| Re: Recommendations for a road bike newbie
Rangersfan wrote:
> I have an excellent bike shop less than a mile from my house. The
only
> problem is their selection of bikes is limited to just a few models.
I
> know their recommendation will be limited in scope to those bikes.
I'd
> just rather have a recommendation not limited to the particular stock
> of any one bike shop.
That's a valid consideration.
If I were in your situation, I would still go to the bike shop first.
Since you mention comfort as a priority, tell the shop employee what
you're looking for. They may not have a huge range of models to choose
from so just look at what they DO have. You're not committing yourself
to one make or model just by showing up.
You list comfort as a priority. I know from experience that comfort is
a criterion that means something different to everybody. The amount of
time you'll be spending on the bike will factor in, as well as how a
particular bike fits you. You'll really only learn about this by
actually hopping on bike.
If you're not satisfied with the selection at the first biks shop,
you'll at least have a personal basis for comparison. You can evaluate
future bikes based on whatever criteria you've determinie will be most
important.
As a personal example, I bought a new mountain bike last year. I went
to a few different shops (3, to be exact) and told them basically what
I was looking for and what I had to spend. The first shop I went to
let me take a couple Gary Fishers for a test drive. I ended up getting
the Marlin, even though the Tassajara had better components. The
problem with the Tass, even though it was still in my budget, was that
it was just a little too uncomfortable to ride. Had I done my primary
research over the Internet, I would probably have gotten more
recommendations for the Tass because of the components, but would have
still had the comfort problem. So trying out the bikes in person told
me a lot more than I would have learned online.
I'm not dismissing Usenet as a resource. It's great for a lot of
things, but I think trying out something in person is the only way
you'll really decide on a bike. That being said, I wouldn't even
consider purchasing a bike over the Internet. So my suggestion "go to
a shop" isn't a rebuke, but a well-reasoned recommendation based on
what you specified.
Good luck.
-Bill H.
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