Buying A Road Bike-Research

OK, you have determined what type of new road bike you want based on the type of riding you will be doing and you have set a budget based on your own personal situation. The next step is where the fun begins, research!

Know Your Options

Research is something that many people don’t like to do. But, if you are going to get the best bike for you, knowing what your options are is very important. I personally enjoy the research stage. I like it because I can build my knowledge of something I am interested in, road bikes, by researching. The more knowledge I have the better decisions I make. So, where do you start? I think the best way to start the process is to use the internet. Spend some time getting familiar with the different manufacturers and the different bikes they produce. You can go to their websites and find out more about their different models, prices, and dealers in your area. There are several “groups” of bike companies. I have listed some of the major players and included links to the sites (they will open in a new window):

• The “big 5″ (Trek, Giant, Specialized, Felt, and Cannondale). These are the bikes you will see most represented in your typical LBS (local bike shop). They produce a broad range of bikes at several different price points (from $750-$7500 or more)
• The higher priced manufacturers like Cervelo, Orbea, Pinarello, Look, and Litespeed. These are typically the “speciality” brands that a LBS will carry (one or two) in addition to the big 5. Their bike lines are a little more limited and usually start at a higher price ($2000 and up).
• The high end, custom manufacturers like Seven, Independent Fabrication, Waterford, and Serotta. These are mostly custom built for you and usually fairly expensive (at least $3000 and up). You won’t find these in every LBS but higher end bike shops will have access to these.

Take Notes

While you are going through the various manufactures sites make sure to take notes (or print out) specific information on the bikes you are interested in. Make sure to stick to your budget. When you have a list of potential candidates, find the local dealers in your area that carry the bike(s) you are interested in.

Next Steps

Now that you have narrowed the field a little bit your next step is to visit some local bike shops to get some more specific information. We’ll cover that in the next part.