Quote Originally Posted by mkidd View Post
And yes, Flyebye, I noticed in my reseach yesterday that the Diamondback Expert does not have great reviews. This one seems to be a 2000 too, and while I love the idea of recycling and reusing, and don't feel I necessarily need a brand new bike, I keep hearing about "trickle down technology" and wonder if I want one quite that old.

And I also wonder if I should spend the $500-$600 on a used Trek or Specialized that's only a year or two old but better than a new OCR3.

Maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing.
Actually, Elk had a very important question - how do they feel to ride? I know test riding can be a pain (or a pleasure, depending on your personality), but it is WELL worth it. I was trying to decide between a Specialized and a Trek based on reviews, etc. I knew what size in both fit me... Then I rode each and found that my heels hit the chainstay on all Trek bikes, and I rode all of them the shop had in my size, regardless of budget.
So, ride them - you may find that regardless of the reviews/reputation, there might be a design feature that will just make you reject the bike. Conversely, something in the design of the bike might make you love the bike and/or brand.
As for the comments about wheels and truing, also remember that you can swap out components. In fact, if you rode the Diamondback (for example) and really liked it, you could upgrade it as funding becomes available rather than buy a new one. New wheels, new components... if you find a bike that fits well, upgrading can allow you to keep the fit while still improving the machinery, at least up to a point.
Just my 2cents, which is worth about 0.2 cents with inflation.