h2ofun wrote:
Arch Stanton wrote:
helo guy wrote:
So I've been shopping for both a new aero road bike (currently riding an '05 Litespeed) and a new tri bike as well (looking to replace my '08 P3C.) I have a reasonable budget, but I tend to keep my bikes for a long time and I like to make a reasonably "future-proof" purchase. I have been very happy with my bikes, but there have been significant changes over the years. I suppose I don't NEED a new bike, but I do want one.
The problem is the technology has been changing so fast that I find it hard to make a good decision. With all the hype about disk brakes, if I get a non-disk bike I am concerned I will be stuck with equipment of a type a where companies are no longer putting in much development effort. The 650c sized tri bike we just got for my wife is a good example - quite limited choices in wheels and tires, with very few new options out there.
So I have been putting off making a major purchase for a while now, the exact opposite of what the bike companies would hope.
Anyone else feel this way?
Yup. A while back I was all set to buy a custom ti frame. Ultimately I nixed the plan because I didn't want to drop big bucks on a long lasting frame when the disk standards are in flux. What I did instead was buy an open mold carbon frame direct from China. 600 bones. I can upgrade every year or so for a long time and still pay out less than what the ti frame+fork would have cost. So the industry screwed themselves out of a sale. My thinking right now, as far as road bikes go, is that from now on I am hopping off the conveyor belt of paying the big boys huge premiums by buying direct from China. Too bad the open mold full suspension MTBs are not quite there yet.
Interesting, what process do you use to get your frames from China?
I have used the major distributors, like Hong Fu, that have a good rep on RBR. They all claim to be manufacturers but everything seems to be made by Fly Bike. Ordering is primitive: Send an email to hammer out order details and pay with PayPal. Funny thing is that shipping, which will cost you about $80, is incredible. I once ordered from Wiggle and the next day ordered from the next day. The frame showed up a seven days later, a couple days earlier than the Wiggle order, which is no slouch in the order speed department.