Originally Posted by
letmeknow
Hi,
Looking to upgrade to a road bike in the $1000-$2000 range. I'm wondering what everyone would recommend/would like to share. Doesnt have to be fit to my likings just thought this would be a good thread for people who are looking to maximize their value with this price point. What used bikes tend to go for good value from 2017, 2018, 2019 series? Any specific brands that riders prefer?
What I'm specifically looking for is a lightweight road bike (Not a Aero or Tri bike) that I can use for races/ mid distance. Would prefer mid-compact crankset, but I'm really open to any suggestions. I've done my GCN research/test rode a fair amount and spoken to local bike shops, but I thought this would be useful. Let me know!
One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten - shop for a bike shop, not a bike.
There are an enormous amount of options in the 1k-2k range for what you're looking for (other than the exclusive high-end brands, virtually every bike company has something in the mid-range Shimano 105-equipped $1500/$2k range) - but despite all the techy talk on the marketing material, most aluminum/lower-range CF 105-equipped bikes are roughly going to perform the same for you as long as they actually fit you properly.
It'd be a better investment to go to shops near your area, ask what they'd recommend in that range, determine which ones you'd like to have a longish-term working relationship with, and buy LBS Brand X's AL/CF 105-Tiagra equipped mid-range racer.
Oh, and remember: Pedals (despite having the groupset names on them, Shimano 105/Ultegra/etc pedals virtually never come with sold bikes), shoes, and other gear add up. Budget for that stuff too.