Opinions on inexpensive road bikes needed

[Guest]

Just wondering if you have any opinion on inexpensive road bikes (less than $800) like the trek 1.2 or raleigh sport, etc. Not asking for sales help, but more do you think they are decent bikes? (long lasting, efficient, etc.) Are there any benefits to more expensive bikes other than less weight/aerodynamics? I would rather not buy a $700 bike and be disappointed.
Sean

[Alex Ramon]

Hi Sean,

I found a reviews that indicate the Trek 1.2 is good value for the money:
http://www.roadbikereview.com/mfr/trek/road-bike/PRD_410406_5668crx.aspx

And here's one for the Raleigh:
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/latest-bikes/road-bike/raleigh-usa-bicycle-company/PRD_290711_5668crx.aspx

Those both seem like decent bikes, but I'd see if you can test ride them first. And yes, the more expensive the bike is you'll get higher quality and sometimes lighter components. Depending on the parts, there is some question as to whether or not more expensive means longer lasting. I've been using 1994 LX components and found them to be more durable and easier to work with than XT or XTR. It's a personal preference, others might disagree...

Good luck with your quest for a new bike, I hope you find something you really enjoy riding!

[Guest]

Thanks for the tips, and the very good site videos as well I ended up purchasing a Giant ocr 3. It has no less than the Shimano Sora components for each part and a carbon fork, I test rode the bike for a while and compared it to a few others, and I was fitted for it as well. I got it for $500 as a 2007 model... Anyhow, I was wondering if you could suggest any mega bike repair books with great info, easy readability and whatnot? Not that your site isn't a wealth of info, but I'd like to learn everything I can about everything I can

[Alex Ramon]

Glad to hear you found a bike, that's great!

As for mega repair books, the only good ones I know of (huge and extensive) are the Barnett's manual or the Sutherland's manual, but they'll cost you a few hundred each brand new.

[Guest]

wowee wow wow... :-p now that I'm learning more about it I was thinking that you should have another video about bike fitting and how the frame measurements work... I know the basic knee through the pedal concept, but it would be nice to know about the length you stretch to hold the bars and what frame measurements are important for your personal inseam, etc. etc. At a very slight bend in my knee at full extension, my bike bars are level with my seat. I assume this is correct, but I still feel like I'm reaching far for the handlebars. I may just be used to my older bike which was very much too small for me... anyhow, just an idea. There seems to be many methods of fitting and a lot of myth to the art. I'd like a solid way to fit a bike taking note of every area of sizing... Thanks again for all the help.

[Alex Ramon]

I'll get that done as soon as I can... you can check the status of your request here:
http://bikeride.com/requests/bicycle-sizing/

[Guest]

Thanks, you rock! :-) I took my bike to a local shop and they verified that it was in fact the right size, but that my seat need a slight adjustment because of my leg angle, etc. I am riding at least 30-40% more efficiently than I was on my old steel ross road bike... it's incredible how much the gears and shifting help in every situation. I grabbed everything I needed and I'm all set now.. so with your tutorials I've already changed my tubes and tires (on my old bike), and adjusted my old derailleur and brakes, and removed my new tires etc...

[Aushiker]

G'day
Another couple of suggestions on repair books. Not mega ones, but ones which I personally have found useful and which I know a lot of folks use are the Park Tools Big Blue Book and Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance or Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance. I have the Park Tools book and Lennard Zinn's book on mountain bike maintenance and find this is a good combination plus of course the Bicycle Tutor

The link for the Park Tools book is http://www.parktool.com/ and the Lennard Zin series is http://www.zinncycles.com/

Regards
Andrew