Budget Road Bike Recommendation

I've been a mountain biker for as long as I can remember. I recently moved so I have a great opportunity to commute a few days a week by bike or at least stretch my legs during the day when I'm working from home. I follow the mountain biking side like crazy but know nothing about the Roadie side. The last road bike I had was in 93...so yeah it's been years. I'm looking for:

-Under $500
-For sure used because I haven't seen anything decent in the $500 range new. That being said any circa type bikes I should be looking for?
-Purely for commuting and casual riding when I can't use my MTB
-I'm not opposed to CX either as there are alternate fire road routes along the commute
-Not looking for suggestions such as, "Slap some road tires on your MTB."
-Anything I might not have thought of....

 

Budget road bike is an oxymoron.

What size do you need? I might know of some available bikes.

 

Yeah....that's why I've been staring at Craigslist.

52cm I'm short....

 

A used Surly CrossCheck is always a good value. Very versatile. I have one as a matter of fact. Well, it just sits there as I got a Salsa Vaya. I have been trying to decide whether to sell of convert to a SS. Anyhow, a heck of an all around do whatever you want bike. CX, touring, commuting, monster cross, etc. May be hard to find under $500, but pretty close.

 

Are you open to Fixie.... if so Wabi semi custom reynolds steel bikes for $695...its my commuter bike but $200 over budget
http://www.wabicycles.com/classic_bike_spec_11.html

 

Somebody said "budget road bike is an oxymoron"....that's not correct in my experience. Dude, I still ride my Cannondale R400 from about 2002 (which would go for NO MORE THAN $250 on craigs list). It's awesome. Yes, the components are "low-end"....but it depends if you're trying to impress others. They work PERFECTLY. Everything shifts crisp as day 1. The brakes stop on a dime. The bike is perfect. Now, since I'm 99% mtn biker, would I go "budget" on that bike? Nope....but that's because mtn bikes need to do sooooo much more. For road....$500 would get you a BOMB used bike. Frankly, I'm more into the older road bikes now, and have acquired a couple. I like 1970-1980 road bikes by Peugeot, Motobecane, Bottecchia, Gios,and some other Italian makers. Those are really really nice bikes and a good one can be had for $200 or less. For $500, you can get a head-turning SICK old-school bike. Aluminum sucks. Chromoly is a much better material if you're not racing.

 

I'm a converted roadie... I sold the road bike and bought a SS langster! Best move I ever did. You can get a better quality bike for your money. Its made me a better mtbr and I still able to go on group rides, etc... Running it 44x16 & I commute 24 miles 2x a week.

 

You might find a few offerings from bikesdirect.com

 

Check Craigslist. There is lots of good deals there.

 

I commute to work semi-regularly. You may just want to save your money. My commute is about 13.5 miles and it saves me maybe 10 minutes to use my roadbike vs the mtb.

Other than that, an entry level Scattante or a hybrid bike like a Fuji Absolute are close to your range new. I've commuted on both and they're only a few minutes slower than my "real" roadbike.

 

Would prefer the option of gears for my creaky knees

 

I was noticing this while surfing craigslist. I don't have enough intimate knowledge to make a judgement call in regards to what is good and what is bad for circa 80's etc. I could care less what anyone thinks of what I ride. Heck, I've been mountain biking with my Iron Horse since 2008!

 

Checked there as well. Not so sure about how reliable they are.

 

I have a CX 700 cro-mo I built and have never ridden. Its set up SS right now, size small, set up with Disc breaks currently. I will sell as complete or frame set. let me know I will even let you try it out see if you like it.

 

Road bikes don't tend to get abused like mtn bikes do.

Buying a used road bike is a no brainer. You already know what size you are looking for. You should be able to get a lot of bike for $500.

Steel, AL, Carbon, Ti or a mix of any of these will work. Try to find some thing with a minimum of 9 speed.....10 speed would be even better. Pass on road bikes with a triple crank.

 

Interested in something like this? It belongs to my sister in law. She bought it in 2010 and its a 52cm. $350 with speedplay pedals.

 

Yeah and after I posted I noticed foothill ranch ... So county not real fixie friendly

 

Check out Nashbar as well:
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_535083_-1___202613
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_543054_-1___202613

Free shipping going on right now.

 

Allez

You can't go wrong with an Allez. Great bike.
Cheaper road bikes get really heavy fast. The bikes on Bikesdirect like Dawes, Windsor, etc. are really heavy with crappy parts (stem, seat post, bars, etc.).
The generic Specialized parts on bikes like the low-end Allez models are actually pretty nice. If you find yourself wanting a little more in the future, just get some lighter/better wheels.
If you go with a used aluminum bike, try to find something with a carbon fork to smooth the bumps.

After posting this, I went over to Bikesdirect to have a look. Having had the original version of this bike in the 70's... this bike actually looks pretty cool....
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/schwinn/schwinn_letour_sport_xi.htm

 

Why pass on the triple crank? I ask because I've been borrowing, and have the opportunity to buy, a Motobecane carbon road bike. It's got an FSA triple and Dura-Ace 7800 derailleurs. The price is far below what I could even dream of getting a new carbon frame with even 105 components, and this one has probably seen more trainer time than road time. So why avoid the triple?