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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

USA East Coast - First Bike

Old 02-27-19, 10:25 PM
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eskinner
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USA East Coast - First Bike

Hello all,

i am newer to cycling and want to buy a good starter bike. My budget is <$900 so I can get shoes and pedals for $1k total.

It has come down to these three:
co-op from REI: Shimano Claris with disk and carbon fork
Raighley Merit 2: Shimano Claris with rim brakes and full aluminum
Specialized Allez: Shimano Claris with rim brakes and carbon fork. I think this bike comes with the best rims/tires, but I am not as familiar with those brands yet.

what I want is something intro, that I can build up to 105/ultegra components when I wear these down with the full commitment to biking.

what do you think would be the best for my buck?
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Old 02-28-19, 05:26 AM
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REI gives alot for the money
if your near one they are also a full on bike shop as well at least in Hanover location
good luck
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Old 02-28-19, 05:50 AM
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Are these all new bikes? Do they all fit you? Are you comfortable on all of them?

Because you do not specify, I have to guess at what bikes are up for consideration.

The ARD (https://www.rei.com/product/106341/c...es-ard-11-bike) has what is called “endurance” geometry. It is generally set up and built up to be more comfortable over longer rides, but a little less racy.

It all looks good. I am not familiar with the brakes, but REI is pretty well-respected and I wouldn’t expect them to sell crap. The wheels are generic, the tires heavy—but a lot of riders would probably gladly trade a little weight for the better flat protection.

I ride a similar bike, a Fuji Sportif. The ARD has a better fork than my Fuji, but lags in the brakes and drive train. Still, this is a solid road bike.

The Raleigh (https://www.raleighusa.com/merit-2) also looks good. Again, and endurance-geometry frame. I have the same brakes on my Fuji. However, the Raleigh has an all-alloy fork, blades and steerer, versus all-carbon for the ARD. The alloy fork might transmit a lot of annoying road buzz. Also, it might not. The Raleigh might be marginally heavier, but the difference is minuscule.

Joytech is a big Taiwan hub manufacturer … a lot of generic wheels might use them. Weinnmann traditionally makes quality rims, but I am sure they have their bargain lines. Still, the wheelset inspires more confidence than the REI set does … on paper. Tires … generic.

The Specialized Allez (https://www.specialized.com/us/en/al...=237236-154231) has a full-carbon fork, and rim brakes. The brakes (Tektro) are not my favorite, but a better front caliper can be had for about $30, and the Tektros will be fine anyway. Discs are fine but in my experience, mech discs are not a huge improvement over good rim brakes except in wet conditions.

I personally like the Toupe saddle, but every butt is different.
The wheels? Never heard of Axis Sport, but I assume they are sturdy, simple, generic wheels. Specialized doesn’t need to save a few pennies and risk its reputation with crap parts. The tires are generic, likely a little heavy with flat protection—which a lot of riders would probably prefer.

I notice the tires are a little skinnier. Without knowing the rim dimensions, I have to assume the bike rides a little harder than the other two … but only so very marginally so, one might never notice. Personally I would have opted for 28s for this style of bike. I wonder if the frame has clearance?

Also, the Allez (at least as pictured) has a Much more aggressive riding position than the other two. However … you could Probably just flip the stem and get a more relaxed riding position. From the picture, though … there is no more room for spacers. You’d need to consider that. You could still get a more relaxed riding position buy spending $15–$30 on a different stem—but factor that in.

None of the bikes except the Allez say which Claris---the old 2000 or the new 2300. To me, this might well be the deciding factor—but likely they all use 2000.

All three bikes come with square-taper, threaded bottom brackets. Excellent, as they all can be upgraded to Shimano Hollowtech later on.

It is quite possible that the REI and Raleigh frames were made in the same factory. Both are generic Al double-butted frames. Good stuff, not special. The Specialized has a fancier title but could be almost the same frame.

This is a tough choice.

Here is how I’d break it down: The Raleigh seems to have decent wheels, but for a few hundred I could throw a set of Vueltas on there and save probably a pound anyway … on down the road. The Raleigh has (probably) better brakes than the ARD but I’d bet it is marginal. I personally do not like the alloy fork. I might lean towards the ARD between the two, depending on how the brakes felt after several panic-stop tests.

The Allez, though … same deal with wheels. A cheap upgrade later. The brakes though … unless I lived in the Pacific Northwest or rode a lot in the rain, discs are not necessary—particularly mechanical discs (I got them on the Fuji because it was expressly my rain bike.)

I’d throw on an old Tiagra front caliper and be happy as heck (I have done that on two other bikes, and a 105 caliper on another…. Buy them cheap on EBay and dramatically improve the braking over the (IMO) flexy Tektros.)

The Allez has a full carbon fork, blades and steerer. It has a frame at least as good as any of the others. With a new stem, it should be a comfortable ride.

I would decide whether I needed disc brakes---Mechanical discs, so stopping power would likely be not any greater than good rim brakes (IMO my Ultegra rim brakes are better than the Spyre SLCs on my Fuji.)

Unless I rode a Lot in the rain, I’d go for the Allez, because it is a lot easier to upgrade rim brakes than discs. As for the rest, there isn’t much to decide between the three bikes.

To be absolutely honest … I’d say, buy whichever one you like better. The paint scheme and decals matter as much as any of the components on any of these bikes. Any of them will do about the same job about as well as any of the others.
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Old 02-28-19, 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by eskinner
Shimano Claris
Do all three come with the newest version of Claris? In my opinion, a 900 dollar bike is too expensive if you're getting old Claris.
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Old 02-28-19, 07:52 AM
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I've been eyeing this for a backup bike, it's a Dutch brand, gets very good reviews. $800 with 105 r7000 groupset. They also still have 2018's for $716, those have 105 5800 groupsets. I'd get the r7000, I have r8000 on my bike and love it, r7000 is supposed to be the same functionally, just a bit heavier.

https://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-t...19-127474.html
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Old 02-28-19, 07:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Quiglesnbits
Do all three come with the newest version of Claris? In my opinion, a 900 dollar bike is too expensive if you're getting old Claris.
the only bike that confirms it’s the new Claris is specialized “Claris set r2000”
the raighley and REI just say “Claris set” in specs and details.

the Specialize did $840
Railey is $840
and REI is $900
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Old 02-28-19, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
Are these all new bikes? Do they all fit you? Are you comfortable on all of them?

Because you do not specify, I have to guess at what bikes are up for consideration.

The ARD has what is called “endurance” geometry. It is generally set up and built up to be more comfortable over longer rides, but a little less racy.

It all looks good. I am not familiar with the brakes, but REI is pretty well-respected and I wouldn’t expect them to sell crap. The wheels are generic, the tires heavy—but a lot of riders would probably gladly trade a little weight for the better flat protection.

I ride a similar bike, a Fuji Sportif. The ARD has a better fork than my Fuji, but lags in the brakes and drive train. Still, this is a solid road ) also looks good. Again, and endurance-geometry frame. I have the same brakes on my Fuji. However, the Raleigh has an all-alloy fork, blades and steerer, versus all-carbon for the ARD. The alloy fork might transmit a lot of annoying road buzz. Also, it might not. The Raleigh might be marginally heavier, but the difference is minuscule.

Joytech is a big Taiwan hub manufacturer … a lot of generic wheels might use them. Weinnmann traditionally makes quality rims, but I am sure they have their bargain lines. Still, the wheelset inspires more confidence than the REI set does … on paper. Tires … generic.

The Specialized Allez has a full-carbon fork, and rim brakes. The brakes (Tektro) are not my favorite, but a better front caliper can be had for about $30, and the Tektros will be fine anyway. Discs are fine but in my experience, mech discs are not a huge improvement over good rim brakes except in wet conditions.

I personally like the Toupe saddle, but every butt is different.
The wheels? Never heard of Axis Sport, but I assume they are sturdy, simple, generic wheels. Specialized doesn’t need to save a few pennies and risk its reputation with crap parts. The tires are generic, likely a little heavy with flat protection—which a lot of riders would probably prefer.

I notice the tires are a little skinnier. Without knowing the rim dimensions, I have to assume the bike rides a little harder than the other two … but only so very marginally so, one might never notice. Personally I would have opted for 28s for this style of bike. I wonder if the frame has clearance?

Also, the Allez (at least as pictured) has a Much more aggressive riding position than the other two. However … you could Probably just flip the stem and get a more relaxed riding position. From the picture, though … there is no more room for spacers. You’d need to consider that. You could still get a more relaxed riding position buy spending $15–$30 on a different stem—but factor that in.

None of the bikes except the Allez say which Claris---the old 2000 or the new 2300. To me, this might well be the deciding factor—but likely they all use 2000.

All three bikes come with square-taper, threaded bottom brackets. Excellent, as they all can be upgraded to Shimano Hollowtech later on.

It is quite possible that the REI and Raleigh frames were made in the same factory. Both are generic Al double-butted frames. Good stuff, not special. The Specialized has a fancier title but could be almost the same frame.

This is a tough choice.

Here is how I’d break it down: The Raleigh seems to have decent wheels, but for a few hundred I could throw a set of Vueltas on there and save probably a pound anyway … on down the road. The Raleigh has (probably) better brakes than the ARD but I’d bet it is marginal. I personally do not like the alloy fork. I might lean towards the ARD between the two, depending on how the brakes felt after several panic-stop tests.

The Allez, though … same deal with wheels. A cheap upgrade later. The brakes though … unless I lived in the Pacific Northwest or rode a lot in the rain, discs are not necessary—particularly mechanical discs (I got them on the Fuji because it was expressly my rain bike.)

I’d throw on an old Tiagra front caliper and be happy as heck (I have done that on two other bikes, and a 105 caliper on another…. Buy them cheap on EBay and dramatically improve the braking over the (IMO) flexy Tektros.)

The Allez has a full carbon fork, blades and steerer. It has a frame at least as good as any of the others. With a new stem, it should be a comfortable ride.

I would decide whether I needed disc brakes---Mechanical discs, so stopping power would likely be not any greater than good rim brakes (IMO my Ultegra rim brakes are better than the Spyre SLCs on my Fuji.)

Unless I rode a Lot in the rain, I’d go for the Allez, because it is a lot easier to upgrade rim brakes than discs. As for the rest, there isn’t much to decide between the three bikes.

To be absolutely honest … I’d say, buy whichever one you like better. The paint scheme and decals matter as much as any of the components on any of these bikes. Any of them will do about the same job about as well as any of the others.

It seems like tha Allez will be the best bike to grow with me from what I am reading. Thank you so much for the deailed review of each and their components.
Overall I am looking for something that will be able to grow with me to 105s once I put several thousand miles on the bike.
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Old 02-28-19, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by eskinner
Hello all,

i am newer to cycling and want to buy a good starter bike. My budget is <$900 so I can get shoes and pedals for $1k total.

It has come down to these three:
co-op from REI: Shimano Claris with disk and carbon fork
Raighley Merit 2: Shimano Claris with rim brakes and full aluminum
Specialized Allez: Shimano Claris with rim brakes and carbon fork. I think this bike comes with the best rims/tires, but I am not as familiar with those brands yet.

what I want is something intro, that I can build up to 105/ultegra components when I wear these down with the full commitment to biking.

what do you think would be the best for my buck?

another factor is that the Raighley would be bought through LBS as opposed to online or at a big store like the other two. Not sure if that has a large effect, but I want to supposed my LBS, but they ONLY sell Raighley.
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Old 02-28-19, 10:26 AM
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Originally Posted by eskinner



It seems like tha Allez will be the best bike to grow with me from what I am reading. Thank you so much for the deailed review of each and their components.
Overall I am looking for something that will be able to grow with me to 105s once I put several thousand miles on the bike.
I would agree, he did his homework.

I know the Specialized Allez is a very good aluminum frame, and you get a good quality carbon fork as well. Anything else can be easily upgraded later on, but the frame needs to be solid. Not so sure about the frames with the other two. All the geometries seem fairly similar, relaxed geometries.

Definitely dont get the Raleigh with the alloy fork, will be very harsh to ride. For this budget, you should at least get a carbon fork.

The ARD seems like a pretty generic frame, not necessarily bad, but I would trust the know-how behind the Specialized brand more. The Specialized has a few interesting design features like the dropped seatstays, which more gives compliance in the seat area (= more comfort).

Good luck!
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Old 02-28-19, 01:38 PM
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I'm not sure it will be worth it to upgrade any Claris-level bike to 105/Ultegra components from a cost-benefit perspective, unless you went with the older 10-speed versions, because you can't simply swap out a Claris component for 105/Ultegra piecemeal. After several thousand miles, you'll know a lot more about what you want, though I would bet that you'll add a complete bike (N+1) and leave whichever one you buy now as a backup.

FWIW, find a corporate discount code and create an account on Raleigh/Diamondback to see better prices. A 105-equipped Merit 3 is currently $1,010 with much better components than the Merit 2. In the past (which is no guarantee for the future), they've discounted Merit 3s down to $800. A slightly "better" (from a weight perspective, by my guess) Diamondback Century 3 is currently $1,050. A little bit over your current budget, but likely a lot cheaper than fully replacing the Claris groupset later.
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Old 02-28-19, 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by surak
I'm not sure it will be worth it to upgrade any Claris-level bike to 105/Ultegra components from a cost-benefit perspective, unless you went with the older 10-speed versions, because you can't simply swap out a Claris component for 105/Ultegra piecemeal. After several thousand miles, you'll know a lot more about what you want, though I would bet that you'll add a complete bike (N+1) and leave whichever one you buy now as a backup.

FWIW, find a corporate discount code and create an account on Raleigh/Diamondback to see better prices. A 105-equipped Merit 3 is currently $1,010 with much better components than the Merit 2. In the past (which is no guarantee for the future), they've discounted Merit 3s down to $800. A slightly "better" (from a weight perspective, by my guess) Diamondback Century 3 is currently $1,050. A little bit over your current budget, but likely a lot cheaper than fully replacing the Claris groupset later.
Agree 100%. The Century 3 is a fantastic bike.. I would say leaps and bounds better than the others listed. If you can go a little over the budget for that, you'll have a bike you can grow into vs a bike you'll grow out of.
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Old 03-01-19, 11:47 AM
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As others said, none of those bikes are worth upgrading to Ultegra/105. Depending on where you are you should easily be able to find an older used 105 bike in your price range and that would be a smarter way to spend your money. I would also skip disc brakes on bikes at that price level. If you are completely new to cycling then you probably don't know what you want or what kind of riding you will do so the best bet is get something used. If you buy a used bike for $600 with 105 you can probably sell it for close to what you paid in a year when you decide to upgrade. If you buy a new bike with Claris for $900 you will probably be lucky to get half that money back when you sell it. But as a new rider you really don't know how you like your bike to fit (i.e. what size is right for you), if you want a race bike, endurance, cross, gravel etc, if you want to be able to have wider tire, racks, fenders etc. Basically my point is that if you really get into riding you may decide a year later that you want a completely different bike
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Old 03-01-19, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Rides4Beer
I've been eyeing this for a backup bike, it's a Dutch brand, gets very good reviews. $800 with 105 r7000 groupset. They also still have 2018's for $716, those have 105 5800 groupsets. I'd get the r7000, I have r8000 on my bike and love it, r7000 is supposed to be the same functionally, just a bit heavier.

https://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-t...19-127474.html
That is a very nice bIke, nicely equipped at that price.
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Old 03-01-19, 12:27 PM
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Originally Posted by delbiker1
That is a very nice bIke, nicely equipped at that price.
Shipping to US is $200 so it's really $1000 and OP needs to be very certain about sizing because returning won't be an option. And if OP can't assemble and tune it then it will probably be another $100 or so for his LBS to do it.
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Old 03-01-19, 01:07 PM
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I assume the OP can go to the LBS and check various sizes and get an idea of what might fit. I'd need to know more about the OP's familiarity with bicycles before I could recommend anything bought straight online, or even more so used.

Used bikes Can be amazing, or can be disastrous. it depends on the buyer's knowledge. That's the only reason i don't always recommend used bikes.

If the OP doesn't ride ... then yes, the cheaper the better, with the thought that next season the OP will be buying a new bike of either the same or a different style. If the OP knows a little, then I'd say ... save up a little and buy a bike with at least Claris 2300, or better still the latest Sora, 3000 .... that should last several years and provide everything most casual riders would ever need.

105 is a great group .... I only have 5800 but even 5800 is just fantastic. However, 4600 and 4700 Tiagra are really good, and from what I hear, 3000 Sora is as good. From what I hear, 3000 has every good thing 5800 had but weighs a little more (which is mostly meaningless unless one competes, in which case one is not buying Sora) and is only nine speeds. I would posit that nine cogs is enough unless one rides fast group rides or frequently rides into really fierce headwinds. Also, Shimano offers a triple---I cannot imagine that with 27 ratios, one could not find something suitable.

Upgrading to 105 used to be a big deal ... I am not so sure it is anymore. The lower groups have copied all the good stuff. It comes down to whether one looks purely at function or considers cachet. I am not convinced that two extra cogs are worth That much to many cyclists.

I would also advise the OP to look at the Giant Contend. From what I read about models up to about 2018, the second-tier Contend had a really good frame, well worth upgrading five years down the line. The only drawback is that stupid "d-fuse" seat post. I strongly considered one before settling on a Fuji Sportive, which came with 105, Spyre SLCs, and cost $100, but on a Performance Bike triple points weekend, cost $800 plus $300 in free gear---still $1100, but I got a fluid trainer, a really nice front rack, and a ton of other stuff I would have paid for anyway.

I'd suggest the OP read up more, and try to stretch the budget a bit. By the time s/he is ready to upgrade to 105, the group might cost more than the price of the bike. It is much better in terms of finance, to buy the bike with all the stuff one wants, than to try to upgrade later. It is hard to save more, because that delays the purchase ... but it pays off down the line.

The only changes I have made to my Fuji were adding a rack (which I had,) changing the saddle and adding a longer seat post (which I had---and saddles I expect to change on almost any bike) and adding some lighter wheels---I saved the old wheels for gravel rides because there is nothing wrong with them, but i added some $300 Vueltas which really only brought the bike back up to $1100 total.

A 105 group nowadays might be $400, and in a couple years ... who knows, the way Shimano's pricing structure is changing. "Upgrading to 105" might suddenly become a luxury option, like upgrading to Dura-Ace used to be.

Better to buy the gear you want up front. Manufacturers get much better prices on group sets than individuals, and the price gap is widening constantly.

Last edited by Maelochs; 03-01-19 at 01:11 PM.
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Old 03-01-19, 01:43 PM
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I will say that I had 4700 Tiagra for a while and it is as good as 5800 105 and better then earlier 105. I've heard new Sora is great too. Not sure about latest Claris. But with Shimano trickle down the latest Claris and higher are probably equal to 5700 105 and older
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Old 03-01-19, 01:46 PM
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In that price range I'd hunt until I found Tiagra that I could afford. Just IMHO. You would benefit from a lot of recent trickle down tech from the 5800 105 group sets. It's apparently a lot closer now.

Also, definitely do 105 if you can find/swing it. 11spd, cheap, reliable. I love mine. I race and even just the 105 has been perfectly fine.

I'd give up the disc brakes for Tiagra or 105 in a heartbeat.
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Old 03-01-19, 02:46 PM
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For ~$500 you can probably find something with 10-speed 105 in decent shape on Craigslist.

I don't know where you live, but, for instance, near me, this can be had for probably under $400 once the haggling starts:
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lg...830655605.html
For another ~$150 you can slap on a new chain, cassette, tires, tubes, bar wrap, and brake pads resulting in a bike more-than-capable of giving you thousands of miles with little-to-no maintenance.

You will, of course, need to understand what size frame you need, but that can generally be figured out via size charts online.

Buying used anything is a gamble, of course. You'll want to educate yourself online via youtube, Sheldon Brown's site, the decades of archives here at bike forums where people have gone through the exact situation you're going through.. All good resources. And, hey, ask questions here. There have been NUMEROUS threads where folks have posted a handful of Craigslist bikes for us to examine in detail here, given their height, weight, stated goals, etc. It can be super educational for everyone involved.
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Old 03-01-19, 06:10 PM
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What about jumping to Ultegra now?

Road Bikes | FUJI 2018 ROUBAIX 1.1 | ROUBAIX 1.1 | FUJI 2018 | BikeShopWarehouse.com | The <b> Fuji Roubaix</b> was designed with the goal of creating one of the lightest aluminum race bikes on the market.
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Old 03-02-19, 02:56 PM
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Maelochs
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The Fuji Roubaix is a full-on race bike. it's designed to be ridden long and low, with lightning-quick handling and a very ridig frame to ransmit all the power a rider can develop.

That can translate to not being comfortable for a long ride for some riders.

I'd buy it just for the parts group, possibly ...

Bikes Direct is a great place to get decent bikes for not a lot of money. Also check their scratch-and-dent site, Bike Island.
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Old 03-02-19, 03:00 PM
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See this: Road Bikes | FUJI 2018 SPORTIF 1.5 DISC | SPORTIF 1.5 DISC | FUJI 2018 | BikeShopWarehouse.com | The <b>Fuji Sportif 1. I have the 1.0 version of this bike---all the same except 105. I can fully recommend ti and i can attest that ti is worth 105 .... but I wouldn't bother to upgrade if I had the Tiagra model. In fact the model shown here is a year newer, with more advanced seat stays and flat-mount brakes ... . better than the frame and fork I ride
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