New road bike- how much bike should I buy?

[SadieKate]

Ya know, I just realized how sad it is that I have about 5 friends who would LOVE to endlessly go shopping with me for just about anything, except bikes. Which is the only thing I like shopping for (plus bike accessories). I think I need some new friends.

Just kidding.

Been there, done that. That's why I came to TE.

[ace]

I am just going to have to do lots of test riding. I am very un-mechanically minded, so specs aren't going to be very useful to me. I always read what you guys have to say about your bikes with great interest, but I never know what the hell you're talking about. Yeah, I can get more mechanical, but it is not my strong suit.

[mimitabby]

Been there, done that. That's why I came to TE.

yeah, me too.


about comfort.

When you get on a bike, it's hard to tell if it's comfortable or not unless of course something in your back (or other body part) is screaming.
After you have ridden that bike for a while, other things will come into the forefront. You know what you feel like after 25 miles on your hybrid. If you feel that good after 25 miles on a particular road bike, it's a good deal. If your back, neck, knees, whatever are hurting, something is not right. what i learned the hard way with my bike experiment was that yes, you can be just as comfortable on a road bike as you can on a hybrid, but you need to get a bike that fits.
With your budget and your nearness to some great shops, I think you can do that easily.

[spokewench]

Robinson Wheel Works at 1235 MacArthur Blvd in San Leandro. (510) 352-4663 Very cool. Chris or Tim will make you a great cup of espresso, you can sit at the counter and watch them work on a bike, and chat about what you want your next bike to be.

They'll help you narrow it down. They are a small shop and they love all bikes, and they are realistic about what a rider needs.

and they give you espresso....

I encourage you to go see Chris (owner) of Robinson Wheel Works in San Leandro. He is a great guy. He used to rent our second floor in our house in San Leandro when he was getting his shop started up. He used to race as a younger guy, but he has a good idea about what will work for you if you talk to him and he is easy to talk to.

[Offthegrid]

You seem to have more than proven that you love cycling. You've done some serious riding -- on a hybrid. So I don't think you need to worry about whether you'll "stick with it." And I know you say going faster isn't important to you, but I think with a road bike you'll discover a new love for speed.

I don't get into mechanicals, either, so I totally understand where you're coming from on that end.

You say you could afford to spend $3,000, so I say look in the $2,000-$2,500 range and leave $500 to get some nice pedals, shoes and whatever other accessories you need. Make sure the gearing you get will be suitable for your trip in Italy (don't know how much steep climbing you're going to have to do). You don't have to be a gearhead to do this -- just tell the shop what kind of riding you're going to do.

You have the luxury of getting a nice bike, and I don't think you should waste money buying an entry-level road bike that you're just going to want to replace in 6 months or a year.

[RoadRaven]

You have had alot of good advice and thoughts here, ace.
I have little to add in terms of things to look for.

I can recommend the Scorpio RA 2000 which was my first road bike. My 13 year old has it now - the frame was slightly too big for me as a medium (I am 5'10" and weigh 100kg).

I now have a Giant TCR 2 and an EMC2 Femetape.

The Giant comes with aero bars, and in the small frame size was a delight to first hop on - it fitted me so beautifully, I didn't think any other bike could fit me so well.

The EMC2 put paid to that idea. She is a dream and the extra stiffness in the frame means she feels safer and more secure downhill and around corners. Because it is female-specific, the shorter top-tube, the short reach levers and the narrower handle bars all add up to more comfort. Compact gears and short cranks make spinning and hill-climbing easier.

I thoroughly recommend trying either of those - they are both within your price range - the Giant was $2000NZ, and the EMC2 was $2500NZ.

I'm not thinking so much that a lighter bike (my hybrid weights 26 lbs) will make that much difference- I'm a very big girl, so a few pounds difference on the bike shouldn't theoretically make a difference, right? But the tires should help.

I do need to respond to this. Every ounce extra we carry in terms of personal weight or weight on the bike matters. I am overweight too, but a lighter bike in the EMC2 has contributed towards my "ease" (haha, I mean improvement) on hills.
There is a formula...

...on a 5% gradient hill, 1kg of weight will mean you are climbing for 3 seconds longer over 1 kilometre.
This may seem insignificant, but in a race situation - or just out training and facing a tough hill, every second counts.

Good luck in your choice, I look forward to hearing about your purchase.

You have the luxury of getting a nice bike, and I don't think you should waste money buying an entry-level road bike that you're just going to want to replace in 6 months or a year.

I absolutely concur with Offthegrid... dont get an entry level... you have the budget, get a bike that you will be thrilled with, not one you will replace in 12-18months.

[ace]

What great advice- thanks all.

I will definitely check out Robinson.

Do any of you have a Serotta? I think that's the favored bike of the shop where I usually go, though they have plenty of others.

Offthegrid- I don't think I'll be bringing my own bike to Italy. The company I'm going with gives you the choice of custom built hybrid, Bianchi road bike, or bring your own, and for 5 days of riding, it's too much hassle bringing my own. Of course, next year (I have a feeling the international bike trip may become an annual event) I may feel differently! The ride in Italy is 30-50 miles a day, flats and rolling hills. It's rated Advanced Beginner, so it shouldn't be too hard to do with either a decent hybrid or road bike. I am interested to see what's it like to ride that much each day for 5 consecutive days- that will be a new experience.

[SadieKate]

You want to really have your mind boggled? Wait to make any decisions until you go to this. Be prepared to drool.

3rd Annual North American Hand Made Bicycle Show

Serotta is a great bike. One of the best. But there are tons of good custom builders out there.

[Kathi]

I built my custom Ottrott this summer. I'm very impressed with the quality of the bike, the ride, the way it handles and fits.

I originally planned to build a custom Seven, being small I didn't think that Serotta could do the job for me but I was wrong. CJ and Kelly (at Serotta) were wonderful. My frame is a 48 cm on 650c wheels.

Check out the Serotta forum http://www.serotta.com/forum/. Mostly guys there but they are very respectful of women.

There are other small frame builders as well. They are often talked about on the Serotta forum. Sometimes they have a long wait list.

In your price range you could get a Fierte, Serotta's stock frame. I demoed it and it's really a nice bike.

[Kathi]

Here's the link to the post of my bike pictures.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...erotta+ottrott

[anakiwa]

Ace-

First off fit is the most important thing (and it's worth spending money on).

As far as whether to spend the full $3000 now, versus buy an entry level bike now and spend more in a year or two- you can argue it either way. If you fall in love with a $3000 bike and are convinced it's the bike for you- go for it. On the other hand it might make sense to ride something cheaper for a year first (which will allow you to figure out what you really do and don't want in a bike- and when you do get to buy your dream bike you'll really know what you want).

I have a Serotta Coeur d'Acier that's designed as a tri bike and am in the process of buying a Serotta Concours road bike. I'm therefore probably a little biased, but I think a custom bike has a lot to offer. (My current Trek road bike is a really nice bike, but the fit is just not quite right.) I suspect it might be hard to keep the price under $3000 though. The stock Serotta bikes would be a little less expensive (and if you have a decent Serotta fitter they'd be able to tell you if you can fit one of the sizes or if you'd do better with custom or something else).

Good luck!

[KayTee]

I have to agree with the last few posters. Custom bikes can be reasonably priced or ridiculously expensive, depending on frame material and fabricator, and would certainly fit into your budget. At this point in my own cycling life, I'd go for custom frame only and whatever components I can best afford (or re-use), then upgrade the latter if necessary. I rode various stock bikes for 6 years before springing for a custom steel Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel earlier this year. It's been worth every penny.