Gorrister

Hey everybody! Long time lurker first time poster. So basically I’m getting back into riding after a five year hiatus of abusing my body. I have an old miyata base model from the late 80s that I’ve upgraded a bit, and I love it and its a great commuter bike. However, I’d love something new for longer rides and camping trips. I’m a small business owner and I’d love to support my local bike shop, but the cheapest road bikes they carry are usually around
$1200, and I just can’t afford that. I’m a musician so my life is already basically one big expensive hobby.
That being said, what are your experiences with this bikesdirect Windsor and motobecane stuff? They seem to have decent aluminum frame, some cf fork some cromo fork, shimano sti, and decent looking crank for around $4-500 which is something I could more realistically save for. I know there’s some attitude in the community regarding off brand or cheap stuff, and I understand that as it’s a similar deal in my world with musical instruments, but I’m looking for function.
Also, I’m considering going with a gravel bike over a road bike as it seems a bit more utilitarian for the odd gravel path or hiking trail I might pass over, although it’ll be primary road riding. What do I lose here? A tiny bit of speed isn’t a big deal as I’m only racing myself.

Thank you, sorry for the long winded post, and nice to meet you!

TLDR honest opinions on bikesdirect road bikes and gravel v road

86az135i

I would honestly look used if you're in the 4-500 dollar range for budget. You will be able to get something far superior.

Gorrister

Good point. I have been perusing the classifieds as well, but honestly since I’ve already got an old ten speed with friction shifters and a 5 speed freewheel, part of this is because I want a new toy with brifters and an 8 speed cassette and all that fancy stuff. What about building something out? I’ve always liked working on my bike so that could be a fun project as well

Dave Mayer

I have direct knowledge of several folks who bought bikes off of Bikes Direct. All good experiences and great value.

I also volunteer as a mechanic at a big-city high volume bike Co-op, and so I work on dozens of used bikes per week.

My recommendation: go the Bikes Direct route.

Our local used bike market is a minefield of dangerous and overpriced crap. Most of the bikes that come through our shop door come with the opening line: "I just bought this on Craigslist and...". Several hours of extensive refitting and overhauling follows. Every used bike needs a new chain, and most need a new rear cogset and chainrings.

And many of these used bikes were bought at a price higher than the mail-order route, and then require >$100 if parts replaced. Buyer beware.

Gorrister

Thanks! I was leaning towards bikesdirect but don’t have any background on the experience. I do my own setups anyway so the mail order thing isn’t a huge deal. What about sizing? I’m 5’9” so I’m thinking a 56cm frame? Does anyone my size have experience with a smaller size ie 53-54cm?

86az135i

I mean you can get close to new with the newest gadgets. Last year, I bought a 2016 Trek Boone 9 cross bike. Ultegra grupo, hydraulic disc, tubeless, full carbon for $1000 shipped. Just needed a rear derailleur and didn't necessarily need new tires, but chose to anyway. Deals are out there. I'm sure there are horror stories as well, but be patient. If it doesn't look right don't do it. Same as buying cars. I've never bought a new car, and have always saved money. Know what you're looking for and be smart.

Yes you could definitely build you bike if you wanted to piece by component. Overall it might be more expensive, but you can buy parts as your budget allows. And allows you to build exactly what you want.

Dave Mayer

More to think on... in terms of improved functionality of new bike stuff versus your old bike.. I've personally lived through every bike development sine the 70s.

You do want brifters: they are a major advancement in convenience and safety. You do want clipless pedals.. ditto. I use the two-sided mountain bike pedals all of the time.

You want shoes with completely rigid soles, so in good bike shoes. They are a major improvement in efficiency over say running shoes.

And now for the useless and misguided stuff:

1 x drivetrains on road bikes?? An inappropriate port from the MTB world. Trust me.. using a front shifter is not that difficult.

Disc brakes. Adds a bunch of weight, complexity and cost, that could be better spent on other areas of the bike. If you are heavy and riding long hills in the rain, maybe they are useful. Or loaded touring in the mountains.. otherwise rim brakes are fine.

10+ speed drivetrains. 8 cogs in the back are more than enough. The bike industry has been locked in an arms race of adding another cog every few years now for decades. Just adds more cost, and you won't notice the extra cogs in the road. Choose the gear range you need for your riding, and don't worry about the number of cogs in the cassette.

Go for a triple crankset.

86az135i

I ride 56 at 5'10. But everyone's body proportions are a little different.

Gorrister

I definitely want brifters. I tried some out at my lbs and after a lifetime of using stem and dt friction shifters, it was amazing. I did feel much more in control. And thanks for the shoe advice, I have a set of crank bros clipless pedals waiting for a new bike, I’ll have to go to the shop and find something that feels good.
And yeah, caliper brakes all the way. My buddy had a mtb with disc brakes and they were way too grabby for me. Seems like unnecessary weight as well.
And I think I’m cool with an 8 speed casette, that’s already more inbetween gears than I’m used to. I think we’re on the same page about everything, I wouldn’t even consider a 1x. Thank you for the affirming advice!

mrt2you

i am 5'10" with short legs, 30" inseam. i ride a 54. i also have short arms with a large midsection, i use a 120 stem.
as posted, everyone has slightly different measurements. check the bike specs in the description and compare them to your measurements for your best fit.

Gorrister

We have similar proportions. I’m 5’9” with a 30” inseam and wide shoulders. I have average length arms hanging below mid thigh/above knee. I was thinking a 54 might be the way to go (although some models jump from 53 to 56) because I figure a cm of compensation can be achieved through seat height and bar angle/height on a smaller bike, but not on a bike that’s too big.

sfh

gah . . . and you were doing so well!

Kidding. I only had a triple on one of my bikes, and I didn't like it. If I were looking for a road bike on a budget, I wouldn't let double vs triple be a barrier. I ride a 2x10 . . . but I'm not sure I'd even notice if someone swapped it out for a 2x8 with the same gear range.

HarborBandS

Early 2000's aluminum road bikes are under-appreciated, and can often be found used for quite a good price. If you have any mechanic skills, you could selectively upgrade parts and come up with something quite rideable for little $$$.

But many of the road bikes of this era have trouble with anything larger than 25c tires, so they are not necessarily good for gravel.

Dave Mayer

I recently picked up a road bike with a triple. Using a compact double crankset on the flats, I was constantly cycling between the big and little rings.

Now on the triple, I spend 90% of my time on the middle ring. Descending.. the large ring. Long climbs... the granny ring. Dead simple. A revelation.

sfh

I would have been fine if I had simply ignored the granny ring. But I didn't -- it was there, and I felt strangely obligated to use it. Maybe it wasn't the bike's fault . . .

velojym

I was worried about the tire clearance on the 2005 Trek 1200 I'm putting together. Fortunately, it handled the 28c Gatorskins just fine.
I've definitely seen some from that era the looked awful tight though. I just got lucky, and was ready to go smaller if needed.

mrt2you

yes buying a slightly to small bike is better than buying a to large of a bike.
7 or 8 years ago i bought a BD winsor knight bike. i liked the bike and at the end of the season i actually sold it for what i paid for it. i sold it because i got a nice deal on a 08 specialized roubaix.
you might spend a lot of time searching for a good used bike. placing a wanted ad can help also. you can get the best deals when you actually don't need a bike. i got extremely lucky and have a friend of a friend of a friend ask me about a bike they were selling. it was a 2014 specialized roubaix expert with DI2 shifting and disc brakes. i bought the bike for $1700, it had a set of zip CFtubular wheels on it. sold the wheels for $1200 and bought a set of Vuelta disc wheels to replace for $200. a few other mods and maintenance items and i have $1000 in it. there are deals out there you need to look for them and having cash on hand helps also.

CAT7RDR

At your price range I would probably look for something like a used Fuji Jari. A gravel bike that can be used for bikepacking.

Leisesturm

The big 3: Trek, Giant, Specialized seem to track each others models pretty closely. Last year I walked into my LBS (Trek dealer) and took a Trek 1.1 for a test ride. After about 15 to 20 minutes I took it back to the shop and had cross levers, fenders and a kickstand put on it and rode her home. A little stiff for an around town commute bike but I smile everytime someone asks: "Is that a carbon bike"? Actually only the fork is. Claris Gruppo. What's not to like? $550. Even with my additions I did not spend $600. I don't think you can get the 1.1 anymore, but a shop might be closing one out. That's how I got mine. Before the closeout they were in the $750+ arena. This summer I bent the derailleur hanger and got the service to put a new one on for free. Buying local has its advantages. Best kept road bike secret going if you ask me.

Viich

Wow. Did you have some dirt on the shop owner? That would be in the $1200 - $1500 range here.

I personally would just put some 7sp integrated brake/shifters on the miyata. His stated budget is going to be entry level, and until he gets to 8sp rear (cheapest is $450) there isn't going to be any real difference in the bike he ends up with compared with the $90 in parts below. I guess the question is whether the OP is able to install shifters and a freewheel - in my opinion, it isn't that hard, especially if there's a local bike co-op you can go to for the freewheel tool, which is the only specialized tool needed for that job.

(7sp Microshift levers - $80.99 @ Jenson USA - shouldn't have to spread the rear triangle or replace wheel for 7sp freewheel 7sp freewheel @ Jenson USA - $9.99 )

mstateglfr 

Nope, dont buy it. 105 has a paddle plus brake lever. Tourney has a thumb button.
That alone makes for a totally different feel.
If you actually rode bikes, you would know this. I would be shocked if you own a bike with 105 on it too(which is needed to form a worthwhile opinion of it), given everything you have ever posted.

Leinster

You could do worse than look at Decathlon’s offerings.

https://www.decathlon.com/collections/road-bikes

$600 for a new bike with Sora, $900 for 105. Good bikes at a very good price point.

Leisesturm

Are you in Canada? (edit: yes, you are) Even the lower spec Domane models are cheaper than $1200 MSRP in U.S. dollars. The 1.1 slid in under the lowest spec Domane which I think is around $900? Dealers usually knock $100 off from go as a street price. Street price for the 1.1 was about $700 and the dealers kneecaps were in no danger. But they must not have been great sellers or Trek just wanted to consolidate the lineup.

Gorrister

Thanks for all of the great responses!

Gorrister

Figured id update y’all on the outcome of this story. I found this on Facebook marketplace for $200
probably around 10 years old would you say? Ultegra groupset, factory tires are still fresh
Bar tape is gross. Just needs a setup and some tape