decisions decisons

[Barb]

I've decided that upgrading my schwinn is prolly not gonna get it for me. So the search is on. This will be my first real road bike. I don't have alot of bucks. I mean really don't have alot. I'm trying to stay under $800. Everything in that range seems to have shimano sora deraillers...are those ok or will I wished I waited another season for more money?

So far I kinda like the Novara Forza and the Bianchi Brava.

Might it be worth while to look at some used bikes as well?

[betagirl]

Hi Barb

I'm a trek girl, and just got a 1200T. It was about 800 beans when all was said and done. I have a 850 Mtn bike that has given me zero issues, so I'm hoping the road bike does the same favor. I have about 500 miles on it, and so far so good. It even survived me driving it into the garage :)

Good luck on your quest!

[OrbeaJ]

My first real road bike was a Bianchi Brava and it served me well for over 3 years. I highly recommend that model. OK, and I really liked the dark blue color!Anywhoo, I think its components were strictly entry level, but were fine. This was a while back, but out the door it was just around 900 bucks. Also, you might try a Fuji bike. Well-made and they come in smaller sizes, if needed.

[trekchic]

Last fall, when I bought my TREK (which I highly recommend!), the bike shop owner walked me thru all the brands of bikes that were in my price range (even those that weren't in his shop at the time) and gave me his pros and cons on each. In his mind, it all depends on what you're going to do with a bike. Are you going for long distance riding, racing, touring, recreational riding... it just depends.

I wanted a bike to ride competitively with, so we chose the TREK which is lighter and has the components I need. He also had a FELT bike, which would've cost considerable less, but didn't meet my needs. It rode pretty well, and if I were just going to ride recreationally, I'd probably look at it.

The Bianchi bikes are nice, as are the LeMonde bikes. My friend just bought a steel LeMonde and she loves it. I think she only paid about $700 for it a year ago. It's just too heavy for me.

The Fuji bikes, I've only seen on the net, so I can't speak to their components or durability. When I was shopping, that was my main concern. By the time I get this thing paid for, is it going to be trash?

As far as a used bike goes, someone wiser than I...on this board matter of fact... suggested steering away from that unless you KNOW the person you're buying it from. You never know if the bike's been taken care of. Major wrecks can weaken the frame, bend parts that are difficult to fix or replace...on and on and on!

Last note: the LBS said something to me that has stuck in my brain..."I've never heard anyone say...'I wish I would've bought less bike'........just something to think about."

Good luck!
Kim in TN

[fultzie]

I would def. recommend looking into used bikes... I bought my Bianchi from a girl who happened to be my clone as far as build goes... I looove my bike! Since you're pretty close to A2, I know there was a girl on the UM team selling her bike for $400 a few weeks ago. I've seen the bike (and seen her ride it) and it's a fairly nice (component-wise) bike, and like new. the only mishap i know of was her locking wheels with my friend, and her front wheel had to be trued. anyway the girl selling her bike is janzo@umich.edu, her name is Jennifer (Jen). There are a million ppl that receive the club e-mails (where she announced selling her bike) so she won't think it strange to get a response out of nowhere :)
if that doesn't work, ask around at your LBS... a lot of guys that race update their bikes every few years, and their "old" ones tend to be in very good condition still!
good luck!!

[emily_in_nc]

There are also some used Terry bikes for sale by owner posted here:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Trade/sell.lasso

Terrys are very nice WSD bikes. You can also pick up a new Classic or Symmetry for $900, which is a really good value - they are on sale. Check out:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/Bikes/models.lasso

Good luck in your search!

Emily

(My first "real" road bike was a Terry Isis - very nice bike.)

[oldbikah]

Try checking out www.roadbikereview.com for used bikes. Biggest problem there is the scarcity of smaller bikes. Actually I sold my first road bike (Specialized Allez) there before moving up to a Litespeed.

[ausgirl]

Since I don't know what prices bikes are in the US I won't talk about anything new, but here's my experiences with used bikes. About Feb 2003 I bought a used Giant for AUD800, prob 500 USD - it was wondeful, in pretty good shape and I had a friend check it out. Jan 2004 the bottom sloping tube broke all the way through, adn yeah I'd done 10000+km on it, but there's no way of knowing if the problem (weakness in the frame) was there when i bought it or if I caused it. You can't tell if a used bike has got a weakness in the frame, so I recommend against used bikes, & if you do buy one get it checked out by a bike mechanic you trust first. At least the new bikes come with warranties (often lifetime) on the frame.

[ChainsOflove]

I've heard good things about the Brava. Seems to work well for alot of people.