It’s time to get a new road bike for fitness and recreational riding. My Trek 5500 is starting to show it’s age along with me. I’m looking for carbon with Ultegra SL or equivalent with a compact crankset. What bikes would you recommend I look at in the $4000 range? I was looking at the Cannodale Supersix3 today($3500). Any comments? Thanks.
Felt AR4. Carbon, Ultegra SL, Aero $3200 (2009)
I just purchased a Cervelo S2 but also gave strong consideration to the Felt AR4.
C-Dale is pretty cool, but the S2 has aero coolness. This is the time of the year to buy. All the 2009 bikes are on sale.
-Adam
With $4000 you can build a smokin bike. I just built a felt DA with SRAM red, hed jet 6 and 9, hed vantage 8 bars, garmin computer etc (everything was brand new in the box) for $4800. If you look at felts website the DA with race wheels goes for $9500ish. If I were you I would buy a great frame (maybe a season old) and look on google and eBay for cheap new components. If you don’t mind building the bike you can get a much nicer bike for the price. I’ve done it twice now.
It might take a while to get all the parts but you learn a lot in the process too.
If you just want to buy a bike I’d buy Felt’s AR2, a cannondale with the oversized steer tube or a BMC.
Custom steel. Leave the plastic for the blue light special shoppers.
Do something more exciting. Pinarello FP6, Ridley Excalibur, Wilier Mortirolo or Izoard…something like that.
It’s time to get a new road bike for fitness and recreational riding. My Trek 5500 is starting to show it’s age along with me. I’m looking for carbon with Ultegra SL or equivalent with a compact crankset. What bikes would you recommend I look at in the $4000 range? I was looking at the Cannodale Supersix3 today($3500). Any comments? Thanks.
If you like Trek carbon…shop for a 2-3 year old Madone a bit. I picked up an '07 Madone 5.2 with full Ultegra for $1,300…there isn’t so much as a smudge on it. If you want to spend $4k by all means go for it, but you can get insane deals right now.
I want to stay with one of the LBS in my area which limits my selection. No one carries these in the Harrisburg,PA area.
I can’t comment on the SuperSix, but I have a SystemSix, and I absolutely love it. The ride is amazing - smooth, fast, and very stable downhills and through curves. I run Kysrium SL3s on it, which certainly help, but it’s still the most comfy bike i’ve ridden with my Easton EA90 SLXs.
Honestly, go find what fits, what you like the looks of and what you like the ride of.
I rode a 5500 a couple of times and I loved it.
I will say this. Over the last 5 years, companies have drastically changed tube shapes and sizes and so forth. I would ride a few and see what ride qualities you like. The SuperSix is supposed to be a very stiff ride.
I’d probably check out Lynskey for some ti action if I wanted to spend $4000 on a bike. I’d build it up with Force, some of the new Sram wide rim wheels and Ritchey WCS components.
just got a felt f3 a month ago, lists for around $3700 and got it for $2500 at the LBS as shown on thier website but it did have one scratch on the paint…love it here is a link to a review of it from Tom Demerly http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/felt2009F3SL.shtml
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Honestly, go find what fits, what you like the looks of and what you like the ride of.
That’s another problem I have. Finding bikes in my size(51/52cm) that are available to test ride. Most of the bike shops have one model of each bike and usually in size 54 or 56.
Soon you will see prices dropping since it is near the end of season. 2 years ago I picked up my road bike a madone 5.2 at 40% off. 09’s will be on sale, but the higher end 08’s should be a great deal. Proably 40-50% off. check out bikeline’s closeouts. even if you don’t want to go to lancaster it gives you an idea of how much prices should come down. you could proably get almost any 08 Trek for 4000. Just make sure the bike fits. It not a good deal if it is the wrong bike.
It’s going to be my Ceepo Venom… Frame/fork bought on ST classified brand new (more available, not getting anything for this but Greg and his wife are good peeps), just shipped today, ~50% off of retail w/ SRAM red (still in process of purchasing but ebay/wise cycles) Hed Black dog/vantage 8 aerobar (still looking) fizik arione tri2 carbon braided (bought on ebay for 50% retail) look keo max (still shopping though xxcycle has a pretty compelling deal) wheels coming off the old bike - might be called cheating but unlike some of the more talented ST’ers, I can only ride one bike at a time, so don’t need both bikes to have their own wheels.
patience is a virtue, my season is over and it’s a BEAR market. lots of season end deals to come, frame was key component. rest is “easy”.
Gotta look at geometry first and foremost. The Supersix3 is a damn fine steed. If just for fitness and recreational riding (i.e. not road racing, crits), then a nice, smooth riding Ti or Steel bike might fit the bill as well.
Some look for style as well (i.e. Italian style like a Pinarello or Wilier, or a cool French Look or Time). For 4K you have a lot of options except the top tier bikes (frames are more than that).
Why the need to spend $4000 for a recreational bike?
A nice Christmas is (hopefully) coming for me this year.
I’m looking at the 2010 Felt F3. ($3500) The color scheme ain’t for everybody… but I luvs it.
http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/Road/F-Series/F3.aspx
$4000 can buy a lot of bike. A bit of shopping could put you on a very nice Colnago (even NOS) C50 with Campy and nice training wheels…I just put together a NOS C40 HP for less than that.
This is one I have under consideration. Would look nice sitting next to my Felt B2.