hoyer801

For the past few years, I've tried to get into cycling, but the only bike I had available was my dad's 1974 Schwinn Continental. It's a great bike in many ways, but it's showing it's age, and I'd like to upgrade to something that's not pushing 40 pounds. I'm very much a novice in terms of endurance. I'm 6'0" with a 30" inseam and weigh just a few pounds over 200 (hopefully that'll change as I ride more).

My maximum budget is $600. For the value, I'd kind of like to buy used and then use one of the local bike shops for maintenance. Are there any suggestions on what kind of bike might be good for someone like me?

Hot Potato

Buy the nicest used bike you can get for that $600. Dont worry about the frame material, go for the best components and fit.

aaron24j

I bought my 2014 Trek 1.1 road bike last year off a kid (on craigslist) around December that bought it brand new, put 40 miles on it and said he wasn't into it like he thought he would be, and works too much, Bought it for $500!

jefnvk

As another guy with midget legs and a long torso, the bit of advice I can give you is that you may find a bigger frame fits you better than any online frame calculators suggests. I'm more comfortable with the longer top tubes that bigger frames give you, and my seat far less up in the air to fit my legs.

Take any advice relying on your ability to stand over a frame as the bike that fits you with a grain of salt. It is a good starting point, but your ability to stand over a bike really means squat.

Oldguyonoldbike

The first thing you need to do is find what general size bike fits you. With a 30" inseam I would guess a 56cm, or maybe even a 54cm (seat tube length measured center to center) preferably with a longish top tube, or at least a long stem. Once you have a good idea of your size have a look at your local Craig's List. If you want advice about specific bikes on CL, you can post the link here and there are plenty of folks who will help give you an idea if it's a decent deal or not, and what to look out for. With a budget of $600 you can find some very high quality used bikes, but not a whole lot in terms of new bikes. Oh, and make sure you test ride before you buy, to make sure it will fit you comfortably.

Garfield Cat

In your town there are bike shops that rent. Get one of those and the shop will get an idea of what will fit you. Besides, you can rent one for a day and try that size out.

PaulRivers

In high school (a way way long time ago) I bought a Cannondale aluminum touring bike with 35c tires. The ride on it was not great. Also, it was a size to large for me and that made riding it always a pain (I thought I'd keep growing - I didn't).

After college I got a job and wanted a cheaper bike I'd feel comfortable leaving locked up around town, so I bought a Specialized Sequoia - an aluminum "endurance" style bike for about $800. They made some HUGE improvements in ride quality with the Sequoia since the original days of all aluminum bikes. In fact, I hardly ride my full carbon bike any more, because the ride quality on the Sequoia is good enough that the additional niceties make it more appealling to ride (it has a rack and I don't feel jumpy about leaving it locked up somewhere).

The best full carbon bikes are better for ride comfort than the best aluminum bikes, but the best aluminum bikes are MUCH more comfortable to ride than they used to be, and have a reached a point where it's not necessary to go higher for a comfortable buzz-free ride - in my experience.

Specialized's current base "endurance" road bike is now the Diverge at $850:
Specialized 2016 Diverge Sub Compact Road Race Bike

Their "race" style is the Allez at $770:
Specialized 2016 Allez Base Road Race Bike

I know it's a little above what you mentioned for your budget, but it was worth it for me, and if you buy from a shop you should have the chance to try several sizes and make sure you get the right one. Buying the wrong size bike is kind of like buying the wrong size pants - if the sizing is off to much it's really uncomfortable.

cs1

Agreed, trek is famous for having really long top tubes. They expect you to raise that seat up and get the holy grail of the "aero look." But if you have short legs just lower the seat you'll be fine. BTW I am 5' 9" with a 32" inseam. That presents the opposite problem. Good luck

digger531

I would definitely recommend a used bike. I prefer older, steel bikes. You will have to watch the fit as a lot of the older bike's seat tubes were longer than the top tube (good for me at 6' with 36" inseam) but there are plenty of options that will fit. The old Treks are about as nice of a bike as you are likely to find. If you don't mind down tube shifters you can buy a lot of bike for $300 with some patience.

twodownzero

If your cycling inseam really is only 30 inches, you are probably going to need a smaller frame with a longer stem just so you can stand over it without racking your junk on the top tube. I'm 5'5" tall and I ride a 50 cm; even though I am 7" shorter than you, I have a 28" or so cycling inseam. I would be surprised if you can stand over a bike that is bigger than a 54 cm, unless you've mis-measured yourself.

Fortunately you should have no problem finding a used 54 cm bicycle and installing a longer stem to get the proper reach. Or you could view it as a bonus if you're not too crowded in the cockpit that you'll be a little more upright with your shorter legs/longer torso and wait until you're a little more flexible to push your handlebar away from you with a longer stem.

Given that your size is going to be close to what many bicycle manufacturers call "medium," you should have no problem finding a used road bike.

hoyer801

So I went into a local bike shop today and tried out a few things. It looks like a 56cm bike fits me just about right. I couldn't believe how much lighter every single bike there was compared to what I've had. I rode a Cannondale Synapse with a carbon fiber frame and 105 components that was pretty awesome, but out of my price range for now. I'm certain that it was worth the price tag, and the shop offered a lot of extras when you purchase a new bike. I'll definitely go back there, but for now, I think going used and then having it tuned up there is the way to go.

What about something like this? 55 CM Fuji CCR 2 Carbon Road Bike

It's about an hour to get there, so I just was hoping to get some thoughts on whether or not that's a good deal before I make the drive to test it out. I'm about an hour from both Baltimore and DC, so I've got a lot of things available to me in terms of Craigslist.

twodownzero

That is a nice bike, but I wouldn't pay $600 for it. I'd be thrilled to pay $500 for it if it fit. Keep in mind that a bike that old is probably only going to have 9 gears in the rear, whereas a new one would have 11 and even a new entry level bike would have 10 (as would a similar bike of the higher groups made in the last 5-6 years). That's not really a huge deal but it's a significant change in technology since that bike was manufactured. Also, while that bike has 105 shifters and an Ultegra rear derailleur, as you can see from the pictures, the company substituted a cheaper crankset and brakes. The crankset is the heaviest part of the group and where most weight savings comes from, and it's also the most expensive part of the groupset to buy when building a bike, so that is common. That's also not a huge deal but it's something you should consider when looking at other brands that will use the more expensive Shimano crankset.

Do you want a triple? I love them but many roadies are obsessed with weight and prefer the lighter bikes with a compact front. I prefer the triple because I like always having the right gear; every bike in my stable has a triple, even my carbon road bike.

Also consider that carbon bicycles are delicate and the weight savings is minimal. An aluminum or steel bike will survive a crash better. The good news is that you're getting a lot of used bike for $5-600 so maybe that's not a huge concern.

I say at least go look at it and see how firm he is on the price. Inspect the frame carefully, though, because while carbon is extremely strong, once it's compromised, all bets are off.

hoyer801

I appreciate your advice here. Keep in mind though, that I'm upgrading from a 1974 Schwinn Continental that's around 35 pounds - and it was probably almost 40 with the original steel rims. I just couldn't believe how much lighter and easier everything was when riding.

As to a triple - truthfully, I've never used one, so it's not some thing I really am able to say. I can say for sure that I am not obsessed about weight. If it offers me more enjoyment while I'm riding, then I think I'm in.

What would be the signs that I would look for to see if a frame has potentially been compromised?

jefnvk

Meh. My junk and my top tube are fairly intimate, it really isn't that big of a problem, I spend very little time actually standing over my bike. I just stand with one foot down and the bike leaned to the side, as I have with every motorcycle I've owned.

PaulRivers

Biggest thing is sizing. It sounds like it's the right size but it can vary a lot from one bike to another with the same number for sizing.

Also, you should be aware that carbon frames can ride dramatically differently than each other, especially if you're looking at much older bikes like that one. While carbon can create the best riding frames, I've ridden some that were absolutely awful as well.

I wish you luck, and I have a bit more flexibility in spending money, just hard to recommend someone drive 2 hours round trip to look at what looks like a bike with 7 years of use on it. Good luck whatever you do.

timtak

Exactly the opposite of what I was thinking!

I would go for second hand (as recommended above) particularly steel, or alternatively cheap unfamous carbon, with the best (& famous) components and avoid aluminium, especially branded aluminium since you'd be paying for a brand that buzzes (good phrase!) - in my experience.

fishboat

The Synapse comes in an alloy version(less costly). If you're not using searchtempest to scan CL, give it a spin. There's a 2014 56cm Synapse alloy 105 in Albany NY for $1K..seems a bit high, but the guy says it's got less than 200 miles on it.


Another Synapse in Northern Virginia, a carbon 105 Supersix in Lancaster, PA, a CAAD10 105 in Charlottesville, a Klein in S. Jersey, all 56cm..the list goes on..