earn you a lot more respect on a group ride than 105 too, for better or worse

One good thing to consider about component gruppos is that the high end technology will eventually trickle down to the more affordable grades.

For example: My 2003 Deore r-derailure and cranks are the same as the 2001 Deore XT. Three years ago people paid dearly for a bike equipped with Deore XT, however, I was able to get my Deore equipped bike on the cheap. 😄

So in a couple of years when you've worn out a few of your frequently used items you can actually upgrade them a notch or two for the same or less money than what you have today.

As long as your frame is a solid made product and fits you like a glove you're good to go.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Doctor Morbius
One good thing to consider about component gruppos is that the high end technology will eventually trickle down to the more affordable grades.

For example: My 2003 Deore r-derailure and cranks are the same as the 2001 Deore XT. Three years ago people paid dearly for a bike equipped with Deore XT, however, I was able to get my Deore equipped bike on the cheap. 😄

So in a couple of years when you've worn out a few of your frequently used items you can actually upgrade them a notch or two for the same or less money than what you have today.

As long as your frame is a solid made product and fits you like a glove you're good to go.

ya definately 105 or deor level components are more than good enough for most all riders, its just a matter of how much you like new stuff

You left off a "none of the above" choice in the poll. 😄

I rode aluminum (Cannondale) for years, and have found that I like the comfortable feel of a steel frame over aluminum. (To each his own).

Happy Riding

You're going to love your choice of the Felt. To all you looking, Felt also has the F-65 if you were looking for a bike with a double, instead of a triple. I would recommend Felt to just about anyone, I have about +600 miles on my new S32 and love it. Of course, my hat goes off to my LBS for a great fit.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tophtoph
I'm looking into getting first road bike. Currently MTB on a Klein Attitude, and road riding on a hybridized Bridgestone MB-3. Looking in the $1000-1200 range. Currently have narrowed it down to a Cannondale R600, Trek 1500, Specialized Allez Elite, and a Felt F70. Any opinions....the Felt looks like a great deal for the money overall.

thanks

For what it's worth I'm planning to get a Cdale R800 Triple in a few weeks. The LBS did a great job selling me on this bike when I was originally considering a LeMond Tourmalet. The R600 was my original target but the ride of the Optimo frame (upgrade from the R600's CAAD5 frame) on the R800 sold me on it.

I too am searching in the ~1200 range. Need to ride an R800, Cannondale is the one bike I haven't tested yet. Barring being knocked over by the c'dale, I think I'm going with Felt. Loved the F60, trying to restrain myself from upgrading to F50 (full ultegra groupo vs. mostly 105/some ultegra).

The one other candidate that seems interesting is the all carbon fiber/all ultegra bike offered by supergo.com. 2003 models are currently selling at 1250. Kind of ugly (all black) and not sure how I feel about the Scatante (sp?) brand, but read LOTs of glowing reviews at roadbikereview.com. --Anyone have experience with these???

RC2 - check out this deal:

http://bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/legacypro.htm

Reynolds 853 steel frame with full Ultegra for $1095 shipped.

rant/
if only all these touching LBS anecdotes included one where the price difference was only a few hundred bucks from the deals you can get online.

it's a shame too - i'm helping a friend shop and he's got money, but the only Reynolds 853 / Ultegra bikes at the LBS are something like a Gunner Roadie at like $1800 before tax.

all i'm sayin' is: it's not easy to support your LBS when they're asking $500 to $1000 more for a similarly kitted bike. you could buy a pretty decent road bike for your gf or bf with money like that, ya know?
/end rant

Would you recommend a 2001 TCR 2 or an 2004 OCR1? Apparently the LBS has both in my size (I'll try them first, of course along with other bikes).