Entry level road bike for women?



luvgreyhounds

New Member
Sep 27, 2011
6
0
0
hi! New to forum and to cycling! I currently have a trek 7.3 wsd fitness bike but am ready to step up to a road bike, with a budget of about $1200. My goal is to do group rides, not super fast or far but good for fitness and to enjoy being outdoors--maybe up to 30 miles or so? Also interested in charity rides. I am looking at women's design bikes like Specialized Dolce and Trek Lexa, haven't done a test ride yet. Am I going to notice a difference from my fitness bike in terms of speed and handling being in aluminum frames still? Am I going to regret not going right to carbon or is that too much bike for my needs (i know carbon is well out of my current price range but wondering if i should save up and hold out for awhile?)? I am 51 yrs old, if that makes any difference.
 
Hi Greyhoundlover, welcome to the forum.

I wouldn't be too concerned about comparing aluminum, carbon, or steel, I would just ride as many different road bikes as you can in your price range.

See which bike(s) really feels the best to you, rather than which bike should feel the best because a sales person says it's the best.

Once you narrow your choices down a bit, then you can start comparing frame material, equipment groups, etc.

Have fun shopping!
 
Thank you--this is excellent advice, will do! It brings me to my next question, about how to get to test drive the bikes you think you want to test drive rather than just the ones the LBS has in stock, but I will post that as a new thread!!!