Pre-newbie looking for guidance!

[KnottedYet]

(but you and I are steel-biased... admit it. we might lead this innocent new TE'er down the primrose path to custom Waterford, Mondonico, Gunnar, Rodriguez, Davidson, Luna, Sweetpea, Sycip, and, dare we whisper the name, Vanilla! oh, we are baaaaad)

http://vanillabicycles.com/

Bike porn. Click at your own risk!

[NbyNW]

OMG . . . that Vanilla website . . . I feel like I just landed in a Technicolor world after living in B&W Kansas all my life!

My first steel road bike was a 42 cm Rodriguez Stellar that had been custom built for a very nice lady who was _almost_ the same size as me. She sold it to me for $800 when she was not longer able to ride it. I had that bike long enough to feel like it was an extension of my body, and then it was stolen. I am currently waiting for its replacement to be born. Due date: Some time in the next two weeks!

Moral of story: you can find a really excellent bike within your budget if you are patient and try out lots of bikes to get a good idea of what you want. And if replacing your bike is going to cost, oh, 3X more than what you paid for it, make sure your homeowners/renters/special insurance policy covers "replacement" value, and not just what you paid for it. I have been very lucky in this regard.

Bike #2.1 is a Dahon Speed Pro TT. It's a 4130 cro-moly folding bike with 20" wheels and 27 speeds. You're probably not looking for a folder but I'll tell you about it anyway . . . Got this one because I want to be able to fold my commuting bike and store it under my desk during the day (my office doesn't have bike storage, and I'm a bit paranoid after losing my Rodriguez). My LBS finally (that's another story) got the gears properly tuned, and I took it out for a spin around the neighborhood today. The little wheels pick up speed FAST, the range of gears is great for Seattle's hills, and the ride was solid yet delightfully zippy. I'm still getting to know this bike, but from my experience so far I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is considering a folding road bike. DH teases me for being a dork for being so into this bike, but I don't care. I feel like I've just met my new best friend. And it wants to go fast.

[sgtiger]

Hi, Mooseamerica! Welcome! Try as many bikes as you can to figure out what your preferences are. As for getting a starter bike vs. getting a quality bike right off the bat, well, that depends on what you're comfortable spending. Try asking around to find a quality LBS. A good LBS will ask you a lot of questions and help you narrow down your choices. Mine asked me things like: What type of riding are you interested in? Is there an organized ride that you're intested in doing? Are you intested in doing club rides? Will you be using it to commute? Are you intested in touring? Do you see yourself wanting a rack for your bike w. panniers? Do you want to race? If yes, what type of racing? What kind of mileage do you thing you'd like to achieve? And so on....

Keep in mind there isn't a perfect bike that will do all the above, but the LBS can help you get something that will fit your needs now with some wiggle room for what you might want to do a little further down the line. And if it doesn't meet all your needs in the future, than you can always upgrade or have the perfect excuse to get another bike entirely. It's the reason that many of us have more than one.

I hope you have fun finding your ride,

~Sg

BTW, you can answer some of those questions here and we'll try to help you too.

[boy in a kilt]

I can't let the steel v. aluminum discussion go.

I've owned a good mixture of steel and aluminum bikes. My assessment of the difference: doodly squat. (I've never ridden any serious miles on a Ti or carbon fiber bike so I won't discuss those).

Frame builders make their money by imposing their will on the materials they have at hand. A good builder can give a frame the handling characteristics of a wet noodle or make them lively and responsive regardless of materials.

[SadieKate]

Frame builders make their money by imposing their will on the materials they have at hand. A good builder can give a frame the handling characteristics of a wet noodle or make them lively and responsive regardless of materials.

Well said.

[maillotpois]

I can't let the steel v. aluminum discussion go.

I've owned a good mixture of steel and aluminum bikes. My assessment of the difference: doodly squat. (I've never ridden any serious miles on a Ti or carbon fiber bike so I won't discuss those).

Frame builders make their money by imposing their will on the materials they have at hand. A good builder can give a frame the handling characteristics of a wet noodle or make them lively and responsive regardless of materials.

+2.

How the bike is put together (geometry, components, FIT) makes such a difference compared to materials as to how the bike will respond and feel on the road. I rode my not so cheap aluminum bike in a 600k brevet, and have no complaints about the ride (only my mental state for wanting to do such a thing.) My ti bike, on the other hand, has a harsher road feel than the aluminum bike. And it is heavier.

[KnottedYet]

MooseAmerica - can you get out and test ride those bikes for longer rides today? While you're out, see if you can ride a couple others, too.

Take notes on what you liked and didn't like about various bikes, then share that info with your LBS. The more info you can give them, the better job they will be able to do of finding bikes that suit you. (even if your likes and dislikes seem trivial during the test ride, they can be really good data points for bike selection)

I had to give myself strict rules: not allowed to buy a bike unless I've test ridden it at least two different days.

(only broke that rule... umm... a little bit. here and there. yeah.)

Come back and give us a full report! We love it when someone is going bike shopping!

[Trek420]

How the bike is put together (geometry, components, FIT) makes such a difference compared to materials as to how the bike will respond and feel on the road.

+3

And don't get us started on wheels

Look for a shop who will swap things. "I love this bike but hate the "brifters", these "brifters" are comfy but not the bike."

Saddles, bars .... a good shop will work with you to make it FIT.

Come back and give us a full report! We love it when someone is going bike shopping!

All the fun and it's YOUR money

[SandyLS]

Bianchi makes some nice steel bikes. You might want to give one a test ride. Lots of the women on this forum (including me) ride Bianchis.