Need help on buying a road bike.

[mattdonn]

Hey all, here is the deal I am looking to get back into biking. I used to do alot of biking in college but never on a road bike only on a mountain bike. I will be biking only on roads never on trails or anyting so i was looking into geting a road bike but dont really know anything about them. I dont want to get anything too expensive right away due to the fact of not sure what I would be comfortable with and dont want to waste alot of money on something I may not be happy with. I was told that target and,or walmart have cheap bikes and not bad for something to start with. Is this true? or are they just a pile of **** and im gonna end up wanting to get rid of it right away. I was also concidering buying something on craigslist but not sure what is good what isnt. Im not looking to race or anything of that nature right away just something to get me back into shape and to enjoy a nice ride on the weekends. Just looking for some adivce, anything will help, thanks.

 

[daveryanwyoming]

I'd stay away from the department store bikes for several reasons including overall quality but just as importantly assuring the bike really fits you and one that you can get a good test ride on before purchase.

Craigslist can work, but again it's tough if you don't have experience especially on sizing. A good and ethical seller may help but you never know who you'll deal with.

You don't need to spend a ton of cash on your first road bike to get something very nice, reliable, and fun to ride but a good fit is essential. If there's a Performance Bikes near you that's a good place to start as it's about as close to department store pricing as you'll find in a dedicated bike shop with folks that know what they're talking about and mechanics that actually know how to assemble and maintain good bikes. REI is another possibility for affordable bikes. And definitely check out your local bike shops, you may be surprised at the deals they have even in shops that carry very expensive bikes and they'll almost certainly have the expertise to help you size the bike and understand the tradeoff's between different models.

Lots of good end of the year sales on bikes happening right now so it is a very good time to shop for bikes.

Good luck,
-Dave

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by daveryanwyoming .

Lots of good end of the year sales on bikes happening right now so it is a very good time to shop for bikes.

Ditto on staying away from dept store bikes. Then again I haven't looked at what types of bikes are moving off their floors these days. Several years ago the stuff was mainly heavy junk that didn't look too robust.

Even if you don't have plans to race it's nice to have a quality rig - these days even the entry level lineup I've seen in bike shops over the last few years is pretty good. Bikes in the range of $450-600. In addition, my local shop is discounting the 2012 models around 20%. Most are doing the same or similar. This may sound pricey but what are dept store bikes for adults these days? 300-400? The biggest loss willl most likely be working with folks who don't know bikes and proper sizing as well as they could. The department store model is to sell you a bike. The bike store model is to sell you a bike and try to get your repeat business spending $$ on stuff they actually make $$ on - markup on bikes is abysmal and most shops make their dough on clothing and accesories.

 

[cycledogg1]

Some LBS (local bike shops) will also offer used bikes they got as trade-ins for sale. Some will post these bikes on their web sites or when you go visit, ask. They will make sure they have a bike in your size used before selling it to you. Again, this time of year bike shops are offering huge discounts on new bikes. You can get a great entry level new bike for around 500 US dollars.
Rick in Tennessee