gibbons
En-Route
The more I ride my cross bike the more I enjoy riding, especially on the road. Now I’m looking into buying a good road bike. Since some of you are big into bikes, and since I always enjoy reading how people respond to any “help me decide” post, I’m asking for input.
The problem I have where I live is that there aren’t any really good bike shops. I was in Boulder, CO the other day and went into University Bicycles – wow, that’s a bike shop. But here it’s pretty much the same brands from store to store: Cannondale, Raleigh, Giant, etc.
I’m interested in learning about other bike brands that might fit my criteria. I always try to buy local but will buy over the internet if I need to. So, with the background out of the way, my criteria…..
Use: Rides for enjoyment – 20 to 30 miles / day two or three days per week, with the occasional 50 – 60 miler thrown in. That’s what I’m doing on my Jekyll now so I know I won’t have any trouble doing it on a proper road bike. I’d also like to do a multi-day tour sometime. I’m not interested in racing.
Budget: I’d like to stay at $2,000 or below, but am willing to pay considerably more if I find a bike I can’t live without.
I want a light bike with very good hardware. I’m willing to sacrifice weight for good hardware if the budget requires it.
I keep my stuff in good working condition but I don’t want to live to work on a bike, so I want something that doesn’t require a lot of tinkering. Clean it, oil it, adjust it a couple of times a year – and ride.
Ideas?
The problem I have where I live is that there aren’t any really good bike shops. I was in Boulder, CO the other day and went into University Bicycles – wow, that’s a bike shop. But here it’s pretty much the same brands from store to store: Cannondale, Raleigh, Giant, etc.
I’m interested in learning about other bike brands that might fit my criteria. I always try to buy local but will buy over the internet if I need to. So, with the background out of the way, my criteria…..
Use: Rides for enjoyment – 20 to 30 miles / day two or three days per week, with the occasional 50 – 60 miler thrown in. That’s what I’m doing on my Jekyll now so I know I won’t have any trouble doing it on a proper road bike. I’d also like to do a multi-day tour sometime. I’m not interested in racing.
Budget: I’d like to stay at $2,000 or below, but am willing to pay considerably more if I find a bike I can’t live without.
I want a light bike with very good hardware. I’m willing to sacrifice weight for good hardware if the budget requires it.
I keep my stuff in good working condition but I don’t want to live to work on a bike, so I want something that doesn’t require a lot of tinkering. Clean it, oil it, adjust it a couple of times a year – and ride.
Ideas?