Help me buy my first road bike

[mama2tri]

So yesterday I checked out a new local bike shop. Nice, knowledgable sales guys and a whole bunch of specialized and jamis bikes from 2008 in my size!

The top three bikes I want to ride:
Jamis Ventura Race ($880 from $1350)
Jamis Quest ($1100 from $1650)
Specialized Ruby Elite (about $1500 from $2000)

Good deals on all, plus we get an additional 10% of the price of the bike back in free accessories. I need a helmet and bike computer.

The Jamis Ventura Race has exactly what I think I want in a bike. The Quest is steel, so I'd like to see how it feels. The Ruby is all carbon, could be sweet. It's a little above my price range, but we just discovered the tax rebate is going to be a little bigger than we thought this year. So maybe...

[tulip]

You can't go wrong with those three. Get the one that fits you best. Can't wait for a ride report.

[mama2tri]

So after riding the bikes at Veloce Velo (the new local bike shop), I was very happy with the Jamis Ventura Race. It has components similar to many bikes in the $1200-1500 range, but was on sale for $880. Overall it fit well, and the shop swapped out a few parts to make it fit even better. The shop gave me $88 in store credit towards other accessories (I need a computer, new helmet and pedals).

I'm so excited to get out and ride...and so bummed it's raining cats and dogs today!!

[ASammy1]

Oh happy day! Glad you found something that was perfect for you!

Please let us know how your first ride went!

[tulip]

Great news! Jamis make really nice bikes at a reasonable cost--I love my Jamis Coda Comp from way back in 2003. Congratulations!