First bike recomendation

[Karp]

Hi folks!

I will buy my first racer in a few months and wondered if you more experienced guys could give me some recomendations.

- A Trek 1000 for 650 dollar.

- The cheapest Bianchi for 780 dollar

- A Cannondale for like 1100 dollar.


Is trek better than bianchi?!

It would be great if you could give me some tips with these bikes, I don`t really know what to look for.

 

[firegooroo]

Karp keep looking a Trek 100 for 650, your going to be paying 150 more than you should. Thats one, two what is your motivation for a road bike, have ridden at all or this actually the first time your getting a road bike...

Another thing is consider doing some research on line there are many good bikes to choose from and you need to know your budget and what your goal is.

Finally after you have done all your reseach shop and shop some more, there will be bike shops telling you that "A" brand is better than "B" brand just to sell you a bike. Look at it like buying a car, and ask some friends for help.

 

[Karp]

Yes, this will be my first raodbike ever, so I think I will go for the cheaper models.

 

[SamMan23]

I think the entry level Lemond Nevada City is a pretty nice bike too.

 

[Duckwah]

here are a few comments based on my experience of riding a Giant OCR3 for the past year

1. sure buy a cheap bike to get into the sport but make sure its compatible with higher end parts so that upgrading is not such a hassle

2. therefore, get 9 speed even if its tiagra and get a threadless stem/fork setup

i've got the problem that fixing anything that breaks on my bike is very hard and i'm considering just buying a whole new bike.

also between well known brands like trek, bianchi and cannondale quality should not be a problem so choose a bike that fits your body size and riding purpose

 

[tacomee]

Only 2 things you need to worry about. Does your new bike fit right? Do you trust your local bike shop to stand behind their bike and help you out along the way?


Becuase most road bike use the same parts, brand isn't so important---the LBS is really where the rubber hits the road.

 

[SamMan23]

Originally posted by tacomee
Only 2 things you need to worry about. Does your new bike fit right? Do you trust your local bike shop to stand behind their bike and help you out along the way?


Becuase most road bike use the same parts, brand isn't so important---the LBS is really where the rubber hits the road.

true that true that

 

[BMAFG]

I was in the same boat a couple of months ago. Based on my now vast two months of experience with shopping and owning, here are my suggestions.

- Ride lots of options. Spend as much time on the bikes as you can.

- Spend more time than you think is necessary getting a bike that fits. If you find a friendly, well stocked shop, try riding one a little too big and one a little too small so you can begin to understand the difference.

- If you haven't ridden and are not in good shape with good flexibility, your aches and pains will move with every ride as your technique and conditioning improves. You will be amazed at how much easier it gets - quickly.

- Enjoy the process. You'll find bike shops that want to get you out the door with a bike in 10 minutes and you'll find shops that want to spend whatever time it takes to get you on 'your perfect bike'. Keep looking until you find the latter.

I rode Trek, Masi, Lemond, Giant, Bianchi, Motobecane and Specialized. Sat on and looked at lots of others. Ended up with an '03 Bianchi Eros ($750 on year-end closeout). It is the perfect bike for me, for now.

Enjoy.
Balding Middle Aged Fat Guy

 

[Karp]

The thing is, it will snow in Sweden for maybe another month, so I cannot go out and test the bikes. And if I wait too long I won`t be able to buy the bikes as cheep as I want to. So do I really have to test the bikes, I meen, I have never ridden a racer and whatever I will test will feel like heaven.


Maybe I will go for the cheepest bianchi, I checked it out and asked some guys about it, and they recomended it.

 

[firegooroo]

Be careful with the bianchi's they only have a one year warranty and unlike other brands that have life time warrenty.

 

[Jakey]

I had a trek 1000, and ended up trading it in on a 2000 after about a month, the 1000 isn't a bad bike, but it comes with the cheapest components possible... Its amazing the difference you get going from a $600 bike to a $1000 bike... I can't even imagine what a three or four thousand dollar bike must ride like ... Maybe someday I'll get a torelli or something..

 

[Karp]

I bought a Merida 901!! Just waiting for the snow to melt now

 

[BMAFG]

Originally posted by firegooroo
Be careful with the bianchi's they only have a one year warranty and unlike other brands that have life time warrenty.

The warranty statement that came with mine is 1 year on the complete bike, 10 years on the frame.