newbie question - how to choose a bike

alynn1224 - 2008-08-29 7:48 PM I haven't ridden a road bike for about 8 years, when I was in college. Back then, my coach fitted me for it, so I don't know a thing about choosing a new bike or bike size. Choosing a mountain bike was a much simpler task...I'm 5'7 and looking for a gently used women's bike (therefore won't be going to a store.) What size bike do I need? What brands are preferred? What price should I expect to pay for a well-taken care of bike? I'll take any advice I can get. Thanks everyone!

If you haven't ridden in a while then its even more important that you get yourself fitted for a road bike. For this you'll have to go to a LBS and try out different bikes and fits. Not sure about the others , I know Trek has some WSD (Womens specific design) models. Your pref. will be different from someone else , due to the fit,etc.

Once you know what kind of a bike/brand you like , then you can shop around for prices on used models. But , IMO , you shd at least get a bike person (or LBS) confirm that the purchased bike fits you. The new bike prices are all over the map but I'd say you can expect to pay 750-1000$ for a starter road bike .

Am sure there are tons of better articles but this is a good start to understanding the decision: http://bgindy.com/page.cfm?pageID=203

Here is what I would do:

1.  Go to your LBS and ask them to show you a few bikes in a variety of price ranges in your size.  They should be able to tell you what size frame you are looking for, and what the major differences are between price ranges (durability, upgradeability, gears, shifters, etc).  After this you should have an idea of what size you are looking for and what is most important in a bike for you.

2.  What type of bike are you looking for?  A normal road bike? Tri bike? Commuter? etc?

3.  I think some people get carried away with bikes.  I just bought a very nice few year old road bike for $20.  Spent $40 on a few upgrades and tuned it.  It is a bike that anyone could put many miles on and take the time to decide what they REALLY want without breaking the bank.  On the other hand, I believe that a $1200-$1500 (retail price new) bike is about the perfect compromise of getting the most for your money. 

4.  When buying a used road bike, I think it is really important that you know exactly what you want and what is important to you before you buy anything.  The prices on used bikes really seems to fluctuate significantly from what I have seen (great deals on some and others who think they have gold on wheels).

Michael