Don't start out by buying a $5000 bike

[cd667]

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!

That's really good to hear. Long live the shop that's run by enthusiasts!
My first bike was bought from an absolutely tiny shop run by a man who simply loved bikes and cycling. His bikes were cheap but his advice and knowledge were so good. I went in three shops, one tried to sell me a road bike with close ratio gears, another tried to sell me an absolute pig of a mountain bike (full suspension junk), but he sold me an extremely battered but good quality mountain bike for £35, explaining that lots of people started cycling but never got into it. Over the next year or so I got to know this guy well, his name was Chris. A great bloke, you could go in and you'd end up spending a couple of hours talking to him. Unfortunately he was run over by a lorry riding to work one morning. I still miss him.

I have six bikes now including that Puegeot, and cycling is a huge part of my life. But it probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone into that shop.

BTW welcome to cycling, Lisazapato! Dhk is right, the wrist pains are going to go away really soon, just stick with it and relax. Remember that the bike wants to stay upright just as much as you do.

 

[izzodesh]

That's really good to hear. Long live the shop that's run by enthusiasts!
My first bike was bought from an absolutely tiny shop run by a man who simply loved bikes and cycling. His bikes were cheap but his advice and knowledge were so good. I went in three shops, one tried to sell me a road bike with close ratio gears, another tried to sell me an absolute pig of a mountain bike (full suspension junk), but he sold me an extremely battered but good quality mountain bike for £35, explaining that lots of people started cycling but never got into it. Over the next year or so I got to know this guy well, his name was Chris. A great bloke, you could go in and you'd end up spending a couple of hours talking to him. Unfortunately he was run over by a lorry riding to work one morning. I still miss him.

I have six bikes now including that Puegeot, and cycling is a huge part of my life. But it probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone into that shop.

BTW welcome to cycling, Lisazapato! Dhk is right, the wrist pains are going to go away really soon, just stick with it and relax. Remember that the bike wants to stay upright just as much as you do.

for your first bike you should really only spend 1k if you are serious about starting to race. You have to able to commit at least a 100 miles a week. Then you can always get better parts and then eventually get a kick ass frame and switch it over..
Thats the best way to do it.

 

[Crescent]

Although your advice is sensible and is grounded in logic, there are many other variables involved that have a very powerful effect on the final outcome...

Although you say its better to start somewhere down from the very top and work your way up equipment wise, there is a real possibilty that buying something very nice will inspire and even drive you to do more with it.

Another possibility is that the quality/design and execution of top of the line bikes translates to alot of people in reality as top of the line riding experience. I test rode no less than 9 different bikes before settling on the Trek 5200, and not because it was a Trek, but because it was the one bike that felt the best, and believe me, the sticker shock was more than enough to dissuade me.

The decision point was; should I get the much cheaper bike that felt uncomfortable, or the insanely expensive one that felt great!

If a person were to get bike of lesser quality and then quit cycling, there would always be that nagging thought "If the bike had only been a bit better...." as opposed to "cycling just didn't agree with me, and it could NOT have been the equipment I was on, it was the best!"

Isn't there also an issue of resale value or percieved value? If you buy a lesser quality bike, chances are it will be hard to get rid of, or get rid of at a fair price. If you buy a top of the line bike and it had relatively low miles, you would have to beat off all of the ebay buyers with a stick!

I am convinced that, as with all things in life, some people are predisposed to certain activities and turned off by others... Good bike, fair bike, incredible bike, it makes no difference... If the person is not predisposed to cycling, nothing will get them to cycle... The spectrum of quality and cost of the bike will go along way toward fidning that nebulous "edge group" who could fall either way... Having a great ride goes a long way to starting a long and fruitfull pursuit in cycling... and if it doesn't, there are more "escape" routes to recover your loss than if you go the frugal route...

Just my 2 cents

Have a good one!

Feanor

I totally agree with everything here. Something else that's important is the standard of shop service, especially ensuring the correct fitting etc. Many shops I frequent, (just to stare at the stuff normally I'm invariably broke) only seem interested in pushing top end bikes onto people. This has happened to me following polite enquiries and I've also witnessed first time buyers being sheperded towards the expensive goods by eager shop assistants.
Ultimately perhaps it's down to research (hoorah for forums) some people spend a fortune on something through impulse, perhaps not thinking it through carefully enough. This kind of shopping has become a form of recreation in itself these days, and I'm sure the raised profile of the Tour will have many reaching for their credit cards in pursuit of some very expensive and beautiful garage accessories.
The pleasure of cycling (and proficiency) is only partly related to the bicycle. I don't want to deny the joy of riding the wondrous steeds that have evolved, but riders have raced much heavier, even dangerous machines in the past.
Whether competitive or recreational there's much more to cycling than the equipment, for me the best bits can't be easily quantified or bought in the high street.

 

[Cowboyathlete]

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.

You should have had a third option: Buy a new less expensive bike before buying a new more expensive bike. I suspect a huge number of people would have voted for that as an option.

 

[bdazzler2]

Jeeze seems like buying my 04 Litespeed Tuscany as my first road bike was a mistake then...

 

[meehs]

Jeeze seems like buying my 04 Litespeed Tuscany as my first road bike was a mistake then...

Definitely not! Unless you think it was!?!?

 

[lucien2]

Geeez. I feel guilty now. (oh by the way, hi, this is my first post). I've been an MTB'er for a decade. But now I'm at the point where I really enjoy road riding. I've been riding my MTB on the road for 2 months now, and loving every minute of it..........but. But it isn't fun from the perspective of interacting with the right machine for the job. So I'm 34, my first kid on the way...do I buy an entry level road bike that will suit me for a couple of years, at which point I'll have a 2 year old and not a lot of spare cash for yet another bike? Or do I spend some serious coin right now on a frame that will still be relevant in 10 years, while I still can?

 

[bdazzler2]

lucien2,

Near identical circumstances led me to buy the Tuscany and I love it.

Tip - just make sure the bike is worth less than the engagement ring - stops the "you spent how much on a bike?" arguement dead.

 

[lucien2]

no kidding? That's a friggin GREAT idea.




i ordered a Seven Axiom steel this morning.

 

[dumbell]

undefined I bought a secondhand Carpenter road/track bike from Savill,s in 1960.It was my first racing bike and I'll never forget the feeling of speed and power as I rode it home from the shop,which was somewhere near Clapham Common in London.It was French blue in colour with 3/4 chrome forks and stays to a 13 year old schoolboy who had saved his paper round money for 2 years to get a "Racer" it was just beautiful.It cost 17pounds and 10 shillings and looked like a million dollars,strange how you allways remmber your first time.

no kidding? That's a friggin GREAT idea.




i ordered a Seven Axiom steel this morning.

 

[antikeye]

An option I don't see listed here very often is "start out on quality vintage". I'm an old-school tour cyclist, and any modern retail price seems to me insane. The inexpensive new stuff will show up at the Salvation Army soon enough. The pricey dream cycles will only last as long as your interest in cycling, if they don't die sooner of untried materials. Hang out on the internet and learn what makes a quality long-lasting frame (usually lugged R531 or Columbus). Learn how to tune a vintage bike. Hang out at used bike areas in Goodwills, buy the best you can (2 or 3 if possible), work on them, ride them. After you've learned to retool and tune and ride a vintage lightweight and ridden it for a couple of thousand miles, then think about sinking your bucks into the state of the art.
Leave the money purchases to the sportif braggarts. Then if the bike turns out to be worth a **** after 4-5 years, you can pick up relatively unworn models on the secondary market for a fraction of their original price.

 

[Crescent]

An option I don't see listed here very often is "start out on quality vintage". I'm an old-school tour cyclist, and any modern retail price seems to me insane. The inexpensive new stuff will show up at the Salvation Army soon enough. The pricey dream cycles will only last as long as your interest in cycling, if they don't die sooner of untried materials. Hang out on the internet and learn what makes a quality long-lasting frame (usually lugged R531 or Columbus). Learn how to tune a vintage bike. Hang out at used bike areas in Goodwills, buy the best you can (2 or 3 if possible), work on them, ride them. After you've learned to retool and tune and ride a vintage lightweight and ridden it for a couple of thousand miles, then think about sinking your bucks into the state of the art.
Leave the money purchases to the sportif braggarts. Then if the bike turns out to be worth a **** after 4-5 years, you can pick up relatively unworn models on the secondary market for a fraction of their original price.

I have to totally agree with you antikeye, i've only ever bought new twice and was disappointed with the road bike (despite the expense!), the '98 Stumpjumper is still a joy to ride though. My first bikes were secondhand from club riders, cared for and still going strong. The road bike (a 1970's Columbus Moser ) is especially great and if i've kept the weight off, sails up hills, corners and eats bad road surfaces for breakfast, and is only a few years younger than i am!
As well as 'starting out on a quality vintage', another category suggestion would be look after you're body and ride all the year round, not just when the sun shines.
Finally, touring on a bike is without doubt the best way to travel, once you've sorted out what to take and what to leave behind. I think it's one of the cheapest, fulfilling and respectful ways to explore anywhere, you get to see so much and truly experience many aspects of the environment (good and bad) that other forms of journeying don't even begin to offer.
In my humble opinion there's too much emphasis on what the equipment is, not what you can do with it!!

 

[Feanor]

An option I don't see listed here very often is "start out on quality vintage". I'm an old-school tour cyclist, and any modern retail price seems to me insane. The inexpensive new stuff will show up at the Salvation Army soon enough. The pricey dream cycles will only last as long as your interest in cycling, if they don't die sooner of untried materials. Hang out on the internet and learn what makes a quality long-lasting frame (usually lugged R531 or Columbus). Learn how to tune a vintage bike. Hang out at used bike areas in Goodwills, buy the best you can (2 or 3 if possible), work on them, ride them. After you've learned to retool and tune and ride a vintage lightweight and ridden it for a couple of thousand miles, then think about sinking your bucks into the state of the art.
Leave the money purchases to the sportif braggarts. Then if the bike turns out to be worth a **** after 4-5 years, you can pick up relatively unworn models on the secondary market for a fraction of their original price.

There is, of course, logic and rational thought in what you put forward antikeye, but there is no denying on the other hand that human beings are rarely rational or logical

There will always be a gigantic cross section of the population that will draw an almost fanatical, fetish-like inspiration from equipment whose expense might equally draw the attention of others for whatever end or purpose.

With this investment/waste, old and new riders will find more reasons to ride, and not fewer or worse, none. Wether they continue on to great success, or shelve the dream machines is no matter. Most of them will eventually end up in the hands of those who will use them, and the constant demand for ever more incredible machines/innovation only makes the sport safer and more satisfying for all.

Have you ever bought a new car and just looked for ANY reason to drive it? Whereas if you were in a more "reasonable" and non-descript beater you'd be protesting loudly Its a carrot... You can tell one person "Hey, run 20 miles" and off they go, and on the other hand you can only make another person do that if you first make them pay for a 300 a month health club membership...

This is not to say that your arguments aren't without tremendous merit, but it is simply a situation wherein half the people in this thread are arguing individually given their own experience (buy a quality used bike) and the other half are putting forth a theory of general behavior (buy whatever you want, the more expensive the better) where there is no harm done and more good for all cyclists than most people seem to want to recognize...

Both sides are right... How do I know? Because you can basically get anything you want (and not just one side or the other...); An amazing deal on a tested and true bike, or a break the bank marvel of modern technology, its your choice, and choice is a great thing.

Because we are demanding in our requirements, is why we have better bikes/spouses/homes/cars/planes/electronics/medicine etc...

Don't think of it as a waste of money, more than it is just an expenditure that you yourself might not be willing to make... no right or wrong, just different approaches...

If a person bought a $10,000 first bike and because of that they rode more, or enough, to get to the point where they liked riding, and went on to eventually win the TdF, whereas in another reality, they might have gotten an inexpensive (reasonable bike) and never got over that threshold of liking or wanting to get out and ride... Was the 10,000 expenditure incorrect? Weird example I know, but in a biography of Lance Armstrong, Linda (his mother) bought Lance a $300 BMX type bicycle as his first bike. This was a fortune for a single Mom working multiple jobs and was a great hardship on their budget. Lance rode it everywhere because he was "Proud" to have something nice like the other kids had...

Who knows... lots of "what ifs"


Have a good one!

Feanor

 

[coastalrider]

I went for a middle range bike that was a leftover (3 years old but new) from the LBS. My mistake was I was mainly looking at components and price not trying to get the best fit.

Go to a place where they will fit you right. Ride several bikes and don't worry about having low end components for your first bike. If you stick with it you will want a better bike in a couple of years. Save your money for when you know have a better idea of what you want and need.

my 2-cents

 

[closesupport]

I happened to find my first mountain bike, i tinkered with it for days even weeks on end when i was a little younger, i couldn't really aford a new one, but as the years have passed i have built this mtb into a joy to ride, i have built several and now i have a full carbon, that has taken me months to build, wouldn't say its broke the bank but its alot better than the racer that i layed out almost the same amount for, with sora and tiagra mixed 8sp groupo and cheep wheels.

since building my own i have full carbon and full dura ace groupo with mavic cosmic wheels.... its shocking to think how much the guy in the local bike shop is making with aesthetically pleasing bikes with lesser group components.

But its now become something i love to do, tinkering and riding weather its long distances or shorter fast sprints.

ohhh! has anyone seen the trek OCR for sale on Ebay, lovely bike

 

[cityscapex5]

Didn't spend $5,000 - Just $3500. Specialized Roubaix Pro Triple. Throw in some carbon soled shoes, pedals....oh and a mini seat bag and i'm still comfortably under $5000!

 

[MaxPrime]

Didn't spend $5,000 - Just $3500. Specialized Roubaix Pro Triple. Throw in some carbon soled shoes, pedals....oh and a mini seat bag and i'm still comfortably under $5000!

Went with an Allez after god knows how many mountain frame and component combinations. I cracked 2 CAAD2's and was only glad the CAAD3 they gave me didn't break - so I steered away from Cannondale. It's a good beginner bike.

 

[Claud Butter]

What are the pros and cons for spending $5000 on your first bike?

Pro

·You’re in all likelihood getting a very nice bike. It will be a fun ride.
·You’ll never have to wonder if it’s you or the bike. It’s you.
·If you’ve done your research, it’s probably a good fit in terms of materials, geometry, fit, etc.
·You’ve skipped over the several years of graduating from one level of bikes to the next.
·You can ride this bike for years before you outgrow it.

Con

·If you’re new to the sport, it’s a lot of money to tie up in a piece of equipment especially if you later decide you don’t like cycling.
·If the bike shop where you made your purchase is mainly after your money, you may have wasted $5000 on an ill-fitting bike.
·If you’re concerned with other people’s opinion, you may feel a bit foolish until you can sprint up the hills with the best of the locals.
·The wheels on a $5000 bike may not be as sturdy or easy to true as a pair of less expensive regular spoked wheels.
·Repairs on an expensive bike are also expensive.
·You may be tempted to try things you’re not ready for.
·Expensive bikes for beginners are not much of a performance advantage.
·A few years of experience on lower end bikes will help you select the $5000 bike that fits your needs.
·You must trust the bike shop that sells you the bike. If your gut tells you otherwise, walk.

For a beginner who can pay $5000 cash and not miss it, finds a good bike shop, and has a gut level desire to ride, go for it. It also helps to have knowledgeable friends with experience in the sport. It’s a big risk, but big risks often have big pay-offs.

Another con to such expensive bikes is you can get a motor bike for the same price. I once saw a road bicycle costing £8000. You can get motorbikes that do over 150mph for that. Although the good thing about bikes is no tax, insurance and other bullcrap expenses. Why pay thousands for a bicycle when chances are it wont be a great deal faster than a £500 bike. Some cheaper bikes can also be very good.

 

[gruppo]

...Why pay thousands for a bicycle when chances are it wont be a great deal faster than a £500 bike.....

What does speed have to do with it? If the only factor was how you can go, I would just drive the car.

 

[grimnortherner]

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.

but without these rich gimps there wouldn't be so many great deals on e-bay!!