Originally Posted by
goenrdoug
Since it hasn't been mentioned, you may want to consider buying used.
Like cars, bikes lose a lot of value every year. You could get a great deal on a bike that was considered quite nice just three or four years ago that spent very little time on the road. Plenty of people buy nice bikes and end up never taking to the sport. It usually takes them a while to decide to sell the bike...
Craigslist is a great place to dig around. You will, of course, need to know the size bike you need. Most people can make-it-work on at least 2 sizes of bike. Yes, one size is going to be your optimal size, but when we're talking 2-centimeter differences in sizes, you can sometimes make it work with re-positioning of handlebars, stems, seats, etc.
If you end up enjoying cycling, you'll find plenty of thing you want to change about whatever bike you end up with. So, why not spent $800 on a decent used bike, figure out what you do/don't like about it, THEN buy a $2000 bike that you LOVE. (at which point you'll buy a trainer and other stuff so you can set the old bike up in the garage.)
If you tell us your overall measurements, (height, weight, if you have unusual proportions, etc.) we can probably suggest some potential bikes on the OC Craigslist...
As a new cyclist, I wouldn't necessarily suggest used, as maintenance bills will be surprisingly high if anything needs to be done. For example, I didn't have time to re-do my brake cables a couple of weeks ago, so I dropped the Bianchi off at a shop to have it done. $115 later, I have brakes that work significantly better, but I paid $80 for labor and about $35 for cables, housing, and bar tape. Not saying it wasn't worth it or that the shop didn't deserve it, but it needs to be factored in, depending on the condition of a used bike.
Now, what I would consider is looking at New Old Stock (NOS) from a local shop. For example, when I was looking for my new bike, I was able to find shops with:
- Cannondale CAAD10 and 5800-series 105 for $700
- Focus Izalco Race and 5800-series 105 for $1100
- Bianchi Intrepida carbon with R7000-series 105 for $1600
- Moots with 6800-series Ultegra for $3900 (I saw this after I bought the new bike... would definitely have considered it)
All of which were available with a test ride, some level of fitting, as well as post-purchase adjustments/tuning, all of which I think are useful for someone new to the sport.
Of course, most of these have previous generation (5800 and 6800 series) components that were updated for 2017/2018, so deals like these will likely be harder to find this year, but definitely worth asking about, especially as we move into the end of the season.