Pre-newbie looking for guidance!

[Trek420]

No, we are an EEO board. All bikes are good.

[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.

[Zen]

What steel bikes are you endorsing?

None at all, I will remain non-partisan on this one.(not really)

[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.

[corey]

For a beginner, I know firsthand how overwhelming all of this new information can be. I kind of dove into cycling, knowing very little except what my boyfriend (now husband) taught me. I bought a Giant OCR 3 in 2003. I didn't do it the proper way- no 'real' measurements were taken. Instead, I knew I was as tall as my husband, weighed less & made the general assumption that if the OCR worked for him, it would work for me. I KNOW- the TOTALLY wrong way to go about it!!

I didn't test ride my husband's because he had it customized to fit his needs (special saddle, handlebars, etc.). Instead, I went to a store and sat on a new one for a while & was even able to test ride it on the street for a while before I purchased it.

I bought the OCR 3 because I was, at the time, in a hurry to buy one and it was the nicest bike I could get at the very TOP of my budget. I now know I may have been able to find something a little better suited to my build, but I wanted to start cycling RIGHT AWAY & didn't really take the time to shop around. I LIKE the OCR 3, don't get me wrong. It has served me well. It's durable... I've been able to take my first falls like a true champ. (Trust me, you'll have yours, too, if you use shoes w/ clips!).

I'm not in the market for a new bike (that ever-present lack of funds!) and I've taken a few years off from riding, as I've moved several times, married, etc. SO- I'm just getting into the cycling spirit again.

I would say.. if you have the TIME and aren't in a hurry to ride just for the sake of riding (as I was), take your time when selecting your bike.

[NbyNW]

Everybody's gotta start somewhere, right? There's only so much that you can learn from measurements and test rides. And even if that first bike isn't "perfect," the more miles you put on it, the more you'll know about what you want in your next bike.

I thought my first road bike would be all the road bike I would ever want, and then I learned that there are a lot of really good reasons to have more than one bike!

[GLC1968]

Everybody's gotta start somewhere, right? There's only so much that you can learn from measurements and test rides. And even if that first bike isn't "perfect," the more miles you put on it, the more you'll know about what you want in your next bike.

I thought my first road bike would be all the road bike I would ever want, and then I learned that there are a lot of really good reasons to have more than one bike!

Ditto.

I rode about 2000 miles on my first road bike in the first year. Traded it in on a different bike and then put about 2000 miles on that one in year two. In year three, I sold that road bike and bought the one I have now (which has about 3000 miles on it ) and I LOVE it. BUT, I would not have known that this bike would be perfect for me had I not had the experience I'd had on the first two bikes.

Don't stress about getting the *perfect* bike for you for your first road bike. Get something you can afford, that fits you, that's decent quality and that will meet your short term needs. Ride and ride some more. And then re-evaluate your needs...if they change, you can change your bike, if they don't, you're good to go!

Oh, and now I have 5 bikes ...one for each occasion (though my 3rd road bike still gets the most use, by far!).

[Zen]

Steel

Pros: Cyclists and builders have long sung the praises of steel, citing its strength, reparability, and magical ride quality akin to being carried across a land of mattresses while on ecstasy by a phalanx of fairies wearing running shoes. Common sayings include, “Steel is Real,” “If it’s ferrous, others will be jerrous,” and “Aluminum sucks, but chromium and vanadium will get you laidium.”

Cons: Rusts, goes soft, is noodly and heavy, can give you tetanus, and eventually will turn on you and try to kill you in your sleep.

From The BSNYC Used Bicycle Buyer's Guide , a classic.