Hey everyone,

I have been looking for a road bike for quite sometime. I have narrowed it down to the following:

Giant TCR 2- $1250
Cannondale R700 or R800 (i am not sure exactly how they differ so much) $1150-$1450
Specialized Allez Elite- $??? (i have gotten a price from a lbs yet)
Bianchi Giro- $1300
All with 105 drive train

I've also looked at Trek 2100, Felt 65, Masi Gran Corsa, and Fuji Roubix RC but have ruled them out for various reasons, mostly value. I didn't like the way the Trek ride felt. Anyway, I was just seeing if anyone had any suggestions or if there was another bike I should look at. I eventually can upgrade different things, but for now I am on a really tight bike budget.

Thanks for any advice in advance!

Ruled out a Felt F65 for value? Ultegra? 1500ish?

I didnt elimante the felt for value, but I have just heard alot of bad things about Felt bikes. Value? I got interested in Felt for its value. At my LBS an Ultegra F65 was $1400. But after alot of research and advice, I realized you get what you pay for!

If I have to pick from the list, I would probably go for Cannondale.

You should consider the Moto Le champ SL in that price range for a race bike.

My question for you is, "Why are you looking at new bikes?"
Look at the classified section here in RBR or go to eBay. I just bought a lightly used Specialized Allez Pro (full Dura Ace) for less than any of the bikes you are considering.
Do yourself and a fellow RBR fan a favor and look here first.

They're all gonna be fine.

It's pushing a little over $1500, but 2 folks I know LOVE their flyte SRS-2s. The 3 is right at your price range in Ultegra.

If you're not wrench-prone and want an LBS-sourced bike due to shop relationship, etc., the c'dale does its thing pretty well. Lots of satisfied customers. Giant is probably as good, but I don't know as much about them. At this level there resolution between models is pretty coarse.

TCR seems hard to beat. Don't skimp on pedals and shoes and tires.

I jsut bought the TCR 2 back in Jan. I have raced in 3 times now, and done some longish team rides. I like this bike alot. really have no complaints. its light, the 105 drivetrain is smooth and accurate, the bike is very comfortable. I put some nice Look pedals on it and a computer, and that's all. at this stage of my racing career(cat 5), I really think that this is plenty of bike for me. I don't think you can go wrong with this bike

You should consider the Moto Le champ SL in that price range for a race bike.

nmnmnm

I bought my first racing bike from Sampson Sports.

I have no intention of racing again in the near future, but I've been super happy with my R700 that I picked up last fall. It had been some 15 years since I've riden a race ready bike, and it's just a dream - great frame and geometry for the price, quality wheelset, solid 105 componentry. Last year they were built with an Ultegra rear derailleur, I think that might be one of the differences between the R700 and R800?

Ask your LBS to call Giant and order an '05 TCR Composite Limited. Thats what I did a couple weeks ago and picked mine up for $1499 plus the shop threw in a free pair of Sidi Genius 4 shoes.

It's Ultegra shifters, cassette, derailleurs, Truvativ crank, tektro brakes, Xero wheels. It should get you started and you can upgrade the wheels, brakes, and crank down the road.

Doc D, I just search for Tcr Composite Limited. I found them selling for $1700-$1800, and I didnt find anything on the Giant site. It def sounds like a sweet bike, but what is so different, and why are the priced so much cheaper?

Take a hard look at used. In your price range you can certainly get upgraded components compared to 105's.

Yeah, I just spent alot of time in that section. I liked the Cannondale 1000 60cm. It looks like a great deal, but Ive always been hesitant of buying used things, and things online. Im a pretty froogle guy, so I cant afford a finacial mistake that large. I will always feel alot better when I ride the actually bike I will buy.

that giant limited sounds like the best deal, because I love the giant frame TCR design, but I doubt I could get it for $1499. my LBS has a habit of putting EVERYTHING at msrp. The bike I was most considering was a TCR 2 alum.

What bad stuff did you hear about Felt?

Teffisk,

The TCR Limited was a limited edition '05 model. It wasn't made this year. It is listed on Giant's site under the '05 models. My LBS told me that the factory still had some from '05 and said they were a great deal. They MSRP'd at $1900 in '05.

Call a few bike shops that carry Giant and have them call the factory to see if they can still order one in your size. You should get considerably better price than $1900 because it's an '05 closeout.

You should consider the Moto Le champ SL in that price range for a race bike.
+1

Here's mine - the world can always use a little more bike porn. ;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/ravenmore/biketopo3.jpg

BTW - its full Ultegra, not 105, and out of the box mine was 15.5 pounds. The 2006's are bit lighter.

ravenmore, do you really like that bike? Any pros or cons I should consider? Were did you get it? What did you pay for it? And finally, is it possible to get it with 105 (i really think thats all i need)? Sorry for all the questions, but thanks.

For less than $900 - you can get a better bike than most shops would sell for $2000
on the RBR home page sale


http://www.bikesdirect.com/10day_april/

assuming you can move that fast

ravenmore, do you really like that bike? Any pros or cons I should consider? Were did you get it? What did you pay for it? And finally, is it possible to get it with 105 (i really think thats all i need)? Sorry for all the questions, but thanks.

Yes, I really dig it. I paid $1100 for it. I've added a few things to it, but you'll likely do that with any bike as you ride it and figure out what you want and need. Saddle, bottom bracket, and wheels are what I added to mine. Do a search on my name or on Le Champion and there's tons of threads with info. I got mine from bikesdirect.com.

I started out on 105 also(different bike - the Le Champ isn't available w/105). I have to admit I noticed a difference when I went to Ultegra. If you can get an Ultegra equiped bike for the same price or cheaper than a 105 bike, it bares looking at. Most of the parts on the Le Champ are high quality, esp. the 2006 which comes with better wheels than my 2005 model.

I'm with the others who suggest looking at used stuff. I bought a Look KG 381 Jalabert for just over $2000 a couple years back with full DA. It seems that bikes are about the only thing that depreciate faster than cars and boats. Keep in mind, as you shop, that the three most important parts of the bike, beside you and your level of fitness/prowess, are the frame, wheels and crank. That's where the bulk of the performance does or doesn't happen. Are DA or Ultegra shifters nicer than 105, sure. Will they help you race faster? Not much if at all. The better brakes might stop you better in wet weather, which is nice. After that, though, worry about your legs and lungs.

I like the Giant for price and warranty. Giant really does a good job taking care of it's customers.

I don't like the Giant for the limited sizes. I tried the TCR Composite at my LBS and fell in between sizes.

Which brings me to the Specialized. Great, race ready geometry with the Allez bikes. Not quite as twitchy/snappy as the Giant. Specialized makes a larger variety of sizes than Giant so I was able to get a better fit. Specialized customer service is almost as good as Giant's.

Remember, fit is the MOST important thing when buying a bike. If it doesn't fit, you will be less likely to ride.

And I have never heard anything but positive about Felt.

Thanks for all your in put guys. I am actually picking up a used bike tomorrow. It was highly suggested by an expierence biker friend of mine. He said it was a ?Sanyo? I've never heard of it, but i trust the guy. He said it would be $1250, but a ton nicer than any store bikes I was looking at in that price range.
o yeah, on Felt, I heard there frames werent very good and they had alot of manufacturing issues. But i guess that is now irrelevent to me anyway.

I'll put in my 2 cents here. I am a newbie to road riding just in the past 5-6 months. I was actually looking at bikes from 700-1000$, and rode quite a few bikes. I ended up liking the specialized, +/- on the trek, didn't like the Giant so much, and ended up really liking a Raleigh. I ended up getting a Raleigh SuperCourse off Ebay from a dealer who was dumping '05 stock for 700$, but this is equipped with full 105 drivetrain (even ultegra rear der) and for the price I paid, was WAY above the quality of anything else in the price range. That being said, after putting 150 miles on the bike in the last week or two, this bike is great, and I wouldn't hesitate to spend the 11-1200 dollar MSRP on this bike at a LBS. The brand is not as recognized for road racing bikes recently, but it is very well built bike, and it comes with carbon seat stays as well, an advantage over the bikes you have listed (I believe). Check it out and see how it compares. I plan on racing it this summer- we'll see how it goes.

I'll put in my 2 cents here. I am a newbie to road riding just in the past 5-6 months. I was actually looking at bikes from 700-1000$, and rode quite a few bikes. I ended up liking the specialized, +/- on the trek, didn't like the Giant so much, and ended up really liking a Raleigh. I ended up getting a Raleigh SuperCourse off Ebay from a dealer who was dumping '05 stock for 700$, but this is equipped with full 105 drivetrain (even ultegra rear der) and for the price I paid, was WAY above the quality of anything else in the price range. That being said, after putting 150 miles on the bike in the last week or two, this bike is great, and I wouldn't hesitate to spend the 11-1200 dollar MSRP on this bike at a LBS. The brand is not as recognized for road racing bikes recently, but it is very well built bike, and it comes with carbon seat stays as well, an advantage over the bikes you have listed (I believe). Check it out and see how it compares. I plan on racing it this summer- we'll see how it goes.

So, let me get this straight. You test rode a bunch of bikes at your LBS(s). Including the one you eventually purchased. Yet you purchased the bike you liked from an Etailer. Don't expect good service when you bring the thing in for a tune up later this summer.

Did you even talk to your LBS to see what they could do for you prior to buying online? They may not be able to match the online price exactly, but most will do what they can to make the purchase more attractive.

So, let me get this straight. You test rode a bunch of bikes at your LBS(s). Including the one you eventually purchased. Yet you purchased the bike you liked from an Etailer. Don't expect good service when you bring the thing in for a tune up later this summer.

Did you even talk to your LBS to see what they could do for you prior to buying online? They may not be able to match the online price exactly, but most will do what they can to make the purchase more attractive.

Don't expect the LBS to give him poor service because he bought online. A smart lbs will realize they can make money after the sale on high profit margin items like saddlebags, clothes, helmets, and most importantly, on maintenance and repairs on a non-warrantied bike.