Help me choose my first road bike

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  ESEMCE on 11/12/2013 - 14:34

  +1

  Buy used… the bikes liked above are all built to a price.
  You also need to get something that fits your body (leg length, torso length and arm length), so you really should be testing them for comfort and fit.

  Given your very low pricepoint, focus on the flat bar bikes. You'll get better quality components than the drop bar bikes at the same price.

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  meowmeowmeow on 11/12/2013 - 14:52

  +1

  Try gumtree for a used/barely used bike. I got a $700 hybrid bike for $300 there, barely used, including helmet and lights. The guy bought it for his wife but she wasn't interested. Can get even better bargains than that, just have to be patient and know what the bike is worth before agreeing to a price.

  • 

    BuyoTheCat on 11/12/2013 - 15:37

    I have been looking for SSSooooo long on guntree, still not decided on one. I think it is because I do not know the value of the bikes being sold. and I also know nothing about bikes :s

    • 

      ESEMCE on 11/12/2013 - 15:42

      Google is your friend.. do a tiny amount of research, work out what you want and ignore anything that doesn't tick all the boxes you need.

    • 

      meowmeowmeow on 11/12/2013 - 15:43

      I dont know much about bikes either, but the owner should list a model number or something so you just google it and look at the pictures to find the right one. Then you can look up some reviews as well. The bike might be a previous years model but they are all worth about the same if they are barely used.

      • 

        BuyoTheCat on 12/12/2013 - 09:29

        That is what I do. get the model and google a value.

        but second hand gear has a different value.
        I trade a lot of photographic gear and I know what things should be approximately resold. but bicycles….it is way more complex with their different components. I just want one with NOS

• 

  Mossy on 11/12/2013 - 16:16

  +3

  Awww. I clicked into here to talk about motorbikes :-(

  • 

    Veeedka on 11/12/2013 - 16:26

    +3

    Same :/

    I can't imagine a Yammy R15 would be a whole lot heavier than one of those aluminium road cycles, would it? ;p haha.

    • 

      danield on 11/12/2013 - 20:41

      Me too..

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  daewoo on 11/12/2013 - 17:09

  If you don't know what your looking for (and what to look out for), I would personally steer towards a new 'last-years model' bike at a discounted rate.

  An entry-level ~$450rrp "Merida Speeder" flat bar road bike is a good starting point - they are the 2nd biggest bike manufacturer, and priced as reasonably as a hit-and-miss Cell bike. Obviously haggle that price down like an OzBargainer… ;)

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  blitz on 11/12/2013 - 17:17

  Reid's having a sale on Falco's right now, with decent componentry.
  Otherwise second hand is the go, as mentioned above. Don't buy a second hand helmet though.
  And make sure you get a bike that fits you, otherwise it will be uncomfortable to ride.

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  Kendrite13 on 11/12/2013 - 18:40

  Not to hijack this but I'd like to get a new (OK, second hand) bike in the next few months for a similar price. It's for riding around with the kids and to the shops and back so don't need anything too flash.

  I just lurk eBay and Gumtree to find something second hand in my budget with good reviews right?

  How can I tell if the bike fits? I'm 184cm (6ft) and about 80kg - is there a guide I can look up or do you just mean certain bikes suite some people better than others and to try them out?

  I'd prefer to be buying a motorcycle but I think I'd be struggling at this price point. :)

  • 

    kingsville on 11/12/2013 - 19:51

    which city are you in?

    If in Melb, I can help. Also, options like this fit would suit perfectly: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/KONA-Dew-Deluxe-Hybrid-Commuter-N…

  • 

    ESEMCE on 11/12/2013 - 19:56

    There are different sizes, but each brand has different dimensions of top tube and down tube lengths so you really need to research what brands and sizes suit your body.

• 

  kingsville on 11/12/2013 - 19:58

  +1

  I'm with scubacoles - you can buy a barely used bike on ebay for half retail or less.

  For $300 used, i'd expect 9 gears in the rear or 8 gears if really recent.

  In the Brisbane area, I'd choose any of these over the new options you have suggested:

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Apollo-Exceed-/201000924484?pt=AU…

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Trek-Mens-Hybrid-Bicycle-51cm-/23…

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mint-Condition-Shogun-Katana-Red-…

  If you must go 7 speed, go used and save your cash:

  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Reid-City-mens-Bike-LARGE-Fully-u…

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  2ndeffort on 12/12/2013 - 00:19

  WOW, I am also looking for a road bike. I am completely paralyzed with information overload. Looking for something serious, budget up to $3K but as an Ozb I have to get a killer deal. I've seen some of the generic brand bikes like Cell/Azurri/Polygon/Verite with generic frames but awesome groupsets. Not sure if the frames are any good, heard about the lifetime warranty and how Giant used to be one of these anonymous frame makers etc etc. Nearly bought an Azurri on the cyclingexpress 10% voucher code that expires in 5 mins time.

  I've also seen a Focus Izalco 1 yo bike on Bikeexchange that looks great but I've read elsewhere that most of the frame warranties only apply to the original purchaser and if I buy 2nd hand and the frame cracks in 6 months I am screwed!

  I've been to a few bike shops but aside from the local guy who really sells MTBs but can order in a Trek at full RRP if I want, none of them seemed 1/2 way trustworthy. All tried to talk me out of the bike I had researched and into something that suspiciously was bang on the upper limit or just above the max of the budget I gave them. Also all seemed desperate to get me into either Giant/Trek or Specialized depending upon whichever seemed to be the main brand they sell. Probably nothing wrong with that but as an OZb I prefered the discounted 2013 model bikes to the full RRP Giant 2014 model etc. I assume commission is better for selling a new model Giant to what it is selling a runout model 2013 Colnago/willier etc.

  Also explained to 2 of the bike shop guys that I wanted an 'endurance' geometry bike which I understood to mean a taller head tube and an upright riding position. 2 of them talked me out of bikes whose brand webpages advertised them exactly as that and whose frame geometry on the web supported that and instead tried to get me into….you guessed it…one of their new full RRP Giant models with a shorter headtube and a more aggressive riding position. One of them actually told me that the runout italian bike with a 19cm headtube and advertised on the website as their endurance model was more aggressive than the generic brand one their website called a club race bike and which had a 13cm head tube (I looked those up by the way, he didnt know and was just going off opinion), he was very quick to show off the SRAM Red groupset which i must admit was very impressive!

  I have saved up the $$ and desperate to get a bike. One of the generics with a SRAM Red Groupset might be good, hate the look of the Azurri's Logo/branding though, looks like it was done on Powerpoint as a school assignment and emailed to the factory. Actual frames look OK (I went to their showroom and had a look) but nowhere near as impressive looking as some of the name brand bikes but I guess it is there to ride not to look at.

  Any advice on either the 'generic brand' bikes and their frame quality compared to the better name brands or alternately a trustworthy LBS in Melbourne that I could go to knowing that I am probably not wanting to pay a fair price for a good bike. I am an Ozb and I never pay retail for anything…period! I am going to want a killer deal and that is going to be almost as important to me as the bike!

• 

  backpaqer on 12/12/2013 - 08:06

  Build your own…
  http://velunatic.wordpress.com/

  • 

    backpaqer on 12/12/2013 - 08:20

    Oh…and based on me being able to reuse parts from my trashed bike to rebuild this bike, it only cost me about $800 all up to make. If you were going from scratch, you could probably build this for under $1500 and I'd say it compares extremely favourably to my $10k Cervelo.

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  2ndeffort on 12/12/2013 - 18:25

  Test rode a couple today and bought a Trek Domane 5.2. I think I cut a good deal, RRP was $3999 managed to get it for $3299 with a couple of extras thrown in.

  • 

    kingsville on 13/12/2013 - 15:02

    nice!