new rider buying first bike!

[nolagal]

Looking for suggestions from riders on a decent first road bike. I'm 29 yrs. old and live in New Orleans, LA. (so the terrain is flat) I've done some riding, but never on a bike of my own. My goals are to train and to race; with the ultimate goal of riding in the Ride for the Roses next year (in honor of a friend w/ cancer). I have looked at Trek, Cannondale, Schwinn, Fuji and am overwhelmed! My price range is $500-$800. What would you rec for a respectable bike that will be good to train on and hopefully ride in Austin next year! Thanks in advance for the suggestions

 

[bestrin04]

Originally posted by nolagal
Looking for suggestions from riders on a decent first road bike. I'm 29 yrs. old and live in New Orleans, LA. (so the terrain is flat) I've done some riding, but never on a bike of my own. My goals are to train and to race; with the ultimate goal of riding in the Ride for the Roses next year (in honor of a friend w/ cancer). I have looked at Trek, Cannondale, Schwinn, Fuji and am overwhelmed! My price range is $500-$800. What would you rec for a respectable bike that will be good to train on and hopefully ride in Austin next year! Thanks in advance for the suggestions

The 500 to 800 dollar range is flooded with options. A road bike in that group would be a Giant OCR 2 or 3, A Trek 1000 or 1200. You could also get into a flat bar road bike in that price range. A Raleigh C500 or C700, a Giant Cypress SX, or a Trek 7300 FX or a 7500FX. I would recommend the OCR 2 for a road, and the Cypress SX for a flat bar road.
Ride them and get a feel for what you want.

Just a start.
B04

 

[lokstah]

Those are good recommendations. I'm more familiar with Giant, personally, but I think others would agree that the OCR2 is worth a good look.

A few basic component issues to think about as you search: like many of the better offerings in the $800-ish range, the OCR2 uses a Shimano Tiagra drivetrain (with a few even better 105-level components tossed in); Tiagra's a budget option, to be sure, but it's far, far, far superior to the next level down, Shimano Sora.

If you're serious about training on this thing and have some events planned for the future, you'll get much more long-term satisfaction out of a Tiagra drivetrain than a Sora one. It's a good value.

Also, when shopping in this pricerange, keep an eye out for a 1 1/8" steerer/threadless stem, as opposed to a 1" quill steerer/stem. It's a more versatile and current hardware system; it's easier to maintain and upgrade, or modify for fit.

Keep steerers and drivetrains on the brain while you shop, but just the same, any self-respecting bike geek will tell you that fit and general preference are the most important things to concern yourself with. Visit shops, look around. Do some test riding, and see what feels right for you.

The Giant OCR2 is a great place to start. Also, check out the Fuji Newest. Good luck!