Recent threads have made me want to tell my own little story.

I was considering getting a bike in the summer of 2004; I hadn't owned a bicycle since childhood. I lived and worked in a very bicycle-friendly area, Portland, and thought it would be a nice way to get around town. Most of my coworkers cycled, but they all commuted on old-school cruisers, fixies, and other "vintage" things. One guy had a road bike, and, holy crap, it had a TON of gears. I'd only seen "10-speed" bikes with 5 or 6 rear gears, so to see this 9-speeder, it seemed just "wow."

That's when I joined this site!

Went to one of Portland's many LBS's, and experienced tons of sticker shock. The cheapest road bikes were $500 or so, and everyone here and beyond said those were garbage, that I needed "at least" such and such a bike to be happy. Well, crap, those bikes were expensive!

So, I asked the co-worker where he got his bike, and he told me about bikesdirect.com. I went on their site, and picked out a model that seemed like it had all the right stuff, so I e-mailed them with some sizing questions. A bikesdirect employee responded in a day or so saying that I probably ought to buy a 58.

I waited a couple of weeks, saved a few dollars, and got to the point that I was maybe ready to buy, but of course, I was a total noob. And a GEEKY total noob! I sent them another email with some specific questions, since I was trying to decide between a couple of the models. I don't remember what I asked, I'm sure it was basic new-roadie stuff about component comparison and the like.

Anyway, Bikesdirect never replied. I searched the site for a contact number to ask my questions by voice, but couldn't find one. I waited about a week, and then re-sent the email, but still they didn't reply. After another week, out of curiosity, I sent them a third email, but without the questions; instead, I simply asked how I should go about paying for an order.

I received a reply to that email (only) within a few hours.

Well, I didn't buy the bikesdirect bike. I honestly think, if that first email with the technical questions had been replied to, I would've. Instead, I saved up some more money, waited until February of 2005, and bought a very nice bike from my LBS. I didn't realize just how much of a value I got for my money until later on...

So what frame size are you riding now?

A "medium." :) It's a 55.5 effective top tube.

A LBS is the place for "new" riders, BD (and other internet sellers) are for people who should know what the need.
A "shop rat" at your LBS can screw you up just as much as someone on the phone at BD.

A LBS is the place for "new" riders, BD (and other internet sellers) are for people who should know what the need.
A "shop rat" at your LBS can screw you up just as much as someone on the phone at BD.

Couldn't agree more. The irony is that the really good deals attract the uninitiated, but it is the newbies that are most served by the services a LBS offers.

A LBS is the place for "new" riders, BD (and other internet sellers) are for people who should know what the need.
A "shop rat" at your LBS can screw you up just as much as someone on the phone at BD.

Yep. But my thought was that someone knowledgeable wouldn't be much interested in those bikes.

Then I showed up to watch the local Tuesday night throwdown. Seems like half the guys were riding Motobecanes, and these weren't the cat5's. This particular crit has a reputation as being a contact sport, so these rides were the tool for the job.

Recent threads have made me want to tell my own little story.

I was considering getting a bike in the summer of 2004; I hadn't owned a bicycle since childhood. I lived and worked in a very bicycle-friendly area, Portland, and thought it would be a nice way to get around town. Most of my coworkers cycled, but they all commuted on old-school cruisers, fixies, and other "vintage" things. One guy had a road bike, and, holy crap, it had a TON of gears. I'd only seen "10-speed" bikes with 5 or 6 rear gears, so to see this 9-speeder, it seemed just "wow."

That's when I joined this site!

Went to one of Portland's many LBS's, and experienced tons of sticker shock. The cheapest road bikes were $500 or so, and everyone here and beyond said those were garbage, that I needed "at least" such and such a bike to be happy. Well, crap, those bikes were expensive!

So, I asked the co-worker where he got his bike, and he told me about bikesdirect.com. I went on their site, and picked out a model that seemed like it had all the right stuff, so I e-mailed them with some sizing questions. A bikesdirect employee responded in a day or so saying that I probably ought to buy a 58.

I waited a couple of weeks, saved a few dollars, and got to the point that I was maybe ready to buy, but of course, I was a total noob. And a GEEKY total noob! I sent them another email with some specific questions, since I was trying to decide between a couple of the models. I don't remember what I asked, I'm sure it was basic new-roadie stuff about component comparison and the like.

Anyway, Bikesdirect never replied. I searched the site for a contact number to ask my questions by voice, but couldn't find one. I waited about a week, and then re-sent the email, but still they didn't reply. After another week, out of curiosity, I sent them a third email, but without the questions; instead, I simply asked how I should go about paying for an order.

I received a reply to that email (only) within a few hours.

Well, I didn't buy the bikesdirect bike. I honestly think, if that first email with the technical questions had been replied to, I would've. Instead, I saved up some more money, waited until February of 2005, and bought a very nice bike from my LBS. I didn't realize just how much of a value I got for my money until later on...

Glad you made the smart choice. Buying a first bike online is kinda like farting with diarrhea. It can be done successfully sometimes, but others it ends up a mess.....

what was that first bike you bought?

Glad you made the smart choice. Buying a first bike online is kinda like farting with diarrhea. It can be done successfully sometimes, but others it ends up a mess.....
:D What a great quote!!:D I'm gonna use that one.

:D What a great quote!!:D I'm gonna use that one.


Thanks, though I owe the general sentiment of the quote to my father who chastized me once for farting not so long after a bout of intestinal sickness.

A LBS is the place for "new" riders, BD (and other internet sellers) are for people who should know what the need.BD.

And people wonder why LBS give them a hard time for buying online and expecting the LBS to provide service.

A lugged 853 Schwinn Paramount. It was a year 2000 bike, and I bought it in '05, but it looked brand new, as it had just been re-painted by the original paint shop. These bikes were sort of a last hurrah throwback for Paramount; they were contracted out to some sweet handbuilders; the guy who made my particular bike went on to be a builder for Rivendell. I also learned that the bike's original owner was some Sacha White fellow...

They had the frame on the wall, and I gave them a deposit and they built it up for me (with silver, 9-speed Chorus parts, and chorus / open pro wheels).

When I was new, I too had sticker shock. I thought I wanted an aluminum frame, but some codger at the LBS tried to steer me toward steel. I went to a different shop from and some stoned kid from the snowboard section tried fitting me by doing a standover in my street clothes. I went to yet another shop (a volume seller) and purchased a Trek 1000 because it "looked cool" and was affordable (there can't be that much difference between a $600 bike and a $1200 bike, can there?). I rode it for 32 days-- well not entirely, since it was very rainy- and decided I hated it. I went back to another shop within the same chain and used their 30-day return policy (they bent the rules by a few days) and exchanged/upgraded it for a Trek 2200. It had much better components than the Sora. About a year later I decided there was a reason that Trek wasn't known for their aluminum frames, so I ebayed it and I purchased the bike of my dreams (full carbon) from a boutique shop. This time I knew what I was doing-- and had a proper test ride, a proper fitting, and everything.

The irony is that now I also own two steel bikes as well.

Moral of the story--- my guess is that most people's first road bike is a throwaway bike anyway. I had minimal fitting and service as it was. As I newbie, I had no concept of the importance of fit. Most LBS employees have little patience for newbies as it is. On the other hand, as a non-newbie, I now know what I am doing, I am generally treated very well by LBS employees-- and also know who knows what they are talking about (and who not to listen to).

My first bike "as an adult" was sized using the stand over method. I didn't even question it. I spent $800 and It felt to me that I was buying top of the line. That was in September 2003 or so. I ended up only riding it about 4 or 5 times between then and June 1, 2004, which is when I decided that I was going to use cycling to get into shape.

Since then I've spent more money on bike stuff than any other thing.

Moral of the story--- my guess is that most people's first road bike is a throwaway bike anyway.


that's kinda true. it always make me wonder what's a good budget/price point for a first bike. too expensive and it's kinda not worth it since you may damage it. too cheap, then it doesnt really give you a feel of what you really want.