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256 Posts
I've posted over on roadbikereview, but thought some mtbr members might feel more likely to respond in this forum:
Hey guys/gals,
Title says it all. I've never owned a road bike, but I've been mtn biking for about 3-4 yrs now and have had the itch for a road bike for nearly 2 years. There's a Tour de Cure ride coming up near me that I would like to do in memory of my wife's grandfather. The ride will pass through the town and over the lake they lived on. 100 miles, supported, ride not race.
I've done 40miles on a mtn bike in a day, fairly flat terrain, but horrible conditions (12hr race on a 2man team that got rained out after 6 hrs, so I got to ride ~3hrs). Anyways, the race is 9 weeks away, I feel that w/ the right training, I could do the 100 mile ride. But I need to buy a bike first.
Budget is right at $1k. Would like to spend more, but I don't think I can justify more to myself and my wife. $1k seems to get you 105 components, which seems to be LX quality mtn bike stuff, gets the job done, pretty dependable, a little heavier than the newest and greatest though. My primary concern at the moment is that since I'll be doing a fairly long ride, I'll need a bike that is comfortable. And this is where I would like to know if I should be looking for a bike w/ carbon seat stays, a cr-mo/steel frame, or whether an aluim frame w/ carbon seat post and fork will be plenty for me. "Me" by the way: 24yrs old, 5'11.5", 160lbs.
I'll be buying from a LBS, so I'm sure they'll fit me fine on whatever I choose, but it's the frame material that I'm concerned with. Right now I'm leaning towards the Specialized Allez Elite (105 equiped) and the Bianchi Eros (campy mirage, and reynolds 631 frame). How does the Campy Mirage components compare to shimano stuff? Is it 105 quality or more like Tiagra? I've got access to what seems like all the major big brands: trek, specialized, cannondale, giant, litespeed, bianchi, fuji, etc... Is there a great value bike I might be overlooking?
Thanks for any and all help,
phil.
Hey guys/gals,
Title says it all. I've never owned a road bike, but I've been mtn biking for about 3-4 yrs now and have had the itch for a road bike for nearly 2 years. There's a Tour de Cure ride coming up near me that I would like to do in memory of my wife's grandfather. The ride will pass through the town and over the lake they lived on. 100 miles, supported, ride not race.
I've done 40miles on a mtn bike in a day, fairly flat terrain, but horrible conditions (12hr race on a 2man team that got rained out after 6 hrs, so I got to ride ~3hrs). Anyways, the race is 9 weeks away, I feel that w/ the right training, I could do the 100 mile ride. But I need to buy a bike first.
Budget is right at $1k. Would like to spend more, but I don't think I can justify more to myself and my wife. $1k seems to get you 105 components, which seems to be LX quality mtn bike stuff, gets the job done, pretty dependable, a little heavier than the newest and greatest though. My primary concern at the moment is that since I'll be doing a fairly long ride, I'll need a bike that is comfortable. And this is where I would like to know if I should be looking for a bike w/ carbon seat stays, a cr-mo/steel frame, or whether an aluim frame w/ carbon seat post and fork will be plenty for me. "Me" by the way: 24yrs old, 5'11.5", 160lbs.
I'll be buying from a LBS, so I'm sure they'll fit me fine on whatever I choose, but it's the frame material that I'm concerned with. Right now I'm leaning towards the Specialized Allez Elite (105 equiped) and the Bianchi Eros (campy mirage, and reynolds 631 frame). How does the Campy Mirage components compare to shimano stuff? Is it 105 quality or more like Tiagra? I've got access to what seems like all the major big brands: trek, specialized, cannondale, giant, litespeed, bianchi, fuji, etc... Is there a great value bike I might be overlooking?
Thanks for any and all help,
phil.