Don't start out by buying a $5000 bike

[ukscout]

sorry, about the delayed response. THANKS!!!

1) LBS is an absolute MUST for beginners. There is no no advice on the online shops, and advice is something you need plenty when you're a beginner.

2) A Cnndale R700 sounds like a great deal for 1200 u$, and IMHO you should give it serious thought

3) That's true. You can get anything between 20 to 40% (even 50%) off if you wait a year. Go for it (I did with my Giant TCR 1)

On a side note, I wouldn't recommend a 2nd hand bike for a beginner, unless it is purchased on a LBS. FITTING is essential to good, confortable riding, and there's no way a newby can get propper fitting for something he's buying from the Internet. He might save a couple of hundred dollars, but his sore back will draw him out of the sport.

I'd recommend to buy a lower-spec'ed bike (even Tiagra is completely rideable nowadays) and then make a move on fancier stuff.

Cheers

 

[jvanoonk]

You should pay $600 to $1000 for your first road or mountain bike as you pick up the sport. From there you will either get the bug or not. I have been riding low-end bikes for 30 years and enjoyed them. Of course, at age 51, I have gotten a serious bug now, and plan on spending $4 to $5K on the next one!

 

[Insight Driver]

You should pay $600 to $1000 for your first road or mountain bike as you pick up the sport. From there you will either get the bug or not. I have been riding low-end bikes for 30 years and enjoyed them. Of course, at age 51, I have gotten a serious bug now, and plan on spending $4 to $5K on the next one!

My buying decisions put a bike in the $650 to $1000 US range as being plenty good enough and affordable enough. Over the years as I replaced bikes and bought new ones I was around that range or so. When I got into biking seriously at age 50 (my previous bikes were recreational rides at irregular times) I had to get a new bike because my Cannodale bike was damaged by a car rolling over it. I wasn't on the bike at the time. I spent about $650 on a 2004 Giant OCR2 aluminum bike. I got a lot of enjoyment riding the bike, in spite of the fact that the fit was a compromise for me, as explained to me by my LBS.

When I had a windfall come in I had the opportunity to buy a bike that would eliminate all the negative things I had put up with over the years. I got a bike where nothing on it rusts. I got a bike where the shifting just works, without needing constant adjustment. I got a bike with wheels that stay true and are true both laterally and in circumfrence. I got a bike that has precision hardware and better quality than a lesser bike. I got a bike that has a frame that will outlive me. I got a bike with a geometry that fits me at this time in my life. I got a bike that is the lightest I ever had. I got a bike that is the strongest I ever had. I got a bike made from carbon fiber which is a material I coveted. I got a bike with the handling that makes it a dream bike for me. I got a bike with my name on it.

I've posted in this thread a few times and revisited it today. I certainly did not start out buying a $5000 dollar bike. I rode bikes enough years and developed enough passion and desire to have a really great bike and the means to purchase it.

The company I work for is moving closer to where I live. Only 8 miles away now I'll ride my bike to work. I'll be a bicycle commuter, something I've wanted to do for years. I have a great bike to commute on. Being able to ride 16 mile a day, five days a week will be great training so I can ride 60 miles on a Saturday and an easy 20 on Sunday.

 

[Catabolic_Jones]

I started out with an old Olmo frame and a Campy Mirage group set. Rode that for 2 years, then bought the pimped out Norco CRR Team (Symmetrics' bike).

I still love both bikes, they both have great qualities. You can't go wrong with steel to start out. Cheap and comfy.