First road bike suggestions?

I'm sitting here doing the numbers on replacing my Air 9 with the insurance money and i'm now thinking a $1500-$2000 road bike can be had with the money left over. :-k

knowing very little about road bikes and where to start, i got my eye on the Roubaix Compact (105 drivetrain, carbon frame) but where to look after that I have no clue


I'm more concerned with frame material for comfortability than components (opposite of what i do for mtb), so is carbon still the way to go in that department?

thanks, and there shall probably be many more noob questions down the road.

 

What size are you looking for? You can borrow my all carbon 56cm Cannondale Synapse for a while to see if it you like Carbon.

I got a carbon road bike specifically because my first road bike, aluminum, was killing my back. Of course, now I suspect that may be because the aluminum bike was too small for me.

I got the synapse because it won Outside magazine's gear of the Year in 2006 with lots of comments about how comfy it is

 

that's the thing, I'm either a 56 or 58. I've never really had a chance to ride either size more than around the parking lot, but the 56 felt better I think. I'm 6'0"

 

I'm 6'0" as well, with short legs and a longer torso. Let me know if you want to borrow the synapse. Anyone with 5,000 thanks has to be trustworthy, right? Maybe you have a mtn bike I could borrow?

 

I prefer bikes to be a little smaller and would be on a 54 at 5'10 so a 56 at 6' sounds about right.

I find that being stretched out makes my back sore on longer rides. Go with something you would be happy with for a long time. I tend to try and get bikes with a good frame and don't pay so much attention to components. Components will be replaced in the future where the frame you may have for several years. Try to find something with low end sram or shimano so that you are getting a better frame. Also make sure you get either sram or shimano depending on what you prefer. I am not sure, but you might have to upgrade a few components at once if you want to switch between the two (like shifters and deraillers), so it just makes it easier on the wallet if you can do just the shifters or just the derailler.

 

Welcome to the dark side David. :lol:

I'm 5'10ish and ride a 56. I own a Specialized Allez and love it. It has the 105 drive train for the most part. It seems to sit right in the middle of touring and racing. I've ridden it for 60 miles on SART and it was very comfortable the whole time. I don't have to much to compare it too but Specialized have some pretty great road bikes from everything I've read. Good luck with your search.

 

:lol: thanks, and yeah we'll figure that out if i take you up on that offer


should/can i just get fit for size?

yeah I don't want/need anything for racing, more so for long rides where I really need to be comfortable more than anything

 

+1 roubaix

 

You can also look into a PRS saddle from Koobi. They put elastomers in the seat to give you a whole millimeter of rear suspension

I've done a couple centuries on the synapse with this saddle with no problems.

 

With all the options for road bikes out there right now, it's easer to give you some general guidelines.

Stick to 105 components or above.
Don't be afraid of SRAM or Campagnolo components.
Test ride it and rent it for a day if you can (Specialized does this).
Stay away from a triple (you'll wind up replacing it anyway)
Avoid cheap mail-order Chinese junk (Motobecane, Windsor etc...)
Decide what you want to spend and look at everything in your price range; buy the best bike you can afford.

Happy hunting.

 

David the Roubaix is an excellent bike. One that I've been eyeing for a number of years. I rode one for 70 miles and increased my average 2 mph faster. I love that bike. I started road riding on an aluminum bike 650 wheels with aerobars, basically it was a tri bike but I did a lot of centuries on it. The first time I got on a carbon bike I bought it. I still have that bike today and have put over 40,000 miles on it. I still have the original derailuers, stem, handlebars,seatpost ,well just about everything except the drivetrain and wheelset. And I only replaced the wheelset because of a great deal I got. The ride on carbon is better then anything I've ever rode. Stell is nice but carbon surpasses it easily. I've done 3 triple centuries on it and I can't imagine riding anything but carbon. Like Zippy said stay at 105 and above. Don't get sucked in by the highend stuff (DuraAce/Sram red/ Campy) as the lower end stuff even holds up better. Personally I love the Shimano Ultegra groupo. I hope you enjoy the road as much as I do.

 

David I just realized the November/December issue of Road Bike Action has a review of the Roubaix SL2. I haven't read it yet but you might check their web page or a bike shop that keeps their mags around for a while.

http://www.rbaction.net/fly.aspx?layout=content&taxid=66&cid=792

http://www.rbaction.net

It's actually a first look review so not quite as in depth but it may give you a bit o' info.

 

Just build a cheap SS one with strong rims so you can spend lots of time riding it, in the case of a cash windfall I would sock most of it away as you will need it more than a shiny new anything.

 

Shhhh he's stimullating the economy. Maybe he'll single handedly pull us out of the recesion with this purchase! #-o

 

Pain Freak has enough miles under his @$$ to be most reliable in the advice department. I for one love my Specialized Tarmac. Its a racing machine and I'm not strong enough to do it justice. I've enjoyed Solvang century and Tour of the Oaks on it among other rides. I don't think you can go wrong with Specialized. Trek, Felt, and Giant may be worth looking at. I don't think the Scattante(SP?) or Fuji are any good but each to his/her own. The fit might be perfect. Did I mention Specialized? If you are near Surf City Cyclery go in and see TJ or Sean. They can take good care of you and have everything you could want.

 

Find an old 12 speed from the 80s (craigs List), clean it up and convert in to a SS:bang:

 

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Allez, def stick with 105 components / fuji rubiax

 

I bought an Alu frame with carbon seat stays and fork with Ultegra on it and its superb. Road biking is pretty addictive, lots of speed, no huge pack on your back and you can see so much of the area

 

You can get a Tricross, and then just swap out the tires for road only rides.

This bike rocks at Aliso.

I put some road tires on it and it didn't feel any slower than the Cannondale frame it replaced. I tried out a Roubaix Expert for a few weeks before I built up the Tri Cross, and it was slightly more comfy because the fork had a little more compliance. The carbon rear on the Tricross seems to smooth things out pretty well though.