[Chain]

So I am looking for the best road bike on the market, been riding for a long time and im looking for an upgrade. What do you guys think, buy one built or build one. Suggestions?

[BigDumbBear]

I made a similar choice a while back with mountain bikes... My suggestion is to pick a brand you like and check out the best completes they have. Read up on the components to verify they don't have anything you don't like. Test ride if possible. Then buy the best one you can afford... If that's what you're going for. An answer to "the best road bike on the market" doesn't really exist, because there are too many opinions involved and it depends greatly on what type of riding you'll be doing with it and what features are most important to you. Features such as lightweight, aerodynamic, strong, climbing gears, touring comfort.... the list keeps going. With any new complete bike, you can always change out any little parts and pieces you don't like and sell your old parts on ebay, or www.twospoke. com, to recover the replacement costs.

[tajcrews]

The best road bike on the market is all relative to your riding style. Are you a weekend rider, touring, racer, etc? That will really help determine what to look at based on geometry and road feel. Make sure you test ride multiple bikes before making any decisions.

[riderman14]

just one piece of advice.buy the best bike you can afford.dont just settle or downgrade. ride on

[riderman14]

Originally Posted by tajcrews

The best road bike on the market is all relative to your riding style. Are you a weekend rider, touring, racer, etc? That will really help determine what to look at based on geometry and road feel. Make sure you test ride multiple bikes before making any decisions.

lived in c-ville for 25 years myself!beware of the drivers there.one of the worst places to road ride i have ever been.all those narrow mountain roads!Barracks road-bad!,rt 20 south-bad!21 curves-bad!Old Lynchburg road-bad!rt-15 to Fork Union-bad!montecello to palmyra-bad!just letting ya know! ride on

[camilo]

Originally Posted by Chain

So I am looking for the best road bike on the market, been riding for a long time and im looking for an upgrade. What do you guys think, buy one built or build one. Suggestions?

No such thing. You really think there's a "Best" of anything? You know of course that very excellent bikes are available in many shapes and colors, ranging from a couple to several thousand dollars. Geometry differences among "excellent" bikes are very different and each rider has specific needs there. No such thing as a "best". There's as many "best" bikes as there are people looking for them.

As for your other question: there's no doubt that the best price, by far, for a package of frame and components is to buy a complete bike, preferably lightly used or new stock from a previous year.

The problem there is that the frame and basic component group will probably be just fine and top quality for your particular price point. But, you may or (more likely) may not be happy with the saddle, bars, stem, seat post, wheels, etc. and gradually or quickly spend money changing those items (note I'm not using the over-used term "upgrade" because most "upgrades" are not, they are merely changing parts).

Most people who build up bikes (a) love doing the work and consider that an end in iteself (b) have very specific wishes and know exactly what they want, (c) have parts to use or (d) spend a lot of time searching for and buying exactly what they want for bargain prices (a LOT of time spent).

I'm on the fence because I pretty much know what I want, but don't have a lot of good parts laying around and do not care to spend months looking. My ideal bike would be a frame of my choosing (I know what I would look for) with a basic top end component group, but without wheels, seat, or handlebars. I have all of those things that I would swap to the new bike since I've spent a lot of time finding and investing in good stuff there.

[tajcrews]

Originally Posted by riderman14

lived in c-ville for 25 years myself!beware of the drivers there.one of the worst places to road ride i have ever been.all those narrow mountain roads!Barracks road-bad!,rt 20 south-bad!21 curves-bad!Old Lynchburg road-bad!rt-15 to Fork Union-bad!montecello to palmyra-bad!just letting ya know! ride on

Yeah Cville does suck roadies, luckily i am way more into mountain biking. No tards to run you over there. Funny how many bike lanes there are here in Cville and so few people who respect cyclists though

[riderman14]

Originally Posted by tajcrews

Yeah Cville does suck roadies, luckily i am way more into mountain biking. No tards to run you over there. Funny how many bike lanes there are here in Cville and so few people who respect cyclists though

do you know about the"community bike shop" down on main street.i think it's down at the end of 7th st.?you can go down and volunteer your time and in exchange,use all their tools and part for free!! it'a a great group of people,and actually a lot of fun. not to mention the rewarding experience you get helping others learn about the general maintainance and up keep on bicycles.they offer free frames,parts and use of tools.all you have to do is spend a little time with other,less knowlegable fellow bikers,helping them.plus,at the end of ever month, they have a free movie you can go watch that they project outside on the building wall! everyone sits out side togeather and it usually has a bike theme to it! free sodas,popcorn,snacks or you can bring what you want! you really should check it out!! ride on

[tajcrews]

Originally Posted by riderman14

do you know about the"community bike shop" down on main street.i think it's down at the end of 7th st.?you can go down and volunteer your time and in exchange,use all their tools and part for free!! it'a a great group of people,and actually a lot of fun. not to mention the rewarding experience you get helping others learn about the general maintainance and up keep on bicycles.they offer free frames,parts and use of tools.all you have to do is spend a little time with other,less knowlegable fellow bikers,helping them.plus,at the end of ever month, they have a free movie you can go watch that they project outside on the building wall! everyone sits out side togeather and it usually has a bike theme to it! free sodas,popcorn,snacks or you can bring what you want! you really should check it out!! ride on

Yeah, i have heard about it. I actually own Play It Again Sports here in Cville and have donated bikes/parts to them before. I worked at a bike shop for 3 years before i bought PIAS so i bought tons of stuff (parts and tools) and do a lot of work on my own bikes and customers if they need it. I have been meaning to check it out just trying to find time is the hardest thing for me. Thanks for the info though. I didn't know they do a movie night. That sounds like fun.

[JostRider]

The best bike (road, mountain, touring, commuting) all comes down to a few things.

1) Does the bike fit correctly? If you are only riding 20-30 miles any old bike will do. But if you are riding long distances and many miles a year, then comfort comes into play. Make sure the bike fits. It can be a $5,000 wonder-bike or a 30 year old classic.

If you end your rides with sore hands, a sore neck, sore butt, and sore feet, then the bike does not fit and the money you spent to ride like Lance was wasted.

2) Are the components, drive train, wheels, hubs, handlebars etc, reliable? If you have to constantly take your bike to the shop for repairs (assuming you are not crashing or abusing your bike) then it is not worth it. Get something with good quality, reliable parts. Don't buy light weight just because it is light weight. Same thing goes for tires. Light weight is nice, but if you are constantly on the side of the road changing flats, it is not good.

3) Buy what you can afford. Not just the total cost of the bike, but the shoes, helmet, shorts, jersey, gloves etc. Now what is your cost per mile over five years? If you ride 500 miles a year (2,500 miles in five years) your cost per mile for a $5,000 bike kit is $2 a mile. Not a bargain in my personal opinion. However if you ride 2,000 miles a year (10,000 miles in five years) then your cost per mile is 50 cents a mile. Again, the more you ride the better cost per mile you get. As parts were out, and even good parts wear out, replace them with quality parts.

One last thing. Health costs. Is investing $3,000 - $5,000 on a bike a good investment in your health? It is if you ride it, it is not if it hangs in your garage or basement.

Ride what fits your body. Ride what fits your lifestyle. Ride what fits your wallet. Ride!