Road Bicycle Buying Advice

[AndrewJ]

Damn, this listing makes me wish I rode a 54cm....
1994 Bridgestone XO-1
Pretty much the best touring bike ever made. Bridgestone shut down their bike division back in 95(?) and the bike guys started their own company, Nitto. They're all a bunch of insanely skilled Japanese craftsmen who make everything by hand. Needless to say this bike may get to the point of being out of your price range, but hey, it's still purdy to look at.

[Gone4]

If nothing else, I love bright colors on bikes

I actually just bid on it. I doubt I can win something this nice but I'm willing to get into the lower 1,000's for the right bike.

Awesome link!

[Lazarus]

I agree with Andrew. Get a touring bike. Just make sure it fits. Get fitted for a bike at a good shop so you know what would be the right size. I would not worry to much about componets if your buying something in the last 5 years and it not from walmart it should be fine.

Here's a great bike if it fits.

[NoCO2]

My advice is to look into a company called Trek. I have a Trek 1000 and I couldn't be happier. I have logged well over 2000 miles on this bike, was doing about 100 miles a week just for pleasure while I was in high school and have since moved on to college and have found myself where you found yourself in college, sitting on my butt doing nothing. I can't ride because I live in a very congested part of town where the roads are not so good for this kind of bike. However, just some details about it for you. The bike is made from aircraft grade aluminum and carbon fiber, has shimano brakes and shifters (I'm pretty sure) and has light weight wheels. The bike does not weigh very much at all and only cost me about $650. I also added clipless pedals and shoes which together ran me another $350 because I got really good quality shoes that would last me a long time ($250 for the shoes and worth every penny).

My recommendation, if you mostly want to ride for pleasure or commuting and don't have a lot to carry except maybe a back pack is the new Trek 1.2. It's the new version of basically the same thing I have. Take a look at it, it has a slightly hunched over riding position, but it's a great entry level bike for you to ride for pleasure and can also be pretty competitive. If you don't like the hunched over ride so much look at their FX series, it has a more upright riding position and lends itself to more leisure riding.

My biggest piece of advice though is to make sure you're properly fitted on the bike before you buy it. Do a little research and get an idea for what size fits your body type the best and go with that. This is especially important for the 1 series bikes more so then it is for the FX series because in the bent over riding position you can easily cause unnecessary back strain or even injury if you're not properly fitted.

Good luck, happy riding.

[roflwaffle]

Buy used steel and one of those generic repair kits for $50. Best bang for the buck IMO.

[Gone4]

I am fine in a hunched position and in some ways like it more from my experiences on a road bike.

I'm still looking around and probably will be for a few weeks. It's the dead of winter here so I can afford to take my time and to get this right. I have a feeling I will partially regret any decision I make, in a few months time.

[Gone4]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I obtained a hardly ridden bicycle for dirt cheap. It is a 2006 Masi Vincere. It is the perfect size, ridden by a guy almost the same size as I am, for about350 miles. if it doesn't work out I can probably ebay it for a few hundred more than I am paying. I can also get rid of it for a small profit if I decide I want more of a touring bike, as this one is definitely a road bicycle. Beggars can't be choosers and I am moving into a new bicycle for half of what i thought it would take

I just need to buy some pedals and shoes now.

[AndrewJ]

Nice find on the Masi, it looks like a good bike, 105/Ultegra and all that.

Is this the one?



As for pedals, I don't think it's possible for me to recommend eggbeaters strongly enough. I had Look-style road pedals for a while and they worked ok, but the cleats were a huge PITA. You just couldn't walk anywhere in them without nearly falling and killing yourself.

I've had eggbeaters on my last two bikes and I'll probably never buy another type of pedal. The cleats are about the same size as SPD's, so you can put them on MTB/recreational shoes and walk around all day comfortably. Plus, they're the easiest pedals I've ever used to clip in/out of.

[SVOboy]

Nice bike, it looks like. I've got SPD two-bolt style cleats and I fancy them quite a bit, and would recommend them highly.

[Gone4]

That would be the bike; candy red too (I love bright colors on bikes for some reason). The guy I bought it from had his own pedals on it and kept them for his upgrade, so I can't use it at all until I buy some. I definitely want to research the pedal situation. I need to see how much has changed since my bmx and downhill racing days.