I like to Ride my Bicycle...

[azncreationz]

^ pics please!

[dat_steve]

2012 SPECIALIZED ALLEZ ELITE COMPACT ROAD BIKE CARBON FORK 50 CM'

$400 for a 2012 specialized allez tiagra...really good deal if it's legit

[True.True]

just bought a used mountain bike for doing some trails, where would i go for a decent tuneup??

[bcedhk]

anyone have a good store to get prescription sunglasses for cycling?

I am looking for brands like rudy projects or oakley's. Only place i found so far was at La Bicicletta.

[Ch28]

Any stores having sales to clear out their current stock?

Friends have been bugging me to get a road bike for over a year now, and I'm thinking of taking the plunge soon.

[wingies]

how much you looking to spend

[Ch28]

Originally Posted by wingies

how much you looking to spend

Probably in the $300-$500 range. The price jump from $500-$1000 is significant, but it also seems like the quality is better?

Honestly speaking, I have no idea what to really look for in a road bike. Last time I rode a bike was back in high school on my Norco dual suspension mountain bike. I'm so out of the loop that it's not even funny

[bcedhk]

do you know what size frame you are looking for CH28? keep an eye out on craiglist, sometimes you get really good deals there.

Not too sure if those Jamis bikes are still on sale with the 'team assist' coupons... On RedFlagDeals, there was a big thread about jamis road bikes for around 500 taxed.

If you don't mind the brand, check out bike direct (USA). Their road bikes are fair price if you don't mind picking it up at Point Roberts.

[wingies]

if you dont mind used, CL is a great place to start or pinkbike.com. Sportcheck still has the 2011 ventura comp ($800) and the ventura race ($1120) left. If you have a team assist coupon it would be a fair price.

[Ch28]

I tried my friend's Bianchi 54 cm today, and it was rubbing up against my crotch. I'm guessing I'd be a 52 or 53 cm.

Friend told me to check out BSP, Reckless, John Henry, Ride-On, & Dizzy. I'll probably check those places out sometime this week. Hopefully they start to clear out old(er) stock

[lowside67]

Originally Posted by Ch28

Probably in the $300-$500 range. The price jump from $500-$1000 is significant, but it also seems like the quality is better?

Honestly speaking, I have no idea what to really look for in a road bike. Last time I rode a bike was back in high school on my Norco dual suspension mountain bike. I'm so out of the loop that it's not even funny

Hey man,

Perhaps I can help as I have just recently gone through this and was in a similar situation to you. I was considering both used and new but I found that as an educated shopper, you can get a pretty good deal on a new bike and the prices of the used bikes didn't really make a compelling argument for going used.

I was pretty much set on getting a bike with a Shimano drivetrain - nothing against Sram, in fact I run it on my DH bike, but I liked the design of the 105 levers and in general it seems that the Shimano drivetrain is pretty well sorted.

If you are on the Shimano program, you have their cheaper lines, Sora and Tiagra, their mid-level line, 105, and their upper lines, Ultegra and Dura-Ace (in that order). From what I have read, many consider the 105 to be the lowest level that a "real" road bike would be equipped with and that the jump in performance and quality going from Tiagra to 105 is MUCH bigger than going from 105 to Ultegra. In other words, 105 seems to be the sweet spot where you get a lot of trickle down technology from slightly older Ultegra/Dura-Ace setups where as the Sora and Tiagra were bred and built to simply be a cheaper option.

I did not test ride a Tiagra equipped bike but I test rode back to back a Giant Defy 3 (Sora equipped) and a Giant Defy 1 (105 equipped) and the difference was huge to me. While both bikes ultimately changed gears, etc. the 105 bike snapped between the gears quickly and with purpose while the Sora equipped bike felt lazy and lethargic.

In the Giant Defy series that I test rode, it costs about $350 to upgrade from the Sora Defy 3 to the 105 Defy 1 which puts MSRP at around $1350 on that bike. However, with a little negotiating, that bike can be bought around $1150 + HST on a 2012 model from Different Bikes on Broadway.

For me, I decided that I wanted a bike with a quality drivetrain above all else as I am not an experienced enough rider to appreciate all the small nuances between similar aluminum frames but I can certainly feel and see the difference between the 105 and cheaper parts every time I shift or take a pedal stroke. With that in mind, I limited my search to 105 equipped aluminum bikes (I did not want a no name cheapie carbon frame off eBay) and started test riding bikes. The bike that I really wanted was the Cannondale Caad10 5 but at $1599 + HST, it was more than I wanted to spend despite being a really nice frame set. I also test rode a Giant Defy 1 and to be honest, with a very similar part spec, I didn't really feel that much of a difference between what is arguably the best aluminum frame on the market (Caad10) and a pretty average frame and that convinced me that I was going to just buy the Ventura from SportChek. At the end of the day with the price reduced to $1119 for the 2011 model and the 20% off coupon, my bike ended up being $897 + HST for a brand new bike with mostly 105 components and at my current level of riding, this is exactly what I need.

Down the road I might buy a nice set of wheels that could go on the next bike but for now I am stoked! Sorry for the long post but the guys in this thread were very helpful to me and ended up getting me a team assist coupon so the least I can do is pass on my experience and hope that some of that might be useful to you!

Mark

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Ch28

I tried my friend's Bianchi 54 cm today, and it was rubbing up against my crotch. I'm guessing I'd be a 52 or 53 cm.

$300-500 doesn't get you anything really if you are looking for new in store. You get a lot more options once you are willing to jump up to the $500-1000 range. In terms of sizing, many brands size up differently. Sometimes 54cm can refer to top tube length, sometimes it can refer to seat tube length; it seems like there is no consistent standard of measurement when it comes to road bikes. So do your research with various brands' geometry charts and figure out from there what you need if you can't try on the bikes for size in person first. My bike is a 54cm, which is a 560mm top tube and a 500mm seat tube in my case. I'm 5'8" and wear 30" inseam pants usually.

Originally Posted by lowside67

At the end of the day with the price reduced to $1119 for the 2011 model and the 20% off coupon, my bike ended up being $897 + HST for a brand new bike with mostly 105 components and at my current level of riding, this is exactly what I need.

Down the road I might buy a nice set of wheels that could go on the next bike but for now I am stoked! Sorry for the long post but the guys in this thread were very helpful to me and ended up getting me a team assist coupon so the least I can do is pass on my experience and hope that some of that might be useful to you!
Mark

That's a really good deal for your Jamis, even at $1119+tax it is a good price. My build with a second hand frame ended up costing about the same as your bike brand new. The only value I gained was being able to pick and choose the parts that I wanted, which especially when it comes to the wheels was very important to me.

Originally Posted by azncreationz

^ pics please!

[604CEFIRO]

Which bike store locally has a decent selection of cycling shoes?

[lowside67]

I went to BSP... I didn't really enjoy the process of buying a bike there but they have a pretty healthy selection of road gear and I ended up getting a great deal on some last year's full carbon road shoes, they also installed my pedals and cleats for free.

Mark

[604CEFIRO]

I'll try them out. I'm kinda specific to what I'm looking for in a shoe. I'm leaning towards a shimano MTB shoe: Shoes

I want an all weather shoe and this one fits the bill. Only thing is lbs' don't have much selection. I guess I'll try on a shimano shoe and just order it online. I found em on chainreactioncycles for a fair price of $135 delivered

[noventa]

as a new cyclist, I found this podcast on itune called "Cycling 360 Media". Its free and offers a lot of tips for beginners and experienced riders!

[lowside67]

This is my new bike on one of the bridges around "Green Lake" outside Whistler. It felt weird to be riding the road bike this morning instead of the DH bike while at Whistler but it is also nice to get a workout without destroying the rest of my body for a day...

After purchasing the new bike, mods include reflector delete, small saddle bag, a nice cage (second one coming), Shimano 105 pedals, and a Cateye wireless computer. Keeping my eyes open for a nice set of wheels so that I can put these ones away for someday when I am ready to upgrade. Looking at Mavic Ksyrium Elites, waiting for a screaming deal on a set. Anybody have recommendations for tires - I think kevlar bead is a good way to go... Sounds silly but they have to be black... not digging the white tires!

Mark

[Spaceship_coupe]

Mark, I've been really happy with my Continental Gatorskins for the past year and a half. They have never given me a flat, however do lack some grip in the rain. I also found them easy to mount (the folding version).

John

[hud 91gt]

Nice bike I'm liking mine so far.

[hud 91gt]

Your bars have some serious rise to them though? Purposely do that?

[lowside67]

I actually haven't changed them, they were delivered that way. The photo accentuates it though, they are almost level. I'm still getting used to it as I ride a DH bike 99% of the time and I find the bike very hard on my wrists even in as upright and relaxed of a position as it is right now, I'm having a hard time getting excited about getting the bars lower and more aggressive until I get more used to it...

Mark

[bcrdukes]

Just sold my Scott SUB 30 to another RS member.

[XTC_604_DKNY]

Thanks bcrdukes!
what a great guy, even swung by my house to deliver and to help me out with some bike carrier issues!

can't wait to take it out for a ride.

[red kryptonite]

a little late in the season but just picked this up last week.
huge upgrade from my 15yr old norco mountain bike lol

[chris walter]

I ended up buying the Kona
Jake after seeing 604CEFIRO s bike. So happy so far.I ended up going 73kmh down a hill on Galiano island and felt.perfectly safe. And I saw you 604CEFIRO fly by my work a few Weeks ago.