Bikes?

Hey Sam,

I don't have much knowledge, but I'll offer what I can as I've recently just gone through the purchase of my first road bike.

Fit and comfort are key components of a road bike purchase, as anyone will tell you...that said, if you're looking at going REAL entry level (e.g. just borrowing someone else's bike or buying the cheapest used thing you can find) it may be less of a consideration.

Shimano components from top to bottom:

Dura-ace
Ultegra
105
Tiagra
Sora (I think)
and on down the list

I'm not going to recommend what I think you should get component wise because I don't know how much you want to spend. My bike was a good deal at $1400 and has a combination of DA, Ultegra, and 105.

A good brand for value to look at is Giant. In my searches, they really had the most for the money. That said, it's the time of year when last year's models are being closed out, so you might find a real gem in a different brand. I know Local Ride in Maple Ridge even has one or two 2005 models on their floor that I bet they'd be glad to be rid of. You may even talk to the guys at Overtime Sports in Coquitlam as they could potentially bring in a bike that's left over that the distributors want gone for a good price. They offered to do that for me last year but had a hard time finding the right size for me.

I'm not sure how much you want to know or what you want to know about...

Other places to look for used bikes are of course Sport Junkies (although I find stuff to tend towards overpriced considering a lot of it is used and...junk) as well as that place on Dunbar whose name I can't remember. A friend of mine was telling me about a place around 8th and Burrard that's supposed to be good for both used and new bikes as well. He bought a pretty decent bike there that he rode a HIM on for $500 apparently. Cant' remember the name, though...

I hope that helps a bit, at least.

I will agree with the last few posts.

If you're not sure you want to spend a lot of money, check used stuff (ie. craigslist, tribc, etc).

I bought my first road bike from Different Bikes in West Vancouver. I own a business near them so they gave me a good deal, but their prices are really good in comparison to others regularily. They have some nice road bikes in there now in all different levels.

Other shops to check out for new road bikes are Bicycle Sports Pacific (multiple locations), Speed Theory (w. 4th), and La Bicicletta (W. Broadway). The last 2 I find a little pricey though, IMO.

Thx for the info!

My price range is about $1200 - $1400 (hopefully after I butter my wife up with a great b-day this year) that includes pedals and shoes.

I looked at Kona and Obus today. Simon Bikeshop gives my organization a bit of a discount, but their rocky mountain road bikes components aren't as good.

Thanks again for the info and I'll look it all.

S

RMB makes nice bikes, but use the "quality" and "Canadian made" bit to jack up prices pretty nicely. I love my RMB mtb, but wouldn't hurry to pick up one of their road bikes.

I'd look to the Giant OCR1/TCR2 bikes if you can find any of last year's. Similarly, Trek 1200 comes to mind. Not sure what the equiv from Cannondale is, but I think Specialized has the Allez series.

Good luck!

I'm pretty sure that Simon's carries Specialized road bikes as well.....at least they did when I was looking. Check out BSP for Giant, you might be able to find an '06 model they want to get rid of. You can check online too.