$1000 road Bike

[chipman]

A friend wants to get a road bike. He is inexpierienced but is excited to get into this sport. His wife gave him permission to spend up to $1000. Any advice out there?

 

[AmpedCycle]

A friend wants to get a road bike. He is inexpierienced but is excited to get into this sport. His wife gave him permission to spend up to $1000. Any advice out there?

How about this advice: you don't need permission from your wife! That's all I'm gonna say, women's soccer is on and I'm watching it

 

[Asian Allez]

A friend wants to get a road bike. He is inexpierienced but is excited to get into this sport. His wife gave him permission to spend up to $1000. Any advice out there?

buy a pair of testicles with that money, not a bike

 

[baj32161]

buy a pair of testicles with that money, not a bike

Well, unlike some of the sarcastic jerks in here, who live ro ridicule others, I will try to keep my answer about bikes, instead of flaming you. To be honest, at that price point there are very many nice bikes. Have your friend visit a trusted bike shop....perhaps a local rider or cycling group could recommend one to him...and shop around. He won't end up with anything too exotic for his level of riding, but he will end up with a bike he will not have to upgrade for some time to come. I was at that stage back in October of last year and it took me about 4 months of shopping to finally end up with the bike I wanted. I had the time because winter was coming and I wasn't in any hurry to get used to a new road bike during a NJ winter. What I ended up with was a 2004 LeMond Tourmalet, which I am still in love with. It retailed for $1150 and I got it for $850 on closeout. You may also stress to your friend that this is the time of year to be shopping, as the 06 models are hitting the stores this time of year, so some good bargains can be had. I really don't think he can go wrong at that price point if he uses his head and gets some sound advice. He will need to narrow his choices down in some way, be it frame materials (at that price it will be steel or aluminum), gruppo (Shimano or Campagnolo- and HERE you will get alot of opinions)...at $1000, no matter what gruppo he ends up with, he will have a well designed, smooth shifting bike. Bikes in that price range are very comparable to each other so he will need to test rie the ones he is interested in. Feel and the correct fit cannot be stressed enough.

If, after all of that he can't decide based on those parameters...tell him to get the one that looks the best. That way, he will feel cool while riding it and end up riding it more often.

Good Luck,

Brian

 

[dhk]

A friend wants to get a road bike. He is inexpierienced but is excited to get into this sport. His wife gave him permission to spend up to $1000. Any advice out there?

Advise he go to all the local bike shops. Tell them what he plans to do with the new bike, and let them make recommendations and a fitting. Then, test ride as many as possible to determine what he likes.

The "best value" on paper means nothing if the bike doesn't fit, or is wrong for the rider's fitness level or intended useage.

Oh, and remind him to get the little ladies OK on his selection before buying anything....but I'm sure he knows to do that.

 

[strider]

Advise he go to all the local bike shops. Tell them what he plans to do with the new bike, and let them make recommendations and a fitting. Then, test ride as many as possible to determine what he likes.

The "best value" on paper means nothing if the bike doesn't fit, or is wrong for the rider's fitness level or intended useage.

Ditto!! I like the feel and ride of steel over aluminum but that choice was made only after riding a number of bikes. He may feel differently. Lemond, Jamis, Masi, Specialized, Gunnar, Bianchi etc are probably good brand starting points for his price range.