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I'm trying to help a friend find an entry level bike that in the $500 range. Everywhere I would normally look carries high end bikes. Any thoughts on where we could find entry level bikes on the net? I've already checked Supergo, Nashbar, and Performance.
Thanks for your help.
Fair question and hats off to you for assisting your friend. I think you might be able to do it, but you will have to be resourceful and opportunistic. e-bay has jacked the prices of used equipment so sky high now there are few "real" bargains. A used tri or road bike I used to be happy getting $600 for I can get $1000 all day long for on e-bay from a lucky auction "winner". Remember that fit is the most important thing. You might be best served to buy a good bike fitter a pound of coffee and bribe him to give your buddy a fitting after hours (highly probable), Or, just bite the bullet and pay for it. Armed with some fit knowledge you can then shop the used circuit with confidence and authority. Fit is most important- especially for beginners.
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
I'll give you a good suggestion for a good entry level bike for about that price. Have a look at a Giant OCR-3. If you can find a second hand OCR-2 or OCR-1 for the same then that's even better. My wife won her age group in two out of six sprint tris with two thirds during her first year on her OCR-3. Fit it with some Profile Jammer GT aero bars and you're all set to begin tris. That's the most bang for the buck in that price range that I can think off.
I agree about e-bay, been watching it for a few months and since the beginning of the yr the prices are crazy. Was not the case in the fall when no one wanted a bike!
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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??
So Tom, if I drive up from Baltimore to Dearborn with a couple of pounds of your coffee of choice, I might get an after-hours fitting? For a very reasonable price, I had a compact tri geometry bike with all 105 (D/A bar end shifters), Profile bars, and decent aero wheels made up for a little of $600. Rides great, but I don't have access to what I consider to be a good shop for fitting tri geometry. My self-tuned setup worked fine for Oly and 1/2 IM distances last year, but would really like to have a real pro look at it.
- Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke
Tri-speed in Baltimore has some great tri-fit specialists. Talk to Dave on a Saturday. Tell him tommy sent you.
tommy
Thanks Tommy, I've been to Tri-speed many times and I'm a BATC member. But I've heard several less than stellar reviews of their fitting abilites. Hopefully I can bribe Tom in July.
- Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
P. J. O'Rourke
I got my first bike at a Bike Barn in Houston exactly 12 months ago. This is a great time to find last years models on sale. It is a Trek A1000. It was the prior years model so it was deeply discounted I paid $525 for the bike. Unfortunately a pump, helmet, shoes, etc. really drives up the price.
The bike is fine, very solid, it will last longer than I want it to. There's nothing special about it, but there's also nothing wrong with it. I think I put on almost 3k miles on it in about 6 months of real riding last year. It got me through my first 1/2 IM and back to back century rides.