Seeking road bike advice



Pairodice

New Member
Jul 25, 2016
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I wanted to get into cycling as a means of staying healthy, I am 6'0" and 205-210 pounds. When I first purchased my bike I did not know how much I would like cycling. And while the bike I have built up runs well enough I am tired of the constant adjusting of things and would like something better.

I made the very uneducated decision of buying a $200 Schwinn from Wally-World. I however do not regret the decision as having to constantly fix/upgrade the bike has taught me quite a bit. I have changed out the bottom bracket/crank set/rear casette/handlebars/shift levers/stem/breaks etc. But now it is time for me to invest in a better bike. I do not have the cash to drop on a really expensive bike and I still consider myself a casual cyclist. I ride maybe 2-3 times a week and go for distances of 16-24 miles in a trip usually. I have looked at my local bike shops and they do not seem very promising as far as prices/selection so I am aiming to purchase online.

The bike I am looking at is a Diamondback 2016 Century Sport. I was wondering if I could get some feedback on it or perhaps someone could recommend a similarly priced bike. Also any advice on selling what I have. I am thinking of just putting the handlebars/shifter levers/stem I dumped $200 into on eBay or something and scrapping the rest.

I would also like to know what to expect when jumping from a low quality bike to one of decent quality. Would the ride be easier? faster? more comfortable?
 
I would also like to know what to expect when jumping from a low quality bike to one of decent quality. Would the ride be easier? faster? more comfortable?

Definitely. When my cheap 10 speed was stolen 35 years ago, I replaced it with a $100 second hand English made Raleigh, complete with Brooks saddle and 10 speed Suntour gearing. That was such a nice bike and an incredible upgrade. It was a pain to replace parts though.

The Diamondback gets good reviews on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01444YDZU/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

I can't help thinking you'd be better off buying second hand or maybe spending more though. I like touring bikes myself, even if I wasn't touring. Wider stronger wheels. Attachments for luggage racks etc. Wider gearing range. Steel frame.
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/blog/top-100-best-touring-bicycles/

Where do you live? What is the maximum you can spend?

Oh, and welcome. Other people far more knowledgable than myself should be along to help you soon.
 
Definitely. When my cheap 10 speed was stolen 35 years ago, I replaced it with a $100 second hand English made Raleigh, complete with Brooks saddle and 10 speed Suntour gearing. That was such a nice bike and an incredible upgrade. It was a pain to replace parts though.

The Diamondback gets good reviews on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01444YDZU/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

I can't help thinking you'd be better off buying second hand or maybe spending more though. I like touring bikes myself, even if I wasn't touring. Wider stronger wheels. Attachments for luggage racks etc. Wider gearing range. Steel frame.
http://www.bicycletouringpro.com/blog/top-100-best-touring-bicycles/

Where do you live? What is the maximum you can spend?

Oh, and welcome. Other people far more knowledgable than myself should be along to help you soon.

I am thinking $800 at the most, I do hear a lot of people recommending buying second hand and would be willing to consider it, I just do not know much about parts quality and models and am worried about someone trying to sell me something for more than its worth.

I live in Durham, North Carolina. I am 2 miles away from the American Tobacco Trail, which is where I do my riding. I am very lucky to live so close to it, on a slow day I can go the short 16 mile route one way or the much longer route in the other direction. It is complete with water stops and connects to several roads with bike lanes.

If I did not go for the Diamondback I would probably start looking at Trek's and Cannondale's. I know enough at least to stay away from carbon fiber frames in my price range. Thanks for the response!
 
I found the bike for much less at dicks sporting goods but sadly it was out of stock. I found some other bikes I like in my price range but I do not know the names and one has disc brakes which I have no experience with.

Giordano Libero 2.0
Tomasso Sentiero Adventure
Raleigh Merit 1
 
The mistake i've made in buying second hand bikes is getting bikes that are too old to easily get replacement parts for, so I'm the last person you should be getting advice from.

That Diamondback has a 8 speed Claris drivetrain which is the lowest Shimano road groupset.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/buyers-guide-to-road-bike-groupsets-41610/

This $650 second hand 58cm Trek 2.1, 50 miles or so from you, would be far better value. It should be your size.

http://greensboro.craigslist.org/bik/5698819548.html

EDIT. It looks like a 2008 model. http://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/2008/trek/21#/us/en/2008/trek/21/details

Sorry I can't be more help. All I can suggest is to to do some research, be patient buying and if you buy new, buy from a reputable bike store, because you'll need their help later. This site doesn't get a lot of traffic, but hopefully someone else can more helpful.
 
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Thanks for looking out! I am more comfortable on a 56cm frame. I found a Specialized Allez at the LBS but their prices seem high for the bikes they sell. I've never heard of the brand either.
 
I cannot find the Diamondback in 56cm, And while I really like the paint job and Shimano Sora on the Giordano after doing some reading it seems like its being labeled as an over-priced Wal-Mart bike. Without anymore input I've narrowed it down to these 2:

http://thebicyclechain.com/product/specialized-allez-239806-1.htm

http://thebicyclechain.com/product/raleigh-merit-1-240586-1.htm

The Specialized Allez seems to be popular in certain circles and has a carbon fork, While Raleigh is a brand name I know people trust however I cannot seem to find many reviews on the Raleigh. While the Specialized has a lot of good reviews.
 
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Where did you see this Diamondback? If you don't mind buying online you can get a few decent bikes with better components than the Diamondback, see: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/grand_record_yvi.htm

And: https://www.amazon.com/Nashbar-AL1-...5Y0U?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&tag=hubacct2013-20

And: https://www.amazon.com/Giordano-Lib...8XV2?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&tag=hubacct2013-20

The DiamondBack is a nice bike too and if you get it through Dicks then at least you have someone to take it back to should something happen, but there are a few more options to confuse the **** out of you. I do know that Nashbar has great customer service and they back up their warranties even though it is all online. Bikes Direct is on the low end of the customer service pole but they do offer a lot of bike for the money. I haven't heard how good the company is that handles the Giordano line of bikes.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I bought my bike today. I could not find the Diamondback in my size. And while I REALLY liked the paint job on the Giordano Libero 2.0 I read a lot of posts that labeled it an "Overpriced Wal-Mart Bike". I ended up going to my LBS which is a Specialized dealer and bought this:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/allez-e5/106308

I am happy with it thus far, My pedals and shoes have not arrived yet. They had them at the shop as well but for 50% more. Thanks again for the feedback!
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I bought my bike today. I could not find the Diamondback in my size. And while I REALLY liked the paint job on the Giordano Libero 2.0 I read a lot of posts that labeled it an "Overpriced Wal-Mart Bike". I ended up going to my LBS which is a Specialized dealer and bought this:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/allez-e5/106308

I am happy with it thus far, My pedals and shoes have not arrived yet. They had them at the shop as well but for 50% more. Thanks again for the feedback!

You made a good purchase, congrats. The Giordano is not an overpriced Walmart bike, no Walmart bikes come with Shimano Claris, in fact Walmart comes with Shimano stuff so low on the quality standards Shimano doesn't even list the stuff on their web site! Plus the Giordano comes with Vitesse Alloy wheels which got high reviews for a low price wheelset, Walmart doesn't use any wheelset that has a brand name attached to it. And Walmart road bikes will weigh a good 5 pounds more. So the Giordano comes with the same groupset you got on the Specialized, however the Giordano would be heavier than your Specialized due to it having a steel fork instead of a carbon fork, and the aluminium tubeset is a lessor quality so it weighs more (total of 25 pounds), so you basically paid the extra money to get a lighter bike with a carbon fork (for a total of 20 3/4 pounds) , not a bad deal. While the Giordano isn't all the high up the chain, it's a lot higher up than any Walmart bike. Both the Giordano and the Specialized are made in China, probably the same factory that Walmart bikes roll out of.

By the way, I kind of like the color of the Specialized better than the Giordano, but we all have different taste.