Don't start out by buying a $5000 bike

[gregski]

The first thing I thought of while perusing this thread was skiing. Living in the northwest (Washington State), we usually go up to Whistler 3-4 times each winter. Whistler is a HUGE destination resort for the Japanese. We always see groups of them with $5000+ worth of equipment and clothing, but can barely make it down the hill. The difference here being a beginning skier will get absolutely nothing out of high end equipment and will most likely hinder them. Anybody that can keep a bike upright can do OK on an expensive ride. A beginning rider might not get everything out of that mega-ride, but they are still going to have fun. More power to them if they can afford it. When people ask me for ski equipment advice, I tell them to first spend your money on boots that are comfortable and fit by a professional. Come to think of it, the same advice goes for bikes. Ride on!

 

[Insight Driver]

I was re-reading this thread and another thought came to me. About the only people that would be reading this are already at least bicycle enthusiasts. Who would of the group of those who are thinking of buying a bike for the first time would even have a clue a web site like this exists?

 

[Rudy]

I remember reading somewwhere that someone who went out and purchase his 2nd bike...and it's much more expensive. But the new bike is not only moew expensive but it's also more comfy and efficient.

He now enjoy cycling so much more and is out riding more. He used to hate climbing up the hills but his new bike is so much lighter that he's looking for hills to climb.
Cheers!!

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by Insight Driver
I was re-reading this thread and another thought came to me. About the only people that would be reading this are already at least bicycle enthusiasts. Who would of the group of those who are thinking of buying a bike for the first time would even have a clue a web site like this exists?

I was all over the place at different forums before i bought my bike.

i didnt end up with a $5000 bike... just take one 0 off of that.

 

[Jim Ferguson]

I'm 5'8" at 195 so I'm clearly overweight, and at 47 I'm arguably old, so I suppose I look a little ridiculous to some on the new Trek 5200 that I bought this week. I used to be a lot fatter though. I've lost 270 pounds in the last year and a half.

I rode a Frejus bike with all Campagnolo components back in my high school days in the mid-70's. Now THAT bike was clearly out of my budget then, at about $500 if I recall correctly. By comparison the Trek is pocket change.

I started riding again last January when I still weighed about 250. I bought a cheap Trek hybrid, and have really caught the riding bug again. I've been riding it all the time. My current best distance is only 45 miles, but I hope to do a century by the end of the summer.

So feel free to smirk and look down on the old fat guy on the Trek 5200 if you want to, but given where I've been, and where I'm going, you won't bother me in the least

 

[ThrillBilly]

JF, thats a healthy transformation AND a healthy attitude.

kudos on both!

ANd, i would feel the same if you bought a cheap bike and was happy with it without the concern for what others thought of it.

 

[andresbetancour]

Originally posted by Bowyer
Cycling is my life and these days down when I got out on sunday I see a lot of new riders with very expensive bikes. Now this is a big worry when they have just got into the sport because you never know they might not enjoy it and they might think that it is not for them (trust me it happens all the time). So i and many pro's and masters always say to people just getting into the sport to not just go to the local bike store and pick up a trek with dura-ace and carbon everything, go to web sites that sell secondhand bikes or if your lucky go and ask at a bikestore they have great bikes from $350-$1000 with 300km on them. it is so much more sensible than buying a $5000 bike straight of.

I absolutly agree with you, I am just getting started on the sport and I have been using my MTB, which would be a good website to buy secondhand bikes, that it is not EBAY

 

[andresbetancour]

Originally posted by Bowyer
Cycling is my life and these days down when I got out on sunday I see a lot of new riders with very expensive bikes. Now this is a big worry when they have just got into the sport because you never know they might not enjoy it and they might think that it is not for them (trust me it happens all the time). So i and many pro's and masters always say to people just getting into the sport to not just go to the local bike store and pick up a trek with dura-ace and carbon everything, go to web sites that sell secondhand bikes or if your lucky go and ask at a bikestore they have great bikes from $350-$1000 with 300km on them. it is so much more sensible than buying a $5000 bike straight of.

I absolutly agree with you, I am just getting started on the sport and I have been using my MTB, which would be a good website to buy secondhand bikes, that it is not EBAY

 

[beels99]

I also am quite new to the sport, and being a young student I have somewhat limited cash so there is no question that I will not be getting any top of the line bike. But has I have only ridden my mountain bike in the past and after trying some of my friends and families road bikes want to get one of my own to ride. So I researched thoroughly, perused these forums, and test rode bikes before I decided on a Specialized Allez Elite at about 1000.

 

[Thatch]

Originally posted by SquadraSF
that's kind of an unusual way to begin your cycling career. it takes a MINIUMUM of 1 year on the bike before anyone should even remotely consider the idea of racing. first, fitness does not equal bicycle fitness. second, the Crash5s are bad enough without an absolute beginner with almost no skills bumping elbows with you and using the race to learn handling skills. 1 year of group riding is in order to perfect these skills BEFORE you race. it's equally odd that your LBS suggest you train with the team they sponsor unless he's only talking about their recovery rides (and even that is odd). there SHOULD be a huge difference in fitness and talent between a newbie and a veteran. in one year, could improve 10 fold with the right training. hopefully, that's where these racers ARE and where you WILL be in a year or so.

i'm not trying to sound discouraging, i'm just pointing out that most people attempt to become a "cyclist" BEFORE they become a "racer". you have to learn to swim first.

I have to agree with you on that point. However; There are some exceptions to that rule. 1) If you happen to be a racer (Mountainbikes) you can jump up the scale. Racing Mountain bike in the crosscountry race division is a really good way to gain the handling skills. In a mass start race, most of the action bumping elbows and tires ect. occures in the begining of the race. Everyone is trying to get to the front for the best line, view and not to eat the dust. I'm not saying every Mountain bike racer can be a ROAD racer. But; If one has the skill and heart to make the transformation it is rewarding. Any way, I did drop over 5k on my ROAD bike coming from a strong Mountainbike back ground. I did alot of research and knew what I wanted. Thats my 2cs.

 

[Tonto]

As someone who only took up cycling about 8 months ago, I have to say it's very scary when you go shopping for a new bike. Some shops ("superstores" rather than LBS's) I went to had nothing for less than €1000 (about $1200) and within minutes were talking about arranging finance for me! I already have three bank loans....I don't need any more debt, thanks all the same.
These same guys told me that if I bought something cheap that I'd want something better within a few months and that no shop would want to buy my old bike from me. This bit of advice was a little more accurate, buy they seemed to ignore the fact that these are still, good, small bike shops who will sell you a bottom of the range Giant/Trek/Specialised for <€700 which have decent quality frames (if you're not going to race) and which you can upgrade with better a groupset and wheelset later on, when you've got a few km's under your @rse and few €'s saved up.
If, for example you only have the cash for an OCR3, you can buy now and upgrade later and have yourself an OCR Zero (or even better) for roughly the same price, except you can splash out at your own pace, and when you're sure you'll actually get some use out of your newly souped-up machine.
Then again, if you've €3000 to splash out on a De Rosa, good for you, but I don't think my missus would approve if I tried a stunt like that.

 

[jimbooffa]

Originally posted by Tonto
As someone who only took up cycling about 8 months ago, I have to say it's very scary when you go shopping for a new bike. Some shops ("superstores" rather than LBS's) I went to had nothing for less than €1000 (about $1200) and within minutes were talking about arranging finance for me!

It all depends on your situation. I have used 0% percent finacing to buy furniture, electronics, and it enabled me to spend $500 more than I thought I would on my new bike. As long as you can pay it off before one year it a great deal. Supergo is offering 0% financing with no payments or interest for one year.

More power to those who can afford the $5000 bke. If I could afford it, I may have been shopping in that price range.

 

[wolfgang]

I bought my first road bike last week and it was $2200 (lists for $2800). It's a Specialized Allez Pro. So far I'm very happy with it. In fact, I'm still giddy about owning such a nice bike! It may be the nicest thing I've ever owned!

I did a lot of research and I wanted to get something good now, so I wouldn't have to replace a lesser bike in a year or two. I also considered the Trek 5200, 2300, and a Leader (sold on Ebay). I also perused Ebay for months watching auctions trying to find a good buy in my size, which, being 6' 4", is difficult.

I decided on the Allez Pro because I think it's the best value for the money. Although I'm a newbie, I consider myself somewhat knowledgable about bikes, after my months of research. I must admit it's the only bike I actually rode, but it felt (and still feels) right. Check the specs on this bike. Dura Ace, Krysium Elite, carbon fork, etc. for more or less $2500. It's an absolute feather too! Which, has me a little worried since I'm far from a feather myself, weighing in at 240 lbs. plus. I've only put a few miles on it so far, but i hope to ride my ass off on this sweet ride and get my weight closer to 200 this summer and next.

I'd better not mention which shop i bought the bike at, as they're not really allowed to sell Specialized bikes this low.

 

[lokstah]

Originally posted by Insight Driver
Who would of the group of those who are thinking of buying a bike for the first time would even have a clue a web site like this exists?

A good point, but one that falls short in the end, I think. Any inquisitive person on the verge of taking the plunge (in the internet age, at least) might have a question or two about bike tech, and it's not hard to stumble on CyclingForums.com via Google, or any other engine.

Nowadays, it's pretty darn common to poke around online looking for advice before making a significant purchase, right?

 

[Runxner]

Beginners buy$5000 first bikes!!!
..And remember to email me in case you quit cycling before you put your bike ad in the classifieds.

 

[lisazapato]

Originally posted by Insight Driver
I was re-reading this thread and another thought came to me. About the only people that would be reading this are already at least bicycle enthusiasts. Who would of the group of those who are thinking of buying a bike for the first time would even have a clue a web site like this exists?

i just bought a new bike and i spent weeks on the internet researching the subject, and that's how i found this site. and i LOVE my new bike, it's not a bottom of the line, nor the top, but it's just nice enough to make me love it and want to keep riding.

 

[Insight Driver]

Originally posted by lisazapato
i just bought a new bike and i spent weeks on the internet researching the subject, and that's how i found this site. and i LOVE my new bike, it's not a bottom of the line, nor the top, but it's just nice enough to make me love it and want to keep riding.

That is great . What bike did you get? And more to the point, how good was the bike shop in helping you and fitting you properly?

 

[lisazapato]

Originally posted by Insight Driver
That is great . What bike did you get? And more to the point, how good was the bike shop in helping you and fitting you properly?

I got a Trek 1500 WSD. I went to three different bike shops, and the guy at this bike shop was just the best. From the first moment I went in, I told him what I was looking for, he fitted me for three test rides on three bikes, and was thorough enough to actually check the tire pressure with a pump and not just with his thumb. I am a newbie so he told me what to look for in knowing how i fit a bike, and I was so impressed. I used some of his tips when I went to another bike shop to try bikes, because they didn't seem to know as much, or care. anyway, for anyone in the Triangle, NC area, Brian at Franklin St. Cycles in Chapel Hill is the best!

anyway, i once borrowed a bike and after an hour and a half i couldn't bend my right knee and my shoulders were killing me. then i got my own bike, and i can ride that long with no butt, shoulder, or knee fatigue. (only quads ;-)). the only thing is, my hands often hurt. i just got gloves, but they still hurt some, so i just keep fidgeting on the handlebars. I think I position myself incorrectly. Brian said that you shouldn't have a locked elbow when you're riding, your elbows should be bent some. When i try this, it is pretty comfortable but it seems just so unnatural I can't seem to hold it. When I stop concentrating on it, I look down and there I am with my elbows locked. I guess I just have to work on it.

 

[TrekDedicated]

Originally posted by Memphmann


How come you see fat guys on bikes, but never fat females?????


Memph

Not to take this too far off topic, but are you kidding?

*fat chicks in spandex are all over the place.... I usually want to curl up in a little ball and cry cause I see an ass bigger than two basketballs in spandex


Hey, if the bike is in someone's budget, so be it. Who are we to ridicule their purchases?

Would you jump on their back b/c they buy real diamonds and you bought fake ones that looked just as real? (from a distance of course)

 

[dhk]

Originally posted by lisazapato
I got a Trek 1500 WSD. I went to three different bike shops, and the guy at this bike shop was just the best. From the first moment I went in, I told him what I was looking for, he fitted me for three test rides on three bikes, and was thorough enough to actually check the tire pressure with a pump and not just with his thumb. I am a newbie so he told me what to look for in knowing how i fit a bike, and I was so impressed. I used some of his tips when I went to another bike shop to try bikes, because they didn't seem to know as much, or care. anyway, for anyone in the Triangle, NC area, Brian at Franklin St. Cycles in Chapel Hill is the best!

anyway, i once borrowed a bike and after an hour and a half i couldn't bend my right knee and my shoulders were killing me. then i got my own bike, and i can ride that long with no butt, shoulder, or knee fatigue. (only quads ;-)). the only thing is, my hands often hurt. i just got gloves, but they still hurt some, so i just keep fidgeting on the handlebars. I think I position myself incorrectly. Brian said that you shouldn't have a locked elbow when you're riding, your elbows should be bent some. When i try this, it is pretty comfortable but it seems just so unnatural I can't seem to hold it. When I stop concentrating on it, I look down and there I am with my elbows locked. I guess I just have to work on it.

You may be grasping the bar to tightly, or just have extra tension in your arms and shoulders. After you ride a while, you'll be more relaxed on the bike, and learn to vary your hand position every few minutes. After you ride a few months, I'll bet your hand pains will disappear.