Pondering A New Bike

[Mr. Bloom]

Does he have one to ride?

Are you kidding? In a 50cm????

I have this problem with suits too!

[DrBadger]

Hey Mr. Silver...

Ohhhh.... have fun bike shopping! I went through this in the late fall, and given how much you love you LeMond, I have another reccommendation for you... try riding one of the specialized bikes...the Roubaix or the Tarmac. I liked the LeMonds that I test rode because of how zippy they were and how they responded to me... while the Madone was a really smooth ride, I didn't get the same responsivness from it. Now the Specialized bikes... perfect blend of smoothness and zippienes. At least for me. Also, my bike shop (which deals in Treks, LeMonds, and Specialized) said that I got the best bang for my buck with the Specialized in terms of components and such.

Now you may LOVE the Madone, but always worth trying something else too :-)

Have fun, and keep us up to date!
Ellen

[RolliePollie]

Have fun shopping, Mr. Silver!

I think we're a bit similar in that I've also been riding for about 18 months and I have about 4,500 miles on my bike. I'm starting to shop for an upgrade too, and although it's fun, it's also overwhelming. There are soooooo many bikes to choose from...how do you decide? Every bike shop I go to recommends something different, which is good I guess, but also confusing. I'm on a budget, so one shop tells me to go with full carbon and 105 and the next tells me to forego the full carbon and get Ultegra. I'm trying to figure out what's most important to me and what my goals are so I can choose the right combination. It sounds like you have that part pretty well figured out. Now the perfect bike just needs to jump out at you. Good luck to you in your search...I hope you find exactly what you're looking for!

[Blueberry]

Mr. S - no advice to offer, except to say wow on the progress you've made.

RolliePollie- Components wear out, and you can always upgrade them. Not so with the frame.

CA

[Aggie_Ama]

Rollie- I was in the same boat and opted for the 105 and carbon instead of Alum/Carbon fork and Ultegra. I do have the Ultegra rear deraileur. Anyway, my bike shifts very smooth and I am happy. Would full Ultegra be better? Probably. Am I disappointed in my decision? Not at all. My old bike was Sora, so this is a nice upgrade for me. As parts wear out or budget allows I will eventually make her full Ultegra. I love my carbon frame though .

[Mr. Bloom]

Update:
I decided that the Dura Ace/Ultegra SL difference probably wasn't worth the $800 difference, at least to me.

But, the Madone 5.2 is not currently available.

Trying to get the 5.6 down to a price point that I'm able to swallow, I asked them to throw in the Dura Ace pedals...and they offered 105's instead.

So, we're a set of pedals away from making the deal, but I'm already feeling that the purchase is a little excessive...

[Mr. SR500]

Congrats, I assume you mean 5.5, Sweat!

Hold out for the pedals! Or shop around a bit and see what another dealer might do - road bike sales typically slow down now (maybe a little bump with the tour, but Spring is road bike buying time). Also new models are usually out in August, so something else to consider. Finally, if you have not ridden it, will he give you a refund if you don't like it or want something different?

P.S. What does Silver say about all this?