I lazily tried to search the archives for this one. As usual, I didn’t find anything on the first page, so I’m convinced it’s never been asked.
It’s time for me to shop for a new road bike. I managed to snap my old frame in half (pretty sure it was a manufacturer’s defect) on a ride 3 weeks ago. Now that CdA is over, I’m ready to start shopping for a new one. And just so it’s not said 1,000 times, the company through which I purchased the bike does not exist anymore, so I doubt they’ll honor any warranties they may have once promised.
What I’ll use it for:
Group rides, LSD training, recovery rides
What I don’t need:
A racing bike, trails/off-road rig, super light climbing machine, upper eschelon work of art, a triathlon bike
I’d feel comfortable spending up to $1,000. Will spend upwards of $1,500 if I’m sure quality will be there. Will feel mildly sick to my stomach if I get talked into anywhere within spitting distance of $2,000. I like componentry, but it’s just a training rig after all.
My question: how should I go about shopping? Should I:
talk to a trusted LBS and let them pick something off the floor?
get F.I.S.T.'d, get fit coordinates and hit the database, a la a new tri bike?
measure my inseam, my height and let it fly on a Craig’s List bike?
some combination of the three?
something else?
Suggestions on brands? Where do your loyalties lie? Or does it even really matter at the intermediate price point?
crotch to floor is certainly not enough to pick the best size for you, but getting fit by a pro may not be necessary either.
You want a bike that lets you get your knee angle where it should be, and your hands where you want them, without lots of spacers and without an extremely long or short stem.
So lets say you take a liking to a used brand X bike in size 56, and find that you need 5cm of spacers to fit comfortably on it - thats a bit much. Try a size 58, or a different bike with more stack if the size 58 ends up too long in reach.
Unless you are shaped oddly you can probably make any brand of bike fit by choosing the right size and stems/spacers appropriately.
find the size that fits you, and buy it.
So, does that mean get fitted, or just measure crotch to floor and call it done?
Well. what Jack said…Also depends on how much you know about fitting yourself… My example of 1. When I bought my first bike I had a extremely knowledgeable guy fit me. He then showed me how to measure a bike(since different companies measure differently). This was when they were all diamond frames. He gave me the numbers for what the perfect seat tube length was, then what the perfect top tube would be. Told me to ignore what name the bike was, then sent me with a tape measure to find the closest bike to the measurements…Never have tested ridden a bike, and still buy them with those measurements. Hope this helps. Have fun buying the new ride