Looking for a new bike

I have been riding for about 2 years now on a Fuji Silhouette (a flat bar, almost road bike with the most hellish saddle) and find that I am getting more serious about riding. I had the opportunity to ride a Ruby Pro at a Specialized demo over the weekend at Gambrill State Park in MD. WOW! What a difference, but unfortunately for me, way, way, way out of my price range. I am realistically looking for something in the $1500 range. I know I have to go out and ride the different WSD bikes, but any comments on what you ride, and what I should be paying attention to in addition to fit. I am 5'3" and about 25 lbs overweight and sure would love to feel more comfortable on my bike.

I sure hope someone answers this, because I'm also in the market for a new bike to replace my Giant OCR3 and would like to spend about $1500. Need something lighter but (I think) with a triple to get me over the hills of North Georgia.

there are lots of great bikes out there in your price range... I know a friend of mine just got the Lemond Buenos Aires for $1400 out the door... 1/2 steel 1/2 carbon fiber with Campy and a triple... a very, very nice bike for the money! She absolutely LOVES this bike.

definitely buy a bike that fits (critical really) and buy the best frame you can afford. The components will probably be decent and can always be upgraded when you can afford it... but the frame is the frame you'll have til you buy another bike someday!

my only other recommend is to ride every single brand you can get your hands on until you find the one that is your favorite! I was SURE I was going to buy a Trek Project One WSD... but they just didn't work for me, weren't comfortable no matter how they tried to make it fit... so I started riding everything else... and one day I rode the Lightspeed... end of story! LOL... for ME... it is the perfect bike...

good luck and happy shopping! :)

Keep looking around especially for clearance deals or last year's models for sale. I got my lovely Orbea for $1700 because it was a previous year model (the previous year, it's pricetag was $2900 :eek: ). Also, you can find cheap bikes on eBay or craigslist but beware some of those bikes were probably stolen.

Ooooh, an Orbea, my fantasy bike (she says as she wipes the drool off the keyboard). I will definitely keep my eyes open for sales at area shops.

KB

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Originally Posted by kaybee

Ooooh, an Orbea, my fantasy bike (she says as she wipes the drool off the keyboard). I will definitely keep my eyes open for sales at area shops.

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You ain't kidding! I'm in love! The preeecccioussssssss! :p

What about the Specialized Dolce. I have the 2005 in a Comp. I am not sure what the 2006 is going for but then again you can get a model below it. The 105 set is as good as last years Utegra as it is a compact 10 speed.

Just another thought for you to muster over.

~ JoAnn

My local Orbea dealer told me that the shops that have been selling them for a while actually have access to a sort of bicycle "bump and dent". You have to be a bit careful with what you buy of course, but they had some excellent deals on complete bicycles with very minor stuff like...a paint scratch.

My husband is not really sold on the compact double chainrings - anyone out there have any comments on this? based on price alone - we are going to go out and look at Specialized Dolce Comp, Trek 1500 WSD, Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD and Fuji Finest 1.0 - We have a new bike shop that carries Specialized, Orbea, Titus and a couple other really expensive bikes, but I don't know if they have the connections to get the "bump and dent" bikes, but about an hour away is a shop that might.

I just recently bought a new road bike. It's a Bianchi Eros Donna with Campy parts and I love it. I also tested the Specialized Dolce and thought the Bianchi had a better ride. The shifting was smoother too. The WSD on the Bianchi fit very nicely with my short 5' height. It was an 05 model and it was a 44cm bike and he was having trouble selling it so I got it for $900. I believe the MSRP on it was $1200. I got a pretty good deal. You just have to do some good searching around.

I had the same experience as mtbmargie---rode the Dolce and the Eros Donna and LOVED the Eros Donna. I've had it for a couple of months, put about 200 miles on it and absolutely love the ride--very smooth. And had already used Campy shifters and knew I wanted those too--smaller and easier to reach than the Shimano stuff that comes with the Dolce. WSD was necessary for me at 5.4 and short arms. Makes all the difference. I got an 06 Eros Donna for $1200 (gorgeous color). Top tube length is a key factor in good bike fit. Try to get a fit done by a local physical therapist who specializes in cycling.

I can't offer any info on the WSD, but my advice is to focus on fit, fit, fit. I bought a Trek 1500 last year. I had an awful time finding a bike because I have long legs and need at least a 58 cm frame. But a frame that size is usually too long in the top tube for me. The Trek was the best compromise. The bike shop guys would tell me a 58 cm would be way too tall when I asked to try one. Hah! Surprised them all. Anyway, I agree with bikerchick68; the components can be upgraded later if you find it necessary. The fit of the frame is critical though. Good luck!