Tried out some bikes - any thoughts on these?

[wurkit_gurl]

While you may save some $ buying second hand, it's not the best if you don't know much about bikes yet and what you need, or what parts of the bike to inspect (and what to look for). Plus, some shops will give you free services, swap components, and developing a relationship with them can save you more cash in the long run.

Yeah, I sort of think it might be better to get my first bike new (maybe on sale, but definitely new), so that I can ask them stuff that I don't know, instead of just ending up with a very expensive machine that I don't know how to take care of! I would also rather have for a new bike, one that I know has not been slammed around, messed with, etc. I don't want to inherit someone else's bad mechanical skills the first time around.

[Bklynmom]

I just got my first real rode bike, a Dolce ELite 2007. It Rocks! The bike store spent about half an hour tweaking the fit, but the munite I got on it felt right. They gave me an excellent deal, and 10% off all the other sturff - water bottle holder, cyclecomputer, shoes, bag with spare tubes etc. The size is perfect for my 5"1" frame, but the wheels are big, so it is fast.

A warning about the crank - some of the Specialized bikes did not have the crank tightened properly, and my crank arm fell off the bike while I was riding. Be sure to have your bike store check that the crank is tightened properly. Specialized replace it quickly, but still, it shouldn't have happened.

Lisa

[SadieKate]

A warning about the crank - some of the Specialized bikes did not have the crank tightened properly, and my crank arm fell off the bike while I was riding. Be sure to have your bike store check that the crank is tightened properly. Specialized replace it quickly, but still, it shouldn't have happened.

Lisa

It is the store's responsibility to check crank tightness when they build the bike after it is shipped to them. Specialized is just providing good customer service when it was the store who screwed up. You can't just haul a bike out of a box and plop it on the floor.

BTW, one should check the tightness of crank and chain ring bolts regularly - particularly on a new bike.

[wurkit_gurl]

Yay - I just took at look at the paperwork for my tax return (I had my father do them, since I was in grad school for the majority of last year and didn't really earn much income) and it looks like I'm going to get a good chunk back- enough to allow me to afford the Dolce Elite Yay!