Can't Seem To Pull the Trigger!

[new_rider]

I've dipped my feet in the new road bike market for the past 4 seasons, and for whatever reason, have been really reluctant to actually buy a bike!

As much as I love cycling, the sticker shock of a $1200 or $1500 new bike, which is pretty much the starting point for a bike with frame and components I would find acceptable, seems daunting to me, when push comes to shove.

I've never spent over $700 for a new bike, and even that seemed like a lot of money to me.

I always seem to want to spend my hobby money elsewhere, and generally in much smaller increments than $1000 or more. I am far more willing to invest $100 in a new pair of headphones or a new tennis racquet, or even the equivalent amount for a nice pair of shoes or jeans.

But $1200 - $1500 just seems like a huge one time payment, even though I believe I will be getting a great value for it.

Perhaps I should just scale down and buy a new road bike at $700 or $800, say from bikes direct?

 

[oldbobcat]

Go to a shop and ride a couple bikes to see what $1200-1500 gets you. Then try a couple sub-$1000 bikes. Interpolate. With BikesDirect, $650, for example, gets you a $950 bike for about $300 less. I just looked.

I think there's some great value in that upgrade range. The frames are lighter and better finished, the touch-points (stems, handlebars, and saddles) are usually better, and then there are the drivetrain upgrades--not full 105, but 105 where you'll notice it. Or SRAM Apex, which is also quite good. And then there are the little intangibles, like better cables and brake pads. You can buy the upgrades up front or later.

Of course, I don't know anybody who stopped riding because his bike had Tiagra shifters.

 

[Viking55803]

I would say that there are some intangibles to owning a bike that are highly personal. We all do a kind of balancing act with our desires and purchases. I don't need the newest, lightest, most advanced equipment - but I do want a bike that is not going to be a boat anchor or make funny noises. In fact, I want a bike that is so smooth riding and comfortable that it simply "disappears" when I'm riding. Quick, positive shifting, responsive and comfortable, one that I want to ride a lot!

40 years ago I rode the best equipment available because I was racing. Believe me, a $1,500 bike today can be a pretty darn good bike and, in my estimation, money well-spent. How much time are you going to spend on it? How long will you own it? A bike that isn't ridden isn't worth much, but a bike that gives you real pleasure over a long period of time is cheap by comparison.

That $1,200 to $1,500 seems to me to be the "sweet spot" for bikes at the moment. You can get a really terrific machine and, if you choose according to your inner lights, a bike you can fall in love with!

My road bike is a Novara Strada - that's an REI brand. It runs about 21 pounds with an aluminum frame and Shimano 105 components. I've upgraded the saddle and added some good rubber and that's about it. Like most cyclists, I will always be yearning for another bike, but I have to say I love my ride. It's handled everything very well and once I got my riding position dialed in, very comfortable. This was about $1,000.

Another season or two and I'll be ready for my "retirement bike." I'm 65, so that's not too far off. Looking at what's out there now, I expect to have to pay between $2,500 and $3,500 for this dream bike.

 

[new_rider]

Great posts, thanks!

Coincidentally, I've been looking a bit at REI bikes, particularly cannondale road.

How good are REI mechanics? Ideally, I'd hope for a shop that does a complete teardown and reassemble, which some shops actually do.

The appeal of the chains like REI and performance are their customer satisfaction guarantees, either for a year or indefinitely, which obviously cannot happen with the lbs.

---

Philosophically, I'm realizing I want a 'do it all' bike that can go fast, but which will also allow me to throw a rack on and carry home a few bags of groceries.

I also want it to be tough so I won't sweat bullets over a bike rack scratch or two. And I don't want it to scream 'look at me!' so it doesn't attract the attention of thieves if I want to leave it locked up for a few hours in a public place.

More and more, I'm thinking this will be a bikesdirect bike. It'll give me the spec I want at a price I can afford, but the frames are a bit inconspicuous looking so they want draw undue attention.

Pretty much every bike I'm interested from them however is sold out in my size so I may very well have to wait a season.

I'm keeping my options (I have for several seasons lol), but it looks like I'm moving in the direction of buying several bikes instead of just one. Yikes!

 

[swampy1970]

Originally Posted by new_rider

Philosophically, I'm realizing I want a 'do it all' bike that can go fast, but which will also allow me to throw a rack on and carry home a few bags of groceries.

I also want it to be tough so I won't sweat bullets over a bike rack scratch or two. And I don't want it to scream 'look at me!' so it doesn't attract the attention of thieves if I want to leave it locked up for a few hours in a public place.

Surly Long Haul Trucker.

 

[ambal]

Originally Posted by new_rider

Perhaps I should just scale down and buy a new road bike at $700 or $800, say from bikes direct?

Bikes direct have some great deals at the moment, you can get a decent roadie with ultegra for $1300 or dura ace for a bit over 2k.

 

[new_rider]

I'm wondering how well built these bikes (bikesdirect) are before shipping. Will I have to do the following:

1. grease bottom bracket threads
2. grease the headset
3. adjust derailleurs
4. true wheels
5. repack hubs with grease
6. grease cables?

Or, has that work been done at the factory prior to shipping?

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by new_rider
1. grease bottom bracket threads
2. grease the headset
3. adjust derailleurs
4. true wheels
5. repack hubs with grease
6. grease cables?

Having assembled a few of these, here is my estimation:
1. Probably not. Most of these use some form of thread locker.
2. Probably not. Most of these have drop-in sealed bearings, and the frame-bearing interface should not be greased.
3. Definitely yes. There's a good chance the front mech will be need to be realigned (height and alignment to the chainrings), and the rear hanger will need some straightening, too.
4. Most likely yes. Rarely are any wheels true enough right out of the box of any bike.
5. Mixed bag. Some hubs are fine, some are out of adjustment or have loose locknuts, and some have been dry as a bone.
6. Yes.

Except for the hubs, the factory build on these bikes is about as good as the build of any bike in their price range.

As you can see, building one of these bikes is an easy task for anyone who is handy with the tools found in most home toolkits.

 

[baker3]

Originally Posted by oldbobcat

Having assembled a few of these, here is my estimation:
1. Probably not. Most of these use some form of thread locker.
2. Probably not. Most of these have drop-in sealed bearings, and the frame-bearing interface should not be greased.
3. Definitely yes. There's a good chance the front mech will be need to be realigned (height and alignment to the chainrings), and the rear hanger will need some straightening, too.
4. Most likely yes. Rarely are any wheels true enough right out of the box of any bike.
5. Mixed bag. Some hubs are fine, some are out of adjustment or have loose locknuts, and some have been dry as a bone.
6. Yes.

Except for the hubs, the factory build on these bikes is about as good as the build of any bike in their price range.

As you can see, building one of these bikes is an easy task for anyone who is handy with the tools found in most home toolkits.

Would you buy them again? their pricing is unbeatable.

 

[new_rider]

Originally Posted by baker3


Would you buy them again? their pricing is unbeatable.

What's important for me is that their geometry chart is accurate. I don't see why it wouldn't be, but certain measurements aren't standardized, such as standover height.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by baker3


Would you buy them again? their pricing is unbeatable.

I didn't buy them. I built them for customers.

For the most part, they're good bikes for the money. The frames are dated, after the shifters and derailleurs the components spec doesn't always make sense, the factory builds can be dodgy, and I don't recommend customers do their own builds unless they're prepared to deal with this. Of course, I've been overruled on the last point, and BikesDirect does have a responsive customer service department. Read the reviews if you don't believe me: http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.bikesdirect.com#55. But if you think you're getting the equivalent of an Allez Elite without $300 of bike shop and corporate overhead, you're mistaken.

Put it this way. If I had a buddy short on cash but in need of a bike, I'd help him select one from the online catalog, and I'd build it for him for a bucket of barbecue and a six-pack of Longboard Lager. Additional parts at my cost.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

What OBC said.

BikesDirect offers decent bikes at great prices...IF...you are experienced with bike repair/adjustments or know someone that is. There will be some minor build issues to be addressed. I know Cat. 2's that race and train on the mid and high line models they sell.

As far as hobby money goes...road bikes at $2K are cheap compared to firearms, hunting gear, motorcycles, sports cars, farm equipment, lawn mowing equipment, high end stereo gear, ATV's/ UTV's, campers and RV's, etc. And as enjoyable as my other hobbies are, nothing has the health benefits of cycling.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by new_rider
I've dipped my feet in the new road bike market for the past 4 seasons, and for whatever reason, have been really reluctant to actually buy a bike!

As much as I love cycling, the sticker shock of a $1200 or $1500 new bike, which is pretty much the starting point for a bike with frame and components I would find acceptable, seems daunting to me, when push comes to shove.

I've never spent over $700 for a new bike, and even that seemed like a lot of money to me.

I always seem to want to spend my hobby money elsewhere, and generally in much smaller increments than $1000 or more. I am far more willing to invest $100 in a new pair of headphones or a new tennis racquet, or even the equivalent amount for a nice pair of shoes or jeans.

But $1200 - $1500 just seems like a huge one time payment, even though I believe I will be getting a great value for it.

Perhaps I should just scale down and buy a new road bike at $700 or $800, say from bikes direct?

Not that there is anything wrong with buying a new bike, but LISTEN to what YOU are saying ...

And, consider that IF you would simply consider new headphones instead of a new (as in, complete) sound system, then maybe you need to consider that you don't need to pony up for a complete bike.

If there is nothing wrong with YOUR bike's frame, you may just need to change the shifters/derailleurs and/or wheelset ...

• don't forget to change the cables & housing, BTW ...

Maybe, it's just the SHAPE of the handlebars OR saddle which need to be changed to give you the "new" ride which you think you are looking for.

The "bottom line" is that you may not need to spend $1000+ to enhance your riding experience at this point in time.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Alf, you sound like my wife...

 

[AyeYo]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
As far as hobby money goes...road bikes at $2K are cheap compared to firearms, hunting gear, motorcycles, sports cars, farm equipment, lawn mowing equipment, high end stereo gear, ATV's/ UTV's, campers and RV's, etc. And as enjoyable as my other hobbies are, nothing has the health benefits of cycling.

This is what I keep telling myself as I empty my wallet into the cycling hobby. My $2000 bike has given me far, far more hours of enjoyment and has been much more benefitial to my health than the last $2000 gun I bought - in fact the gun is wasted money if we're comparing utility and practicality. My $900 bike will long outlast the $1000 turbo I put on my car. There are people that spend $1500 on video cards for their computers that will be old technology down to half of their original value in nine months. In the grand scheme of things, bikes aren't that expensive relatively speaking and they're a downright bargain when you look at it as a usage time vs. expense ratio. That's assuming you have that kind of money to spend on hobbies in the first place, if not then obviously it's a different ball game.

 

[doss]

I second alf. Also new forks are nice too (different rake etc) maybe a carbon seat post. You could also pick up just a new frame transfer your goodies onto it and slowly upgrade parts over time so it is not so painful all at once Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[baker3]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB As far as hobby money goes...road bikes at $2K are cheap compared to firearms, hunting gear, motorcycles, sports cars, farm equipment, lawn mowing equipment, high end stereo gear, ATV's/ UTV's, campers and RV's, etc. And as enjoyable as my other hobbies are, nothing has the health benefits of cycling.

That is a good way of looking at it. Im going to bank this and use it next time my wife complains about the amount of money I spend on my bikes

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
What OBC said.

BikesDirect offers decent bikes at great prices...IF...you are experienced with bike repair/adjustments or know someone that is. There will be some minor build issues to be addressed. I know Cat. 2's that race and train on the mid and high line models they sell.

As far as hobby money goes...road bikes at $2K are cheap compared to firearms, hunting gear, motorcycles, sports cars, farm equipment, lawn mowing equipment, high end stereo gear, ATV's/ UTV's, campers and RV's, etc. And as enjoyable as my other hobbies are, nothing has the health benefits of cycling.

And sports cars and 20-year-old blondes.

 

[new_rider]

BD bikes are a mixed bag and very difficult to generalize about.

Some of the frames are seemingly or at least close to, state of the art (carbon aero). Other designs are clearly dated (some of the mtb full sus).

Same holds true for the component specs, mixing xtr or ultegra 11 with tektro brakes and fsa cranks.

Oddly, some of the frames seem to have identical geometry to current trek road models. Can any BD owners confirm that their geometry charts are accurate?


Overall, lbs's are definitely going to have to up their game to compete with BD. I've seen some blog essays which attempt to paint lbs's as a superior buying experience because the quality of assembly is superior to what a novice is capable of.

Unfortunately, I'd say that many indie shops put very little time and care into assembly, often paying listless, indifferent kids minimum wage to assemble bikes without great care. I do think that the very best bike shops have mechanics who do a great and very thorough job with bike builds, but this might account for only 10-15% of all shops, IME.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by new_rider

Unfortunately, I'd say that many indie shops put very little time and care into assembly, often paying listless, indifferent kids minimum wage to assemble bikes without great care. I do think that the very best bike shops have mechanics who do a great and very thorough job with bike builds, but this might account for only 10-15% of all shops, IME.

There are no indifferent listless kids where I work.