MasterDwarf

Hi everyone,
Looking to get a road bike with a budget of around $500. I was wondering if anybody had thoughts about the bikes on BikesDirect.com. Also found a used Schwinn Fastback Comp (2003 I believe) for $500 https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/bik/5170636910.html, is it worth it? I am not looking for anything near a top of the line bike, just something to get me started. Any suggestions would be useful.

Bunyanderman

The bike you posted looks pretty solid to start out on, it's sized 58cm which is for someone about 6 foot. Shimano 105 is really good, but I don't know about the 3x9 option.

MasterDwarf

Thanks. And I am 6' 2'' so might this bike be too small maybe or is that something I can only find out by trying out the bike for myself.

Bunyanderman

Bike Frame Size: 58 - 60 cm
Height: 5'10" - 6'1"
Inseam Length: 31.5" - 33"


This is a start.

goenrdoug

looks a bit over priced.. 2004 Schwinn Fastback Comp 27 - New and Used Bike Value

You can do better.

And yeah, a 58 might be a tad small for you at 6'2". It might be okay, though.

the good news is that you can often find 60cm bikes going for a decent price because the sellers have hard time finding big tall folks to buy them.

old school: https://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/5175145600.html
also old school, but cooler: https://cnj.craigslist.org/bid/5135107990.html

GravelMN

I'm 5' 11" with a 32" pants inseam and ride a 54cm (21") road bike in the middle of its adjustment range for saddle height and fore/aft and had to get a stem 20mm shorter than stock. So, without knowing your body proportions, I'd guess that you could make a 58 cm frame work fine.

I've had good luck with Bikes Direct. For $500 you are still looking at a very entry level bike, but you can probably get the equivalent of a $600-$750 bike at your LBS. This time of year you might find a good closeout locally though, but your choices of sizes and options may be limited. Don't buy a bike that is too big or too small just because it is on sale.

If you are buying used and it isn't from a reputable LBS, then I'd take someone along who knows bikes. There are a lot of little things that aren't readily apparent that can be deal breakers.

seymour1910

Don't bust your budget, but if you can stretch to $600 this is a nice bike. Get the XL, it comes in two colors.

BH Zaphire Tiagra Bike | Shimano 10 spd | Carbon Fork

Price point has better customer service than BD, so if you are going to buy online I think this would be safer. All you have to do is put the wheels on, attach the handlebars and seat post. If you absolutely have to stay at $500 or below, go used.

rpenmanparker 

[QUOTE=GravelMN;18099095]I'm 5' 11" with a 32" pants inseam and ride a 54cm (21") road bike in the middle of its adjustment range for saddle height and fore/aft and had to get a stem 20mm shorter than stock.

Please take no offense, but that is bizarre. Are we talking about a sloped top tube? Do you mean 54 cm size based on actual seat tube length or effective seat tube length. If actual seat tube length like BD uses for sizing, that is actually about a size 58 assuming significant slope in the top tubea, so it makes sense. But if that is the size roughly based on the effective set tube length like most of the major brands use, something is wrong somewhere. Just saying that there are two popular nominal sizing protocols and when advising a noob about what to choose, you have to be careful which one you use. You both have to be on the same page. Especially if he is going to mail order a bike.

GravelMN

No offense taken.

I've got four different bikes with approximately the same seat tube length. My old school Trek 720 and 820 (hybrid and MTB), and Schwinn World Sport are all 21" frames as marked by the manufacturers. Standover on each is about 32" give or take a few mm. My previous two road bikes were also 21" aka 54cm. My BD Motobecane Gran Premio is a 56cm and I needed a slightly shorter stem than stock to be comfortable (I should note that I don't favor an aggressive position). Bikes direct states the standover on the 56 cm frame to be 31.7" which is fine for my 32" pants inseam (33.5 crotch to floor) and recommends it for riders 5' 11" to 6' 1". They recommend their 59 cm Gran Premio for riders 6' 1" to 6' 3".

Yes, manufacturers measure their frames in different ways and the geometry can make two bikes with the same seat tube length fit differently. The only way to tell for sure is to try the bike. The OP asked about BD road bikes. I have one of their Motobecanes and with my average body proportions the 56 cm is just a nudge toward the large size but very comfortable with just a stem swap. I ran my measurements through some of the online bike frame calculators and charts and you are correct that most recommend a 56 to 58 cm frame for me.

Sy Reene

Are you telling us the size of your actual seat tube or the nominal size of the bike? Eg your 54cm Motobecane has an actual 54cm seat tube, while most bike companies' bike sizes are based on the hypothetical seat tube length that would exist, if the top tube was horizontal. So while your bike has, and is named a 54cm, a TRek for example, their "54cm" model will only have an eg. 50.5cm measured seat tube.

rpenmanparker 

I'm 5'7" with a 30" pants inseam, 32" cycling inseam. Guess what size I have ridden for 30+ years. Yep, 54 cm. Oh yeah, and with the saddle all the way back and a generous stem. Something doesn't compute.

rpenmanparker 

Standove is unimportant and varies with the slope of the top tube. Top tube length is what matters and is usually dependent on the nominal size as related to effective seat tube length as if the top tube were horizontal. A 56 Moto is more like a 58 in a major brand.

Willbird

Fuji uses some screwy sizes on some models, a sportif 54 is very similar size to an altimara or gran fondo 50. I'm 5'8" and wear 30-32 inseam Jeans and an actual 54 with stock stem has worked out ok for me so far, test rode a 52 and it did not feel tiny, test rode a 56 Trek and it felt too big.

GravelMN

I don't know just what makes the difference between us, but after a proper fitting, I have my saddles in the middle third of the rails and plenty of seat post left in the frames. My legs are just a few degrees short of full extension at the bottom of the pedal stroke (three 170mm cranks and one 175mm). I do favor a slightly more upright and relaxed riding position, but nothing atypical. I did note in my second post that the Motobecane is actually a 56cm, but I have ridden 54cm road bikes, most recently a Trek 1500, comfortably. I've test ridden a lot of bikes and brand and frame geometry play major roles. Even among "major brands" or models within a brand, not all 56s fit the same. That is one of the risks of buying a bike online. Unless you are familiar with not only the brand, but the model, you are taking your best guess and hoping it is close enough that you can get a good fit with adjustment or minor changes to post and stem. You can get some good deals online. One of my friends is the shop manager and a certified fitter at one of the larger LBSs in the area and was the one who suggested the shorter stem. He commented on what a good deal the Motobecane was for the price and admitted that he couldn't have met that price for the same quality of components unless he had a closeout.

Unless we are riding the same brand and model, we are comparing apples to oranges, so your 54 or 56 might not fit the same as my 54 or 56. The OP asked about BD and I told him about my experience. I still think the 59 would be a good choice for someone 6' 2" of average proportions in the Motobecane GP. If he is looking at a used 58cm bike, he will need to ride it to see how it fits.

GravelMN

I used the manufacturer's stated size as listed on BD, so that the OP could compare based on the other sizes that are listed. He can pull up the geometries for each size if needed, but as he states he is a newbie "who doesn't know a thing", I don't know how much value a geometry spec sheet is going to be to him.

MasterDwarf

Thanks for all the input. I think I have narrowed my search for a bike down to two from BikesDirect the Dawes Lighting 1200 and the Windsor Wellington SL. The Dawes has Shimano Sora and Tiagra derailleurs and Sora shifters with 28c tires while the Windsor has Shimano Claris components with 25c tire. Both are aluminum frames with carbon forks and they both cost $500. Right now I am leaning toward the Dawes with its better components. Any thoughts about these bikes before I take the plunge and get my first road bike.

goenrdoug

Those are okay-ish, but the components are all low-level and the frames, themselves, will probably be kind of heavy. They're not garbage, by any means, but you might do better with this: https://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/bik/5140046267.html

MasterDwarf

Looks good but I live in Harrisburg Pa so I don't know if I would be able to get it to where I live easily or cheaply, so far I have not looked into it. But thanks for the suggestion. And on the topic that the bikes from BikesDirect will have some weight, that is what I expect and for now it does not concern me. Further down the road I will probably upgrade to a better bike.

69chevy

My wife is 5'8' with a 31" cycling inseam and rides a 54cm Synapse.

I am 6'3" with a 36" cycling inseam, and I can ride her bike with her fit. I'm flexible enough that I could probably even be comfortable even though I would be in the least efficient position possible.

There are so many people riding oddly fitted bikes where I ride, I'd probably even fit in.

rpenmanparker 

Not sure what your point is. If you are saying anyone can ride anything, well yeah, I agree with that. But I think you are also saying that riding a too small (or too large) bike can be done, but isn't best. If so, I agree with that too. Isn't the important question what is the right size and why not ride that?

You mention what your wife rides (which I think is spot on). And you say you COULD ride that. But what do you actually ride? Isn't that the real question?

69chevy

My point was regardless of frame size, regardless of fit, some people ride sizes that "don't compute".

I ride a 60cm with a 120mm stem.