New Road Cyclist Need Help

[jiphoc]

I have decided to start road biking. I have spoken to a number of people in regards to what bike to get, the price range and where to go. I know little about bikes atm and need all the help I can get.

From what I have need told I need a 105 set up at a minimum. I am hoping to go no higher then $1500. A friend said I should get the Avanti Giro 2010.

Any ideas or help out there?

 

[Freakie]

Unfortunatley you will struggle to find a bike with 105 for less than $2000 these days. If your budget is $1500 look at the Giant Defy range, probably the one with tiagra (step below 105)

 

[Wallaby]

$1500 is a hell of a lot to spend 'starting up'. By the sound of it, you haven't done much cycling in the past, so you really do not know whether or not you will enjoy it.

I would probably buy a fairly cheap old bike 2nd hand. Yes, it may not fit you exactly, but you can have a go and see if you enjoy it. There are plenty of old (in some cases barely-used) bikes out there on e-bay.

I'd probably buy a mountain bike - you can use them on the road just fine, and they have the added bonus of being able to go bush - you may find you prefer that. Plenty do.

You also don't need '105 level' as a minimum. In most cases, bog-standard shimano bottom of the range set-ups will do fine. (You do need slightly better than K-mart level - but not much. Anything from a bike shop would be OK). Unless you are racing, or doing about 300-400Ks a week, your running gear won't make much difference. Probably what your mate meant was that at the 105 price level, you start getting into the good frames and wheels - which are far more important.

So spend a couple of hundred now - thrash it to bits, and then see what you really want to do. By that stage, you will have absorbed a fair bit of the Biking world mythological bullsh*t and probably want to spend about 8 grand on a bike. That's normal. Then in a few years, you will realise that the bike is actually a fairly unimportant part of the whole thing - it's the exercise, companionship, the riding, that really counts.

 

[dart]

I have decided to start road biking. I have spoken to a number of people in regards to what bike to get, the price range and where to go. I know little about bikes atm and need all the help I can get.

From what I have need told I need a 105 set up at a minimum. I am hoping to go no higher then $1500. A friend said I should get the Avanti Giro 2010.

Any ideas or help out there?

www.bikeexchange.com.au will help you compare prices in your area.

buy buy buy!!

you'll love it.

edit:

also:

don't buy without a test ride
do buy the one you really like the look of
shop around

and if you're in perth, go to elite racing cycles on beaufort street, the guys there are so unbelieveably helpful, really good to deal with.