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First bike help
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 2018-02-26 4:52 AM |
 1 |  Subject: First bike helpNew member here! So ive been bitten by the triathlon buy, i recently did a short sprint marathon just for giggles with a friend and i loved it. I plan on buying a bike and trying to keep it under $800 as i save up the cash. Now ive been told different thing when it comes to buying new vs used. I saw a Scott Speedster 50 and a Felt FR60 both new that i like but ive been told to stay away from base model bikes and that it is better to buy a used/older bike that, at its time, has better components and material. So which way should i go? i plan on this being the bike that gets me through till i can save up for a very nice road/TT bike, Im 6'3 when it comes to size and really know nothing about road bikes. Thanks for the help and looking forward to being apart of the community! |
| 2018-02-26 8:29 AM in reply to: SamuelMartin |
Master 3888      Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: First bike help My first road bike was a Marin Portofino with Shimano Sora components. From a Shimano component "good to best" list, here's the order Sora Tiagra 105 Ultegra Dura-Ace I know little about the electronic/wireless stuff. I think maybe Claris components is a step below or maybe now equal to Sora. I was fine with the Sora components. What makes the biggest difference for a beginner is the engine. All said and done I've read very few race reports that indicated lack of performance was due to shifting etc. My current road bike is a Felt F75 with 105 components and my TT bike is a Felt B14 with Ultegra. The other thing to look for is good support from your local bike shop so if they're a Felt dealer that's probably a safe bet. I also think you can do better than $800 for a bike with Claris components. I was in my bike shop yesterday and they had new bikes on clearance with Tiagra components in the $600-800 range. Finding good used equipment might be a challenge for your height, I ride the largest size Felt offers (61XL) and I had to buy new because nothing good used was available in that size range. |
| 2018-02-26 9:27 AM in reply to: SamuelMartin |
Member 1004 | Subject: RE: First bike help You need to figure out your bike size first. A bike shop could tell you. A rough guide is to measure the inside of your leg and multiply it by .65. For example, my inside leg is 84 cm (I'm 5; 8") so 84 x .65 = 54.6. I take a 54 frame. If you want to go used, look at pinkbike.com |
| 2018-02-26 10:15 AM in reply to: reecealan |
Expert 4924 Middle River, Maryland Silver member | Subject: RE: First bike help Assuming you are searching for a road bike (and that's what I would recommend...), you could start with looking at Performance Bike. They have a bunch of Fuji models in your price range. I have a Fuji, been happy with it other than it is too big for me, which leads to the advice above - get a basic bike fit. A fitter could probably do it for $50 to at least give you an idea about the size bike you need, as well as the brand. For instance, my Fuji has a really long reach for its size (61 CM), and I have long legs and alligator arms, which doesn't make for a good match. I'm currently looking to upgrade and my fitter has me looking at Mediums in some brands (I'm 6'3"). Like Reece said above, any Shimano groupset should be just fine nowadays. I've heard people say they low the Tiagra stuff because it is built like a tank. |
| 2018-02-26 5:21 PM in reply to: jmhpsu93 |
| 139 | Subject: RE: First bike help i bought a giant defy 1 with 105 components on sale for not much more than your budget a couple years ago. when they clear out last years models there will be some sales. bike shop should give you a good idea when that will happen. i also bought my daughter a used trek madone 3.1 with 105 stuff for 500. it is a very nice bike for the money. just get something that fits or you wont ride or ride well. |
| 2018-02-27 12:29 PM in reply to: 0 |
| 701 | Subject: RE: First bike help I can't provide specifics on what to buy/etc. I don't know enough. But...I can say... $800 is a good budget. Going used (or last year's clearance as someone noted) will get you pretty darn far down the road... And, you won't have blown your wad out of the gate and IF you want something different (ie, more expensive) later, you'll be able to attain it much sooner than if you go out and spend $1500 today. I speak from experience on this one. Edited by jhaack39 2018-02-27 12:30 PM |
| 2018-02-28 9:14 PM in reply to: jhaack39 |
Master 2210 Columbus, OhioCoaching member | Subject: RE: First bike help Here's an article from the site on how to buy a used bike, which I wrote a few years ago: https://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=2804 |
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