Brantel

I am a newbie road cyclist wan't to be who want to get a decent bike out of the gate but cannot break the bank doing so.

I am 5'9" and around 200lbs. I am a slow runner that has completed 6 half marathons and 2 full marathons and dozens of other races (5,8,10 & 15K) in the past 2 years. I have lost over 135lbs as well but at 45 years old, it seems to lose more weight and to get faster running is going to beat up my body so I have been looking at getting into road cycling.

My goals for a road bike are simple: Outdoor low impact aerobic exercise to help me lose more weight to improve my health. (I forgot to mention that I am also a cardiac athlete with 3 stents in my heart. 2 in 2008 and 1 in 2015...)

I have been looking at these bikes:

Diamondback Bikes - Road Bikes - Century 1

https://www.raleighusa.com/merit-3#


After some research I am under the impression that the Shimano 105 setup on this bike is like the gold standard on this class of bike.

The rest of the specs seem to also be good for a bike in this class as far as I know.

This area is not road cycling friendly. I live in rural East Tennessee. Most of my friends that bike have the first reaction to my queries like " You do know that road cycling is very dangerous?" or "Road biking is treacherous!" or "3 near misses last year on a short ride" or "3 of my team members got hit last year, 2 are gonna recover, 1 is in bad shape, 2 of the 3 were hit and run!"

That being said, there is not a bike store on every corner and good used road bikes are not easy to find here. That is why I am just planning to start out new.

I realize the bike is just the beginning and then there is some proper clothing, shoes, pedals, water bottles, bike computer (I am a tech geek) etc....another reason I can't break the bank out of the gate with just the bike.

mynameistaken

If you want Diamondback and you're on a budget sign up for Sports Authority emails. They frequently have 20% off and sometimes 25 to 30% off and that includes bikes. Some assembly required.

deapee

Just out of curiosity, where will you purchase the bike at? I like the Raleigh for the price point myself, but if $1500 is in the budget...that's enough to get a similar spec bike (probably even way higher spec last-year's model that's still on the floor) from a local bike shop and establish a relationship with the owner, who will probably be working on the bike, helping you think through upgrades, performing upgrades, etc. Not to mention a lot of shops offer lifetime tune-ups as well -- because bikes do tip over, things shift and move, cables loosen, etc. Just wanted to throw that out there.

That being said, I don't think you'd really be going wrong with either. Both bikes should last a really long time if well taken care of.

mcours2006

Congratulations on the weight loss. Losing 100+ pounds is quite an accomplishment.

I did not see a question in your post. Either of those bikes would be good choices, especially if you are planning not to do all your riding on the road. You can fit wider tires on these bikes to take you off road onto trails, dirt roads,and gravel tracks. This is especially appealing if you are new and are apprehensive about riding on the road with cars.

Yes, many here regard the Shimano 105's as the 'gold standard', Tiagra or Sora are just fine too, they do not come in 11-speed.

Brantel

Would love to do that the problem is limited LBS in this area. I live in East Tennessee. Road biking in this area is not super popular so the LBS folks typically don't stock many bikes.... Some in Knoxville do but they are over 50 miles away.

Brantel

Yeah sorry, was on phone and forgot to ask... Was trying to decide between these 2 and or see if there are any other alternatives that give more bang for the buck. Thanks!

PepeM

East Tennessee looks like an awesome place to ride.

RichM76

There are a lot of other alternatives, all the major brands are in your price range. Bianchi, Cannondale, Specialized, Scott, Trek, Giant. Some with Shimano 105 or Tiagra. Maybe time to do a road trip. If they sell the brand just cause it's not in stock doesn't mean they can't order it.
When I bought my Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Tiagra the nearest dealer was 40 miles away, and they didn't have the model I wanted in stock. I had to go back again after I ordered it to pick it up.
Other possibilities are to look online at a few bike dealers. Trek Bicycle Superstore, REI, JensonUSA. Universal Cycles may have a few road bikes.

kc4sox

Oh it is

CliffordK

Many bike shops can order a bike in, and still help you with fitting and minor customizing.

50 miles isn't that far to travel. For the right bike, I'd ride my bicycle 50 miles each way to pick up a new (used) bike. Or, for a ready to ride bike, perhaps take public transport to the store, then ride it home (hopefully).

The one issue would be the difficulty to get continuing support at a distance. But you may be able to work something out.

There are a lot of good deals on Craigslist, although sometimes it takes some patience. And, of course, one may have to settle for last year's model (10-speed gearing, rim brakes, etc).

I do think that Ultegra comes in at a good price point, but I can't really say why it would be better than 105.

For new mail-order bikes, also browse the Bikes Direct website. Their MSRP/Sale prices are just fluff, so take the lowest listed price as the actual price. Carefully evaluate the components being supplied, and expect mixed groupsets, especially with other brands/quality of cranks and hubs.

Maelochs

Another option (or pair of options) are Nashbar and PerformanceBike. Both have generous return policies ... generally they will take a bike back anytime for a minimal restocking fee, so you can buy online, ride a few weeks, and send it back no questions asked if you need a different size of model.

Both offer excellent deals on perfectly serviceable bikes---not flashy brand names, but high-quality frames and the same components everyone else uses. Both offer good sales and specials as well ... and I personally strongly recommend Nashbar's returned merchandise page ... I have bought a cubic ton of stuff in perfect condition for one-half to one-third market price.

Brantel

A sorta LBS offered this bike:

Fuji Bikes | ROAD | ENDURANCE SERIES | SPORTIF 1.3 DISC

For what appears to be much better price than the other 2 I was considering. I don't know anything about Fuji bikes.

What does the forum have to say about it?

Canker

The raleigh has thru axles front and rear and better brakes which would make me lean towards it. DB is easier to find on the online sites with discounts though. If you are mechanically inclined you can work on a bike yourself. Youtube has videos on how to do any work you might need to do. They are just bikes and there isn't anything that complicated about them.

Do you have a lot of dirt/gravel road around you? You may want to look more at a gravel/cyclocross bike instead. That would allow you to stay off the dangerous roads for the most part. The Diamondback Haanjo is almost always on sale somewhere; nashbar, jenson, pricepoint.

RoadGuy

Sports Authority has been running going out of business sales for a month now. Many stores are already closed.

DrRobert

Congrats on the weight loss what an achievement. Getting that last bit of weight off can be extremely difficult for middle aged men. Take a look at your diet because without the right eating habits, it will be disappointing, even with exercise. IOW don't rely on cycling to get the rest of the weight off. One of my personal battles is keeping my eating reined in after a particularly long or strenuous ride it seems my cravings go straight to burgers and beer!!

No expert on bikes, but I would say the get some basic knowledge about fitting and visit a couple LBS's get a feel for what the know/don't know. Yes, they will try to sell you a bike, but testing a few bikes is worth it.

There is safety in numbers for an area like yours if possible I would find a group or at least one other person to ride with.

deapee

Solid bike with good components -- just like the two in the first post. It would be nice if you could ride all 3 and then go from there. Fuji's are pretty popular -- the components on that are solid. It's a little heavy, but not so much that it matters...I'd say it's heavy enough to where if you really decide to race, you'll notice an upgrade in a few years but not heavy enough where you can't compete.

Brantel

Well I just put a deposit down on this bike:





The specs look great for a newbie and I like the looks of the bike. Getting a Shimano 105 groupset was important to me as the more I read about road cycling, the more I assume that is the gold standard in this class of bike.


I plan to use these pedals:





Looking forward to getting the bike and getting out on the road!

Shuffleman

I was just about to recommend the Fuji. That was a great choice even though all of the bikes are pretty nice. I hope that you really enjoy the sport and ride a ton. For the record, there are probably more people than you think that ride in your area. Once you start riding it is amazing how many people that you will come across that ride frequently. I was not aware of how many people ride in my town until I hit the road myself. I live in a rural town in SE Georgia so trust me when I say that it is small.

Raiden

With those pedals, be cautious about cornering/leaning hard, they're very tall and wide when the platform side is facing down/when you're clipped in. It's pretty easy to contact the ground with the outer edge.