First road/racing bike (NYC)

[bushy86]

Hey all, I'm looking to purchase my first real road/racing bike. I rode BMX and mountain bikes growing, but I now live in NYC and am looking for something that I can get a good workout on, but can also ride around the city. The bulk of my fitness riding will be done in Central Park around that 6.5 mile loop. Probably no more then 60-90 minutes at a time.

I'm 6'0 ft and am in pretty good shape. Price is going to be my main selling point and would love to make this purchase as cheap as possible since I will probably buy another bike in 2 or so years if I get into it. I have found some cheap options online (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/wellington3_IX.htm) and (http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/wellington1_IX.htm), but those would probably have to go to a shop to get assembled, which probably isn't cheap. More importantly, is buying online even a good idea? Should I go to a store and try to snag last years model for cheap? Anyone have a good shop in NYC?!

Thanks for your help!

 

[vspa]

the wellington 3.0 is not too bad, you need to buy it in size 56 or 59 (seat tube, it is the number in the first column of the sizing chart) its a quite decent aluminium frame with a carbon fork, sora shifters, quite ok

 

[danfoz]

Central Park, nice. I've done many laps there - it's a beautiful loop. Nothing like the smell of horse manure at 6:30am while gulping down large mouthfulls of O2. It's even more fun racing in the rain. You learn to keep your mouth shut real tight.

If the dealer is legitimate buying online is fine. If you go this path, when the bike arrives you will need to install the wheels, the seat/seatpost, and the stem (the handlebars, tape, cables, and shifters will already be installed). Depending on who did the initial install on the other side the bike may be ready to go with gears perfectly adjusted. Installing the wheels is a matter of understanding the quick release mechanism. Attaching the stem is a little more tricky but with all the vids on youtube available and a very basic mechanical inclination it is actually pretty easy. You should be able to get the whole thing done with just a couple allen keys.

If the initial install was sloppy you may need to get a very basic tuneup at a shop (should be just derailleur adjust and a once over) which should cost less than $50 (hey it's the big city) and ideally should be closer to about $20.

These days most bike shops are good and knowledgable. There will be deals on last years bikes - usually to the tune of 10-20%. In the city I like Bicycle Habitat. Sids bikes is a good outfit too. it doesn't sound like you are attached to any particular brand which would limit your search to paricular dealers. In Brooklyn, 9th Street bicycles is a good shop - I race for them.

If you order online you should have an understanding of what size you need. As sizing conventions vary, you can most easily use "effective top tube" length as a measurement. Try a couple bikes local, check the sizes, find their corresponding top tube length which are always available on a company's website (or at the shop), and match it up to the top tube length of the bike you are looking at. If not familiar yet with your own size, it is always better to test ride a bike with similar measurements before pulling the trigger.

At 6ft I may go with the 56, but another reason to be real sure about your size is that that is an old school horizontal top tube (as opposed to "sloping top tube", and which usually facilitate a more comfortable riding position) and therefore has a short "head tube" (compared to the "sloping" sizes). The 59 may be too big and have you too strectched out. The traditional 56 may have you too low.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]"You learn to keep your mouth shut real tight."[/COLOR]

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]...and to wipe your bottles before drinking.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)] Campy(the Amish are my neighbors)Bob[/COLOR]

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. Since you are coming from a mixed BMX-MTB background you already know the potential disadvantages of a Single Speed & you also know the potential advantages of both a bike with only one gear ratio and a bike with multiple gears ...

So, you may-or-may-not want to consider a Single Speed bike instead of one of the two "Wellington" bikes ...

You can buy a ready-to-ride Single Speed or cobble one together for as much money as you want to spend OR as modest an amount of money as you want (you know, a "vintage" bike + an ACS-or-brand-of-your-choice Freewheel + a chain tool + new tires & tubes + etc. should set you back less than $200, and even less if you are a wise shopper).

After you figure out the gearing for the terrain in Central Park, a Single Speed may give you the workout you are looking for ...

And, if you ever encounter an incline-or-"hill" which is too steep, then you can always get off of the bike and walk for a bit.

 

[ginachen]

I think if you want to buy cheaper and better bike you had better purchase on line.Because many dealers are purchasing on line then sell to others.You can visit ebay or alibaba maybe you can find some proper goods.

 

[bobbyl1966]

what is your opinion about the welligton windsor bikes. The 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0