What bike should I get?

[Velo Dude]

Ok, here is an open question. I no longer race (it's been ten years since I last raced), but I'm getting back into riding fairly regularly and loving it. Right now I'm able to ride about 3 to 4 times a week, and my rides range from 25-50 miles on average, but I can see myself working up to some centuries down the road (so to speak) I like to ride fast and I'm trying to get back as much of my former conditioning as I can (I'm 44 now). I also like to climb, even though I'm a relatively big rider and so no great climber (I'm about 5'11" and 185lbs., working my way down to 175). So, I want a bike that I can get the most out of performance wise, but that also will be comfortable enough for centuries.

Let's say I have around $5,500 to spend on a new bike. If you were in my position, what bike would you get? I'm asking for your preference, not what you think my preference would be (if that makes sense). If you were my age and getting back to riding and the description I gave fit your riding schedule, what bike would you get, and why?

 

[the truth.]

if you raced and your doing those kilometers- buy a race bike!

experience breeds the joy of innovation .
bikes are light, but the new carbons dont take a knock- so if it is all year round bike to do a few seasons get nice alloy with carbon back end for comfort.

all kit works well. shimano 105 is lighter and more efficient than dura ace when u were racing. same old thing goes shimano wears out campagnolo wears in. best buy on the market is campagnolo centaur. get the carbon bling of record , works a treat and not mad bucks.



wheels makers are all on a diet and the top end wheels are getting expensive and not taking pot holes well. get campagnolo zondas, fulcrum 3, mavic kyss. sl all great hoops and wont fold if your 180.

 

[flyor64]

Ok, here is an open question. I no longer race (it's been ten years since I last raced), but I'm getting back into riding fairly regularly and loving it. Right now I'm able to ride about 3 to 4 times a week, and my rides range from 25-50 miles on average, but I can see myself working up to some centuries down the road (so to speak) I like to ride fast and I'm trying to get back as much of my former conditioning as I can (I'm 44 now). I also like to climb, even though I'm a relatively big rider and so no great climber (I'm about 5'11" and 185lbs., working my way down to 175). So, I want a bike that I can get the most out of performance wise, but that also will be comfortable enough for centuries.

Let's say I have around $5,500 to spend on a new bike. If you were in my position, what bike would you get? I'm asking for your preference, not what you think my preference would be (if that makes sense). If you were my age and getting back to riding and the description I gave fit your riding schedule, what bike would you get, and why?

A very subjective question indeed, and in attempting to keep with your request, I would very seriously consider a boutique bike if I had that kind of cash to spend. Going lower end on components and focusing most of the money spent on frame and wheelset. I think it's doable at 5500...

If that didn't work I would go for this:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=45812&eid=4352

And throw the exta cash at a proper wheelset...alot of folks rave about the HED Ardennes, but I would get a hanbuilt set done

A caveat: I ride an 05 Roubaix and I couldn't ask for a better bike HOWEVER I never really raced road and never put in the miles that you racer folks have so the relaxed geometry is perfect for me. You may be better off on a full race geometry...

 

[elapid]

This is an interesting question. I have a custom titanium Lynskey bike and at the start of this year bought a carbon Cervelo R3. I swapped my Zipp 303s and Keo pedals between the two bikes. I expected the R3 to offer different ride qualities and be better in the hills. However, I found no difference or that the Lynskey was slightly more comfortable particularly on the rough Quebec roads. I recently sold my R3 because I could not justify having two high-end road bikes that essentially did the same thing. So based on this limited experience and my riding preferences (tours and centuries rather than crits), I would say that there is little difference between most of the top end bikes. This would be a different story if you were racing I suspect. So, if it were me starting from scratch, I would look at a titanium bike (Lynskey has a wide range of frames and the new Helix looks very nice) or a Cervelo RS (or similar bike that is more designed for comfort on long rides but can still be ridden fast).

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Ok, here is an open question. I no longer race (it's been ten years since I last raced), but I'm getting back into riding fairly regularly and loving it. Right now I'm able to ride about 3 to 4 times a week, and my rides range from 25-50 miles on average, but I can see myself working up to some centuries down the road (so to speak) I like to ride fast and I'm trying to get back as much of my former conditioning as I can (I'm 44 now). I also like to climb, even though I'm a relatively big rider and so no great climber (I'm about 5'11" and 185lbs., working my way down to 175). So, I want a bike that I can get the most out of performance wise, but that also will be comfortable enough for centuries.

Let's say I have around $5,500 to spend on a new bike. If you were in my position, what bike would you get? I'm asking for your preference, not what you think my preference would be (if that makes sense). If you were my age and getting back to riding and the description I gave fit your riding schedule, what bike would you get, and why?

The one that fits the best. Go to a bike shop that will do a complete anatomic fit, then start with a frame and build the bike you want, including well designed and built at the shop, wheels.

I'd say steel or titanium. Waterford, Independent Fab, Moots, Seven...

I just built a Merckx MXLeader and gotta say, it rides like a dream. I don't think any carbon frame would please me more.

 

[rgmerk]

Do you *have* to spend that much?

It's a very personal thing, and the general advice seems to be to go visit some bike shops, explain what you want, and ride some bikes.

One modest suggestion - if you're not racing and you're not into bike bling for the sake of bling (and nothing against those that are; there are some works of art out there) is maybe you should consider whether you really need to spend that much money. You can get a nice frame with a decent, reliable groupset (think Ultegra rather than Dura-Ace, or the Campy or SRAM equivalent) with a reasonable set of wheels for a fair bit less than your budget. Yes, your bike will be maybe a kilogram heavier than the high-end bike, but that's a lot of dough you can redirect to clothing, spares, servicing, beer...maybe even a low-end road bike for the SO to introduce them to the addiction

As for frame materials, all I can say is that the alloy frame I had was so rough-riding that I seriously thought I'd have to give the whole idea of cycling up. Upgrading to a carbon frame meant that I could continue enjoying rides, even on the awful coarse-chip roads we have here in Oz. But your mileage may vary. Like I said, give a few different things a try.

One thing that made a very big difference to me was getting the right frame fit, saddle, and shoes. I spent the equivalent of 140 USD on getting a professional to do a bike fit, 150 USD on a Selle Italia saddle, and 350 USD on some Specialized road shoes. It was a lot of dough, but it made a massive difference to my comfort on the bike - and if you're not comfortable on the bike, you won't enjoy riding Have you factored those things into the budget?

One thing to watch out for is the crankset. If you're not Jan Ullrich (king of the pedal-mashers), and intend riding anywhere near hills, compact cranks with a 50-tooth big ring and a 34-tooth small ring make a fair bit of sense. If you combine that with a 12-27 or 11-28 cassette, you'll be able to drag yourself up just about anything even if you are having a lousy day. You may not use the lowest gear very often (in fact, you might well use a closer-ratio cassette most of the time) but the compact crank gives you the option to have nice low gearing for when the going gets tough without having to do major surgery on your bike! A triple is an option if you have really steep pitches that you need to get up.

Finally, the general opinion around here is that the wheels can really transform a bike; a mid-range bike with really high-end wheels is going to be faster than a high-end bike with mid-range wheels.

Good luck and enjoy your riding!

 

[craptastic]

I totally agree with rgmerk.

I would also add in to figure out how roughly how much you want to spend and see what your LBS can get you. And try riding as many different bikes as possible because you may end up prefering a bike you didn't expect to like.

I'd also advocate for a full carbon or titanium if either is in your price range. They deal with road shock much better than a composite frame. I replaced a much beloved De Rosa that was composite with a Look 585 last year and the difference in fatigue on my 42 year old body at the end of a 5 hour ride was huge.

 

[franciep10]

I got a brand new orbea orca 3 weeks ago and I absolutely love it, but it's a bit above the budget. But another good alternative would be the Orbea Onix TRV, It's very comfortable and depending on where you live you might want to get a different wheel set, I find mavic unreliable in rough roads.

 

[David Suro]

Test ride everything in your price range before making a selection.

Many shops have demo programs that allow you to take a bike for a day or two. The demo fee is commonly applied to your purchase. Ask your shop about it.

Test riding on your favorite roads is the only way to determine what bike to get without any guesswork.

 

[titan_90]

Ok, here is an open question. I no longer race (it's been ten years since I last raced), but I'm getting back into riding fairly regularly and loving it. Right now I'm able to ride about 3 to 4 times a week, and my rides range from 25-50 miles on average, but I can see myself working up to some centuries down the road (so to speak) I like to ride fast and I'm trying to get back as much of my former conditioning as I can (I'm 44 now). I also like to climb, even though I'm a relatively big rider and so no great climber (I'm about 5'11" and 185lbs., working my way down to 175). So, I want a bike that I can get the most out of performance wise, but that also will be comfortable enough for centuries.

Let's say I have around $5,500 to spend on a new bike. If you were in my position, what bike would you get? I'm asking for your preference, not what you think my preference would be (if that makes sense). If you were my age and getting back to riding and the description I gave fit your riding schedule, what bike would you get, and why?

I recommend you find a local builder and get a nice custom steel or titanium frame built for you.

 

[The_Mikester]

I have a little bit of a bias, a British bias. I would suggest that, among the bikes you consider, you check out Bob Jackson. A true custom; you specify the frame dimensions, color and componentry. I have an '97 Arrowhead 753 (steel) and I still love it. Unfortunately you can't get Reynolds 753 tubing anymore but I hear the 953 has an even better ride. And I think the 953 frame can be had for under $2000! I bet you could build up a really nice bike with some Campy Athena or Chorus for less then a lot of "custom" (do you want that frame in small, medium or large?) frames!

But, again, I am biased...

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I'd say steel or titanium. Waterford, Independent Fab, Moots, Seven...

Great choices! Custom steel or Ti is the way to go.

What region of the world do you live in Velo Dude? Let us know and we'd be happy to suggest some builders.
Support your local frame builder

 

[Velo Dude]

Great choices! Custom steel or Ti is the way to go.

What region of the world do you live in Velo Dude? Let us know and we'd be happy to suggest some builders.
Support your local frame builder

I'm in Los Angeles.

 

[Anonymous]

Two choices

#1: Get the most expensive, coolest on-trend machine you possibly can. You are your bike. Being cool, looking good and being fast are very important. Just make sure the fit is right and the seller stands behind the bike. Enjoy

#2: Get the cheapest load of scrap metal available. Its what's on the inside that counts. If all the carbon-fiber-ites jeer at you pushing 40 pounds of steel up a hill, let'em. The suffering you endure will pay for your sins. Just make sure the fit is right and the seller stands behind the bike. Enjoy

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

I'm in Los Angeles.

Tons of great California builders!

Baylis, Steelman, SyCip, Kish, Soulcraft, Caletti

There are many more in CA, but this short list is the top of the heap.

 

[Cliveds]

Eddy Merckx

As long as you have been around go for a Merckx.

They are comfortable all day riding bikes.
Having a bike with his name on somehow feels different to the specialized/felt/giant thing.
For 5K you get a full spec carbon bike with good wheels.