first road bike

[RolliePollie]

I bought a Trek 1000 WSD in February and I'm very happy with it. I think you get a lot of bang for your buck with Trek. I've put 1,000 miles on it so far and I really have no complaints.

Although the 1000 is an "entry level" road bike, I'm not at all disappointed with its performance. I wasn't expecting all the bells and whistles, and the components aren't spectacular or anything, but it gets me where I want to go and (knock on wood) everything is working like it's supposed to. I did have an issue with my front brakes, but it was covered under the Trek warranty and my LBS put on a whole new set for free. I also switched to Kool Stop brake pads because evidently the stocks pads don't get along too well with the stock wheels. Other than that, it's all good!

I looked at the Novara line from REI as well, but it kind of seems like no one knows much about Novara. I was tempted, but my closest REI is almost an hour's drive and the Trek had a similar component group at a comparable price. I've really learned to appreciate my LBS...I'm so happy that I chose to buy locally. I'm sure you might get great service from REI, but since it's a chain store, I was a little leary.

Whichever bike you choose, I hope you love it!

[BikeDutchess]

I love my Specialized Dolce. What made it great was (in part) that my LBS really took the time to dial in the right fit. While I have bought other bikes from REI (for myself as well as my family), the fitting service made my LBS stand out head-and-shoulders over REI.

But I think the most important thing is that you fall in love with the bike when you test-ride it. If that happens to be an REI bike, by all means go for it!

[Tri Girl]

My first road bike was a Giant OCR. I loved it (well, I still have it, but it sits unridden this season because I'm testing out a new tri bike). It provided me with 4000 miles of fun and good times.
I agree with Bike Dutchess- buy what feels right. Test ride as many as possible (but not so many that it's too confusing ) and buy the one that feels like a second skin. I don't think you can go wrong with Trek, Cannondale, Giant, Specialized or any of the other big name bikes. Even the entry level bikes provide good quality and durability. Don't know about the REI bikes, or what the quality is.

Good luck- and be sure to report back what you've decided on (with pictures, to boot!).