New Bicycle Time

[Tifosi24]

The old bike still works, but the time has come to move on to a full road bike. O have been looking for two years and am getting itchy. Wintertime in Minnesota isn't the best time to shop, but the prices are the most affordable. I figure if it gets into the 40s I can test ride. Based on my budget, I am fairly restricted, but I think I have narrowed it down to two bikes. My preference would be Cannondale, but they are expensive and they have no local support now that the new management is destroying the brand.

The first bike in my range is a Raleigh Revenio 1 Carbon. It is a full carbon bike, which I was never sure if I needed, and comes with Shimano Tiagra. The price is great, $1300, but I am not sold on the groupset although the sales people said it is basically three year old 105. The second bike is a Specialized Secteur. This one is aluminum with a carbon fork, but it comes with SRAM Apex and is $100 cheaper. Clearly the better feeling one is what I should go with, but my main thing is whether full carbon is significantly better than aluminum. Also, any other suggestions on a solid ride up to $1300 would be appreciated.

[Rogue Leader]

The old bike still works, but the time has come to move on to a full road bike. O have been looking for two years and am getting itchy. Wintertime in Minnesota isn't the best time to shop, but the prices are the most affordable. I figure if it gets into the 40s I can test ride. Based on my budget, I am fairly restricted, but I think I have narrowed it down to two bikes. My preference would be Cannondale, but they are expensive and they have no local support now that the new management is destroying the brand.

The first bike in my range is a Raleigh Revenio 1 Carbon. It is a full carbon bike, which I was never sure if I needed, and comes with Shimano Tiagra. The price is great, $1300, but I am not sold on the groupset although the sales people said it is basically three year old 105. The second bike is a Specialized Secteur. This one is aluminum with a carbon fork, but it comes with SRAM Apex and is $100 cheaper. Clearly the better feeling one is what I should go with, but my main thing is whether full carbon is significantly better than aluminum. Also, any other suggestions on a solid ride up to $1300 would be appreciated.

Theres a couple things to think about in the Carbon vs Aluminum debate. The first is durability. Carbon is never gonna bend its always gonna stay true, etc. Aluminum can... BUT Carbon, instead of bending, fails, spectacularly I might add. Its not likely but it is possible. If you take a bad hit on your carbon bike (like a bad pothole) you will want to get it looked at. I saw a guys stem fail on a carbon bike while he was riding it. He had to have his jaw wired shut for like 2 months. On the other hand aluminum can bend, and if its off by even a bit you'll have shifting problems, etc. Again not likely but possible. Aluminum can fail as well although its highly unlikely. Aluminum is also more weather durable. If you leave a carbon bike in the sun long enough or even just too much heat it will delaminate eventually. It takes a while but it does happen.

The second is weight. If you've never ridden a super light bike, when you do you will notice it. Now that said, the weight depends on a lot of factors, and while the Carbon bike should be lighter, it may not be necessarily, or you may not even notice the difference.

As for the groupset, SRAM Apex is higher quality than Shimano Tiagra. Also Sram is serviceable, where lower end Shimano stuff if it breaks you just replace the whole part. I also like Sram's control mechanisms better for shifting, they just feel higher quality. I'm also a guy who runs Campagnolo on my road bike, so I'm a little anal about my control feel.

I looked at the Raleigh website and according to their site you have to go up to the Revenio 3.0 to get anything better than Shimano Sora unless they changed the specs recently. Sora sucks, and its only 8/9 speed. The Revenio 3.0 has Shimano 105 which is WAY better and runs a 10 speed cassette.

Personally I would choose the Specialized. They have a very good reputation, the groupset is better which is the bigger part of your riding experience. In your price range you may want to consider a Specialized Allez, it can be had in a similar spec and is a more aggressive frame.

[cameraman]

You would probably be more comfortable on a BMC Granfondo GF01...














... your checkbook may not agree

[Tifosi24]

You would probably be more comfortable on a BMC Granfondo GF01...




... your checkbook may not agree

My marital status wouldn't agree either.

[cameraman]

Well sign up here and mebbe you'll win one.

http://www.bmc-racing.com/bx-en/springclassics

but your wife will still be pissed as they'll only fly you to Belgium to pick it up:laugh:

[Tifosi24]

Well sign up here and mebbe you'll win one.

http://www.bmc-racing.com/bx-en/springclassics

but your wife will still be pissed as they'll only fly you to Belgium to pick it up:laugh:

I would be more concerned about getting entry into one of the amateur races. I would feel obligated to give it a go.

[cameraman]

Once you get past 50 those feelings will go away rather quickly...

[Indy]

Ned Flanders? :gomer:

[DagoFast]

Once you get past 50 those feelings will go away rather quickly...

Ding ding ding!

When the weather is nice and my joints feel up to it, i still roll my trusty old early '80's Schwinn mountain bike out. Its flat as Kansas where I ride so maybe 2 gears get used on a sporty ride... like when I'm trying to keep up with a hot young thang in her tight lycra bicycle shorts for an extra hundred yards. You know, just to augment my cardio a little more. :p

I couldnt care less if my bike weighs 3 pounds or 30. In fact, more weight just means im getting a better workout in less time. Let those young whippersnappers go ride their spaceage wonderbikes 50 or 100 miles, I'll be done in 10! :D

[Tifosi24]

Well, it finally happened, I bought a new bike. Apparently, my wife finally had enough of my constant researching. I thought the Secteur or a Raleigh would be the extent of what I could afford, but I noticed a few weeks back that the LBS had a 2011 Specialized Allez Comp with the Apex groupset on closeout. It sold a couple weeks back, but my size showed up a few days back, and when I went in, the guy who bought it broke his leg and decided to return it. His misfortune is my gain, because this is a much better value than the other bikes I have been looking at. I was hoping to do a long test ride before purchasing it, but the weather this winter has not been conducive to testing bikes. The shop did a full fitting and my initial, short ride is a big upgrade over the old bike. Now, it just needs to warm up.

Here is a link (http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/first-ride-specialized-allez-comp-compact-m2-apex) to a review from a couple years back.

[Rogue Leader]

Well, it finally happened, I bought a new bike. Apparently, my wife finally had enough of my constant researching. I thought the Secteur or a Raleigh would be the extent of what I could afford, but I noticed a few weeks back that the LBS had a 2011 Specialized Allez Comp with the Apex groupset on closeout. It sold a couple weeks back, but my size showed up a few days back, and when I went in, the guy who bought it broke his leg and decided to return it. His misfortune is my gain, because this is a much better value than the other bikes I have been looking at. I was hoping to do a long test ride before purchasing it, but the weather this winter has not been conducive to testing bikes. The shop did a full fitting and my initial, short ride is a big upgrade over the old bike. Now, it just needs to warm up.

Here is a link (http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/first-ride-specialized-allez-comp-compact-m2-apex) to a review from a couple years back.

Thats a great ride, I think out of your choices, you definitely got the best deal. Good luck with it

[Napoleon]

Now I an thinking of getting a road bike. I want something that is not too expensive and is my second bike, since I prefer my hybrid, but sometimes I go on the road with people with nothing but road bikes and it is such a huge anchor to be on a hybrid, so even a moderate priced road bike would be much better.

[Tifosi24]

Now I an thinking of getting a road bike. I want something that is not too expensive and is my second bike, since I prefer my hybrid, but sometimes I go on the road with people with nothing but road bikes and it is such a huge anchor to be on a hybrid, so even a moderate priced road bike would be much better.

What is your price range? If it is a second bike there is also the option of looking around on craigslist, there are some great deals there from time to time.

[SteveH]

Now I an thinking of getting a road bike. I want something that is not too expensive and is my second bike, since I prefer my hybrid, but sometimes I go on the road with people with nothing but road bikes and it is such a huge anchor to be on a hybrid, so even a moderate priced road bike would be much better.

Same for me. Enjoy riding my hybrid, easier on my body, etc. But it is heavier and if riding with others, my performance suffers. My 'current' road bike is an early 70s Motobecane Nomad which is in really good shape - for a 40 year old bike.

[G.]

My 'current' road bike is an early 70s Motobecane Nomad which is in really good shape - for a 40 year old bike.

Schwinn Le Tour.

[Napoleon]

What is your price range? If it is a second bike there is also the option of looking around on craigslist, there are some great deals there from time to time.

High three digits, say? You have to sort through so much chafe on Craigslist and since early Dec work has gotten super busy, I just haven’t had the time to sort through it every day.

Say something like these, or maybe a little more $:

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10054_10551_1094284_-1_400306__400306

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10054_10551_1116255_-1_400306__400306

I am not looking to race, but all the same if something comes up with a group of fairly causal weekend riders I don’t want to feel like I should turn them down because I am just going to end up frustrated that I have to lug around significantly more weight, am significantly less aero and have significantly more rolling resistance. It’s less wanting the unfair advantage and more avoiding a crippling disadvantage.


Schwinn Le Tour.

:) That was the last road bike I owned. It was so long ago I never would have recalled what it was if you hadn't mentioned the name.


Same for me. Enjoy riding my hybrid, easier on my body, etc. But it is heavier and if riding with others, my performance suffers.

Couldn’t have said it better. Being bent over on bike is not great on my back. I am going to guess I have an additional disadvantage in that a lot of the places to ride around me have some significant elevation changes. I am basically in the Appalachian foothills, not Indiana.

[cameraman]

Just make sure there aren't any Garmin-Sharp or RadioShack Nissan Trek decals on that carbon fiber racing frame...:laugh:

[Indy]

I ride a mountain bike with the big tires for the exercise. Lately I have been thinking about pulling my old road bike out of the basement and restoring it.

It's like this one, but burgundy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ross-Super-Gran-Tour-XV-Road-Bike-56cm-Bicycle-Ishiwata-Shimano-600-/350497421535

I thought I was the guy from Breaking Away. :gomer:

[Napoleon]

So I bought this:

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1117058_-1_400784__400784

[Tifosi24]

I finally had a chance to take the bike out for a proper shakedown this past weekend. This has been the spring from hell and it is snowing again tonight, so I can't get any miles on this thing. After the first 20 miles, I can definitely tell the difference in the bike. It is more comfortable than the old steed and snappier. The wheelset is heavy, which I knew going in, but I am not in the mood to drop a few hundred bucks right now. The evaluation is difficult so far because the weak link (me) is in much worse shape than last season, so I won't be upgrading anything for a long while. I am still getting use to the road shoes, but after initially getting the cleat setup wrong, we are in good shape now. I have a feeling I will be wishing I moved to road shoes several years ago.