advice on road bikes (bicycles)

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Next year I am thinking of starting some road biking. I have a Giant MTB but I know zero about the current trends, technology, pitfalls, etc. of road bikes. My local shop has some Apollo and Giant bikes in it and another has Avanti, Scott and Malvern Star bikes. They range from about $800 to well over 5K (eek!)
Seeing as I am not anticipating spending as much money on a bike as I do on Astro gear, what should I look for and what is good value?
Cheers all
Graz

[traveller (Bo)]

So what's your budget Graham? There are bikes that retail over $10k....
Are you a weekend rider or commuter rider? How many miles do you want to do 12km to work or 120km on a Sunday morning?
Bo

[speach (Simon)]

a car

[Kunama]

I think a bike like the 2015 Giant Defy 1 would be a great bike RRP $1549 but shops will deal on these.
The geometry is not to 'racey' so it would be a very comfortable ride. Decent gears (Shimano 11spd 105s) and wheels.

Comes with 25mm tyres so a bit more comfy than my 23mmContiGPs.
Do yourself a favour when buying, make sure they sell you the correct size frame. Some shops will sell what they have in stock even if it isn't your exact size.

The 2015 model is better specced than 2014 so don't be fooled into the wrong year model. (2014 had 'Tiagra' gearing and did not have the FSA Gossamer cranks)

Like 99% of all bikes, it is made in Taiwan but so is my $$$$ Wilier.
Better to buy a nice alloy bike like this than cheap carbon which would come with lesser fitout.
http://www.bikeradar.com/au/road/gea...fy-1-15-49193/

Check out 'bike exchange dot com dot au' for the best deals

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Probably a bit of weekend warrior stuff till I get my fitness back, then I could use it for work (50km round trip)
Thanks Kunama for that tip. Just the info I was after .

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

how do I know I get the right sized frame?

[traveller (Bo)]

Your local bike shop will be able to fit a frame for you Graham.
There are two geometry types for road bikes, racing and relaxed. The best way to tell the difference is look at the gap between the back tyre and the rear triangle, you want one with more gaps as this makes a more relaxed riding position.
As Matt said, a 105 groupset is a good starting point (Tiagra if money is tight). A good quality carbon frame and you should get the lot for under $2000. Most bikes will also throw in pump, lights, waterbottle cage, lock and maybe an average helmet in the price.
Bo

[dannat (Daniel)]

you will get some amazing used deals on road bikes, you can end up with a high end model which is only 1-2 yrs old for half full price.

also don't discount a good steel frame -they will last a lifetime -& avoid things like press fit BB [my personal hate]

if you do buy new -look for disc brakes, you'll like them much more than rim's, esp. in damp tasmania

are far as frame, what height are you? & what type of MTB setup do you ride i.e. top tube headset angle

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

how do I know I get the right sized frame?

There are several approaches....

a tractor! a penguin! a hot water cylinder!

....sorry just had a seizure. Anyway there are several approaches but as a general rule you should be able to straddle the top tube with both feet on the ground with some room to spare. I find that the most important one, for obvious reasons.

Also during your test ride, make sure your feet don't hit the front wheel when turning.

Disc brakes: stay clear of anything less than 160mm disc diameter.

If this is going to be a workhorse, consider one that has enough clearance to fit 28mm tyres and posssibly some narrow fenders between the tyres and frame. Not possible on many roadies.

[dannat (Daniel)]

Originally Posted by N1

T
Disc brakes: stay clear of anything less than 160mm disc diameter.

140mm discs should be fine on a roadie

of the brands your LBS carry prob giant have the best frame return/refund policy for carbon, I'm a fan of trek but they don't really have a roadie/disc option at your price [the do mane disc are $$] i like cannondale frames
cannondale caad3 disc -this bike will take wide tyres or skinny slicks

what groupset is on your MTB?

[N1 (Mirko)]

Originally Posted by dannat

140mm discs should be fine on a roadie

Hi Daniel, recent tests in Europe have shown serious flaws on some of these, and it had a lot to do with the small diameter. In addition the metal compound used in Shimano's Ice Tech rotors led to warped rotors. I'd advise againt them. I don't see the logic in putting smaller rotors on a roadie than on a MTB, considering the speeds are easily as high (or higher) than on your average MTB ride, especially where there are hills. Entirely avoidable compromise of safety for the sake of saving a few grams. I expect 140mm setups won't be the norm in the not too distant future, and a good rim brake will outperform them. Both my 160mm rotors overheated on a recent descent down to Kangaroo Valley, I was glad they weren't ANY smaller. And the brakes (Avid BB7) aren't even hydraulic.

Edit, it appears that the Cannondale you linked to at least has a 160mm front rotor. Better than nothing. And no, I wasn't riding the brakes as there were no cars in front.

[Kunama]

I don't know about the need for disc brakes for general fitness riding but if you haven't ridden for a while and given you're in Taswegia, I would suggest compact crankset 50/34 rather than full size 53/39.

A nice low range rear cassette is also great to have. I used to run 53/39 x 12/25 gears but as the age and weight have crept up I now for the first time have swapped to 50/34 up front and 11/28 rear cogs.

A nice comfy saddle is a must to keep the interest up and numbness down !!!

A good carbon frame is a nice thing to have but the cheaper ones can be a liability.

[traveller (Bo)]

Originally Posted by Kunama

A good carbon frame is a nice thing to have but the cheaper ones can be a liability.

or just bite the bullet and get a titanium frame

[el_draco (Rom)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

Next year I am thinking of starting some road biking. I have a Giant MTB but I know zero about the current trends, technology, pitfalls, etc. of road bikes. My local shop has some Apollo and Giant bikes in it and another has Avanti, Scott and Malvern Star bikes. They range from about $800 to well over 5K (eek!)
Seeing as I am not anticipating spending as much money on a bike as I do on Astro gear, what should I look for and what is good value?
Cheers all
Graz

Ah huh, more potential road kill, Watch out for the red ute....

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

Originally Posted by graham.hobart

how do I know I get the right sized frame?

Buy from a reputable bike shop that offers bike fit capability. They will take your measurements and find the optimum size bike frame and setup the bike to your individual needs. This will eliminate the typical numb butt, numb wrist, numb feet, strain shoulders and lower back.

[dannat (Daniel)]

Originally Posted by N1

Both my 160mm rotors overheated on a recent descent down to Kangaroo Valley, I was glad they weren't ANY smaller. And the brakes (Avid BB7) aren't even hydraulic.

Avid is Sh&^%, mechanical even worse - good shimano hydraulic with mineral oil will be no problem, at mt macedon our dirt roads get to 20%, stopping is no problem with a hydra brake -my heavy friend has a giant defy with 140mm discs -he is quicker than me & can hit 80km/hr downhill -the brakes pull him up fine

[DJDD]

May I suggest

- a bike in the $1500 range (often on sale for about $1100)
- aluminium frame, carbon forks and carbon seat post.
- shimano 105 groupset if you can find a bike in that price range with that groupset, otherwise Tiagra is fine for the first road bike

- Don't worry about disc brakes, adds cost and not necessary on a first road bike

- good lights, rear and front (I think this is worth spending more money on for bright lights for daytime use)

reputable brands with bikes in this price range (non-exhaustive):
- giant
- trek
- merida
- bianchi
- cannondale
- many more

- try a few to see which you prefer

then, in a year, you can upgrade and buy the road bike you want to keep for a few years

[Kunama]

And you thought buying a telescope was a minefield !!!!

After a few decades riding titanium, steel, aluminium and carbonium bikes of many brands, I decided to go for comfort and have settled on the beautiful
Wilier GranTurismo with Shimano Ultegra mechanicals 50/34 up front and 11-28 rear.
It is such a comfortable bike with none of the micro vibrations of the previous carbon and alloy frames including Cannondales, Treks etc.

DJDD's suggestions above are a great starting place for roadies.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

Gawd almighty!!
Thanks heaps to everyone so far and some of the extensive Pm's- I have printed it out and will be using it as a list when I go hunting.
I never knew there was so much to it!!
It's good to know I can rely on IIS'ers to advise me on this. I didn't know where else to go except the shops.

[dannat (Daniel)]

graham one of the best things you can do is visit a bike forum like rotorburn & ask which bike shop in hobart provides the best service..local knowledge of this thing goes a long way