Really depends on what type of road bike you are looking for.

BSP carries a nice range of Cannondales and Trek that can range anywhere from 800-$9000 bucks.

I started with a Jamis Ventura comp and I loved it. You can pick up a Jamis from SportChek for around 750 with "student" discount (thank god I still have my university ID with no expiry). To this day, I regret selling it.

If you are looking into a decent starter roadbike with no intention of upgrading for a few years, give SportChek a shot. Their Jamis line is pretty good as well as their GT line. I really enjoy riding and I bought a new bike 8 months down the road and sold my minty ventura comp for 450 to someone's friend on RS.

If you are seriously going to get into it, I say cut the low end stuff out and go direct to something with a carbon frame and a good component set, they soak up so much road harshness compared to anything alumnium. In hindsight I should have just bought a really nice bike to begin with instead of buying then upgrading. But then I never thought I'd love biking so much. Once you get into it you realize you never have enough bikes. So far I have 3 bikes and intend to get another one next year. It's like a disease really.

ib4 bcrdukes plugs Pacific Multisport :troll:

but srsly. pacific multisport.

most shops around town are actually pretty good, just make sure you get properly fitted.

Are you saying I have a disease, since I have 40 bikes? Don't worry, I'm riding for a cure.
I don't know about cutting out the low stuff and going directly to a top line carbon fibre bike. What if he doesn't enjoy it, then he would have sunk a bunch of money into something that he can't get back. That's like saying, I shouldn't have bought a Corolla* and head straight to the Lamborghini dealership. Some people just want to 'test the waters' and get a bike to ride around the seawall, running errands, or down to the coffee shop. A full out carbon bike would definitely be overkill. I'm not advocating to get a Canadian Tire special, but at least something decent to get started on. Different strokes/different folks.

*Sadly, I do own a Corolla.

Hah! no, just meant to say that a collection of bikes grow like a disease. Sooner or later, I might have 40ish bikes myself.

I say only cut out the lower end stuff but only if you know for sure you're going to get really into it.

In hindsight I would have cut the lower end stuff and went straight for something higher end if I knew what I wanted for sure. Which is why I suggested shopping at sportchek as they do have some decently priced bikes that are quite a bit better than a Canadian tire stuff.

The first bike I had in a long time was a 19 year old green Woman's Pathfinder Canadiana that I got for free from a garage clean out and I loved it and rode the crap out of it and loved it, then I started going up from there.

I guess it just depends on budget.

!Nhan: If you don't know where to start and you're getting into cycling, go visit all the local bike shops and get a feel for what is out there. The internet is great, and forum advice is good too, but that can only take you so far.

Hopefully you can meet some qualified sales staff or owners, that care about they type of riding you want to do and make the proper recommendations.

Don't be afraid to go into bike shops and chat the staff up, spend however long you want with the staff, test ride their bikes etc, at the end of the day don't feel bad for walking away and not buying anything.

Make a budget. Research as much as you can. Visit as many stores as you can. Get the proper advice, then buy your steed.

Buy what you can afford, if you can afford a $10k bike and that tickles your fancy, go do it. You don't have to start off with a shit bike and work your way up.

The bare bones you need: Bicycle, helmet, track pump, chain lube.
- if you start riding farther than 20-30kms, then for sure learn to change a tube and buy spare tube, tire levers, co2, and a portable pump

There after: cycling clothing (jersey shorts shoes), pedals if you get shoes

bike computer and all that other stuff can come later.

Join some local rides. Go ride with MEC, or most bike shops do have club rides. Or, arrange to ride with some of the people here.

Going through my parts stash, found some more stuff I don't need, nor know when I'll ever need!
Anyone building a Di2 bike or already have one? I have brand new genuine Shimano:
Grommets SM-GM01 New in Package
Grommets SM-GM02 New in Package
(I suppose these grommets would work for any internal cable bike as well)
EW-SD501 Wire Holders
I know these are very simple parts, but Shimano actually makes them, so if you want your build to be pure...

Various old-school TIME ATAC Cleats/adapters (no pedals) New in Package
Blackburn Delphi 4/5/6 Stem Cadence Bracket (New in Package)
Polar S Series Cadence Sensor (New in Package)
Norco Toe Clip (plastic) & Strap set (New in package) This is vintage yo!

Feel free to trade me something or even nothing! Take what you need.
Of course, I have lots of other stuff too, so ask. NOTHING high end though.

Looking for a bike rack for my car. Any recommendations?

Are you looking for one that sits on your trunk/bumper or one that fits into your tow hitch? Or one that sits on top of your roof rack?
If former, I recommend the Saris Bones rack.
If fitting into your hitch, I'm using a Yakima Highlite & it's been great.
If looking for a roof rack, I have both a Thule Circuit & a Yakima Sprocketrocket. Both work well, but I prefer the Yakima, however I don't use the roof racks much since I have the hitch rack and it's just easier to lift the bike onto the rear rack instead of the roof.

Since I drive an SUV, thinking the tow hook option would be the best idea. Will look into it, thanks azncreationz :)

Worst shop ever. Do not go. Avoid like the plague. :whistle: :hotbaby:

Trek users!!!




Trek recalls 98,000 bikes across Canada because of quick release - British Columbia - CBC News

looking to buy a bike to go on some trails this summer. im a complete noob when it comes to which brands to look at. my range is 300-400ish. any suggestions?

Hey folks,

I'm looking to replace my Argon Radon bike that was stolen. For insurance purposes, I have to buy the same bike, else face penalties and my plan only covers $1000. The cheapest Argon 18 Radon is $1750 for a 105 bike with FSA crank and Tektro brakes. $2050 gives me a 105 crank and brakes.

Is it worth paying more for the full 105 bike or should I just get the cheaper bike?

Oh I remember your stolen bike post before and sorry to hear you didnt get it back. At least insurance covered $1000 of it.

The crank on CRC is $121 and the brake is $80 a pair. I would save the money and get a pair of brakes and look for a nicer crank. Maybe a used FSA SL-K?

Of course you'll need to post the pretty bike when you get it!

^ agreed!

For $187 + 64 you can get an Ultegra crank (6800) and 105 brakes (5800) online. If you're willing to change them yourself its a no brainer value-wise. However, since I'm not sure which FSA crank it would be, the bottom bracket may not be compatible, and may require switching too (should be cheap since its a threaded BB). This is all the new 11-speed correct?

Thanks for the feed back. I was thinking about just getting the 105 crank since I have no idea how to swap a crank and would probably keep the bike stock. My old bike had nicer parts cuz it was bcrduke's old bike and was way more than what I needed.

Here's the cranks/bottom brackets listed for both bikes.
Crank: FSA Omega 50/34
Bottom bracket: FSA (English tread) BB-4000

vs

Crank: Shimano 105 FC-5800 50/34
Bottom bracket: Shimano (english thread) BBR60

If you can afford it and don't want to worry about upgrading down the road then just go for the 105 crank. These new 4-arm cranks are great in that you can change the size of your chainrings without getting a new crank. and this is the new 105 11-speed which everyone is raving about, I'd wager this to be very close in performance to whatever you had before.

Has anyone on here tried riding the Fizik Antares Versus saddle? Any difference compared to the normal Antares?

My current seat is a Ritchey WCS Streem carbon saddle and it just hurts my bum after riding 20k

tomatogunk: Any Fizik saddle with VS/Versus, means that it has the middle channel center cut-out which helps to stop perrenial nerve numbness, loss of feeling in the groin, it feeling ice cold etc...

The saddle shape will be the same, but the Versus will have a channel down the middle.

Which part of your ass is hurting? The sit bones? You may want to visit a LBS to get measured up and also to rent a saddle. Lots of people including myself bought a saddle based on cool-looking factor... which isn't the right way of doing it lol.

I am currently going from a Fizik Arione, and rented a Specialized Romin which has a physical cut out channel. Been only 1 ride in with the Romin, but I feel a lot less pressure on my choda lol

Saddles are a bit of a black magic as there are so many factors that need to be considered. Like 604CEFIRO said, go to a reputable bike shop to get measured and ask about the different saddles. Things like your riding style, flexibility, saddle material, shape etc. all play into the overall experience on your bike. You also should consider getting a bike fit done as that will play a crucial role in the pain you are experiencing.

That and you need to ride more! :D

i've always wondered what the process for measuring sit bones was. i mean, do they have a taint ruler of sorts? lol

haha they have this thing you sit on

Thanks for the suggestions. I've always wanted to get a bike fitting done so I'll book a fittingt soon with Pacific Multisport.

I really think the saddle's got to go soon because when I rented another bike a few weeks back, I didn't feel the same pain I felt on my bike even though the ride was longer. Though it was a woman's saddle that was on there at the time.

The red area below is where I experience pain when riding more than 20km- becomes very sore the next day.

http://i.imgur.com/WNSKi0g.png

That's exactly where your sit bones are. There are some YouTube videos that show you how to measure the width of your sit bones. Basically sit on some cardboard or wet sand and measure. Specialized has a fit kit as well.
But yeah, you can go get bike fitted properly as well.
Most reputable bike shops have test saddles as well, try before you buy kind of thing.
Good luck!