road bike for price range of $500-$600

[uforgot]

Was it last year that Bicycling Mag put the Trek 1000 as the best road bike for the price? It has a msrp of $709 on the website, and that's a 2007. It comes in men's sizes and WSD so your chances of finding a fit are greater. You may find last year's model cheaper. From postings here, I know that bikingmomof3 loves hers! And you would have a(n) lbs to help you out or answer questions and make adjustments. May be a tad more than you want to spend, but worth it in the long run. It will hold it's value (for resale) better in case you decide to upgrade later. Maybe I should restate - for when you definitely decide to upgrade later.

Trek 1000 (I hope)

[Triskeliongirl]

What do you want this bike to do? The bianchi volpe is steel in this price range, optimized for touring and cyclocross but fine for group riding as well. You could also look into used aluminum (lighter) and steel. While it might be hard to buy a bike on ebay if you aren't sure of the fit, sometimes local bike clubs advertise used bikes in their newsletters so you can try them out locally (or craigs list), and the best for a newbie may be bike shops that sell used bikes so you can even get fit. Another is too look for new old stock, 2005s and 2006s shops are trying to move. Yes, trek1000 is a great light entry bike, I've seen several women start on those if they fit you.

[mimitabby]

I test rode a Bianchi Volpe and it was an absolutely awesome ride!
it fit nicely, and it was light and peppy too.

[nicole309]

Was it last year that Bicycling Mag put the Trek 1000 as the best road bike for the price? It has a msrp of $709 on the website, and that's a 2007. It comes in men's sizes and WSD so your chances of finding a fit are greater. You may find last year's model cheaper. From postings here, I know that bikingmomof3 loves hers! And you would have a(n) lbs to help you out or answer questions and make adjustments. May be a tad more than you want to spend, but worth it in the long run. It will hold it's value (for resale) better in case you decide to upgrade later. Maybe I should restate - for when you definitely decide to upgrade later.

Trek 1000 (I hope)

You can always go used. I bought my 2006 Trek 1000 used for $325. It belonged to a guy who used it only as his race bike. It was like new. Check Craig's list and E-Bay. You can definately find some great deals out there.

[Zen]

..... what the heck is carbon wrapped aluminum anyway. Seems like something just to trick people to me....

Or people who don't take the time to read...like me

[KnottedYet]

What would be a good bike in this price range? Am I being unrealistic - do I need to spend at least $1,000 on something that is decent??

No, like Mimi said, you can find plenty in that range and get lots of miles out of it, too!

Visit a few LBS's and tell them what you want to look at and your price range. Try every bike they have that meets your criteria (take your time).

Everyone's "fit" is different, and you just have to try lots of bikes to discover the one that you fall in love with and that feels like flying when you ride it.

Bike love can't be beat!