# Need help buying my first bike



## Jinxed (Aug 26, 2012)

Hello guys,

I need some advice on what I should buy/look for. First of all, my budget is around 1,000-1,600 with some wiggle room. I want this bike for very light commuting during the week and longer rides on weekends. My commute would only be like 1.5 miles each way. 

The bike I'm most interested in right now is the Specialized Allez, but I'm willing to look elsewhere.(they dont have the secteur here btw) The LBS here has the Sport model for 990 and the Apex model for 1650(?!) but I haven't tried talking them down on the Apex. Even if I manage to get them to sell it for 1.5k... Is the extra money worth it? 

I'm a little worried about the fit... I'm 6'3" and about 240ish... I'm planning to drop to 190 over the next few months(already down from 278 in May). I live in Puerto Rico and people here are very short... So demo bikes are 54cm-56cm and I'm not sure if I'm a 58 or a 61. 61s here are impossible to find anyway so I might be stuck with a 58 regardless. The guys at the lbs said that if you're in between two sizes more often than not the smaller frame is the better fit... But who knows... I wouldn't know a good fit from a bad fit and I'm sure they'll say the 58 is perfect because they don't have a 61..

So my question is if I should be looking at other models, things to look out for with the bikes and fit, if I should be concerned about stock wheels holding my weight, and the sport to apex upgrade. There's lots of hills here if that's relevant...

Thanks!!!!


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Always look at other models.

How about some links? Specialized just shuffled model years, and their Puerto Rican models may not be quite the same as their US models. There's often a few differences; sometimes they matter.

TBH, I don't know if I'd bother to ride a bike a mile and a half to work. I walk that in twenty minutes or so. By the time I've gotten on and off the bike, dealt with my helmet, dealt with securing the bike, etc., being faster while riding doesn't save me enough time. I ride two and a half miles to school, and I don't have to plan much more time when I've broken my commute bike and need to walk it.

Did you like the Apex shifters better than Shimano's offerings? Have you tried both Sora and Tiagra? While I'm not a SRAM fan, I have to admit that their stuff does work. So it really comes down to which shifters feel better to you.

For sizing - depending on how much time your shop is willing to spend on the project, you don't really need a 58cm or 61cm bike present to figure out which bike you should be on. If they set you up on a 56cm bike with a boat anchor of a stem that messes up the handling, going to a larger size basically means moving the front wheel further forward. More top tube, less stem. Usually also a less embarrassing number of spacers or less embarrassing angle on the stem. Going from a 56cm to a 58cm Allez would mean about 20mm less stem. So if you're comfortable on a 56cm with a 130mm stem, a 58's probably your size. If it takes a 140mm stem or even that's not enough, get the 61cm.

While I'd agree with the "err on the side of small" idea, bike sizing is relatively fine-grained, so you may not need to make that decision.

The stock wheels look like they have a "normal" spoke count. If they're built well, they should be okay for your weight. They might need a bit more attention than something with a few more spokes and heavier-duty rims, but they're not going to fold up on your first ride either. You can wait on the possibility of different wheels until you need them.


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## Jinxed (Aug 26, 2012)

http://www.specialized.com/pr/en/bikes/road/allez/allezsportcompact#features
http://www.specialized.com/pr/en/bikes/road/allez/allezcompapexmid-compact

The models are the same. The only difference I noticed is that there's an extra color scheme for the sport. Walking is not an option due to sidewalk conditions.. (no one walks here) plus someone on a bike going at 15+mph is less likely to get mugged by a junkie. It's either car or bike... Car costs 7$+ per day to park at school :-/ 

What other models should I be looking at? I thought CAAD 10 and maybe Fuji Roubaix but getting a bike my size for those brands here is going to be a challenge. 6'3" here is like 6'6"+ in the states and stores just don't carry stuff for people my size. Specialized's saving grace is that their sizing apparently runs large. Plus from what I've read the Cannondales are a little more aggressive positioningwise than what I think I'd find ideal.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Different wheels on the two different bikes too.

Give some thought to where you're going to keep the bike. Here in the US, a $1000+ bike parked at a college campus or other outdoor location is in real danger of being stolen. You may want to get a cheap old bike to ride to school and get this one (or not) for your weekend rides. For a long time, I was riding a bike I bought for under $100 as my commuter. Now I'm on one I got for $450. I found my COO was driven more by breaking stuff on the bike than by vandalism or theft, with my current use of a commute bike.

Looks like different wheels between the two bikes. I don't know how they're different, neither is described very well. Probably still Sora vs. Apex for me.

Rather than asking the internet what other models you should look at, find out what other brands are available in your area. I have some brands I like, but I don't know if you can get them. So my suggestions aren't going to be very useful. To take it a step further, rather than looking at brands of bikes, look at shops you like. The brands mostly make pretty comparable products. They're in direct competition, after all. Some might size in ways that are better or worse for you, but you're going to need a lot of help from your shop to nail the right size. So visit a few more shops, look at some bikes and talk to the people on the sales floors, ride some bikes if you can, and I can just about guarantee that instead of asking, "Which brand in a world in which there are dozens should I look at?" you'll be saying, "I'm looking at these two or three bikes," or even "I really liked this bike and I ordered one."


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

For long rides on weekends and a short commute (and assuming you aren't going to join the local crit every weekend), I'd recommend taking a look at road bikes with an endurance geometry. These will be more comfortable on the long rides and more stable and smooth for the commute. Given your budget Something like the Aluminum Trek Domane, Giant Defy Composite or Aluminum Specialized Secteur.


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## Jinxed (Aug 26, 2012)

Fortunately (as far as locking goes) there's a bike rack right in front of the campus police main office. Even then, to be safe I'd be locking up the bike with a NY legend chain(leaving it there when I leave home ofc) and taking the front wheel upstairs with me. I've yet to see another roadbike there so the thief won't be able to just take another wheel and put it on mine  (since the smallest wheels there are 32s or bigger). To top it off, the rack is inside a parking lot that's only open to faculty (and students after 3pm) so the thief would have to defeat the lock right in front of the police office, grab the bike and carry it to his truck or w/e a good 200ft. Not impossible to steal, but pretty risky and incovenient. 

I could even get away with taking the whole bike upstairs to the medical students lounge. (I'm in med school) I've really thought through the security aspect of it, and believe me.. getting a cheapo commuter bike has crossed my mind but I think my method is manageable. I really really wanna get into cycling and I feel like a decent road bike will be more conducive to that. Commuting isn't really the main reason I'm getting this. I need a form of cardio asap and I hate running(I just can't enjoy it at my weight... too painful..) 

As far as the brands go... most if not all the major ones are available here in some lbs or another(main issue is frame sizes available...) I've gone to 4 shops and the one I liked best sells Specialized, Raleigh, and Diamondback, the Allez just caught my eye from the start. I haven't test ridden it because I guess I was too shy to ask and I figured the demo bike was too small anyway. After the info you gave me I think I'm gonna go there tomorrow and see if I can rectify that.

Thanks a lot for your advice.


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## Jinxed (Aug 26, 2012)

None of the Specialized dealers here carry the secteur :-( only the Roubaix... and I really can't justify going for a carbon frame for my first bike. I'll look into the Giant. Part of the reason I liked the Allez is the adjustable stem; supposedly you can set it up for a more upright position... is that correct? an endurance bike would be cool though, specially if I can fit 28 tubes as I think that's probably going to be more comfortable for my weight.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Two things - first, a commute bike can cost the same or less than the lock you're planning to use. So I'm not suggesting one instead of a nice bike. It'd be in addition. 

Second, don't stress out about the issue of stems too much. While Specialized has a cool four-position stem, it can't reach any positions that conventional stems can't. So the length of the head tube and the amount of uncut steer tube are still the make-or-break aspects of whether or not you can have a more upright position. You might need to buy a +/- 15 degree stem if you couldn't get high enough with the +/- 7ish that most bikes come with. But that's no big deal. You can do +30 if you have to. Even a +/- 6 and a "normal" 30mm spacer stack give close to 50mm of vertical adjustment. Which is a fair amount on a bike that's sized well for a rider. Higher-angled stems stretch that out even more.


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## RyleyinSTL (Aug 6, 2012)

Most so called endurance bikes likely will not fit 28mm tires...however that is not a hard fast rule. Endurance geometry road bikes are basically the same as their "regular" counterparts but usually have a shorter top tube, taller head tube, longer wheelbase and lower bottom bracket. So while more comfortable over the long haul they generally have regular tire clearance.

Defiantly check out the carbon Defy Composite as there is a model within your budget.


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## dawknezz (Aug 31, 2012)

Go to a LBS. Make sure to test a bike out. Makes a world of difference when deciding. At 6'3", 60+ is gonna feel far more comfortable.


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## gte105u (Aug 12, 2012)

I recently picked up the '12 Allez Apex. I love it. I'm 6'1 with a long torso and the 56cm fits well. I really like the SRAM group. I dont't think you can go wrong if the fit is comfortable.


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## boggart (Aug 25, 2012)

Removed


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## cyanca (Aug 31, 2012)

*im in the same boat*

i live in california an im looking for my first road bike ive road mountain bikes an raced bmx my whole life an mostly built my own bikes. i really dont know much about road bikes but the things ive been able to read online my budget is about 1500$ im looking at the trek 2.1 the specialized allez sport compact i just started looking at those specialized secteur they look pretty practical and the fuji roubaix 1.5 an 1.3 i live where there are some hills nothing too crazy but mainly bike paths an smooth roads i plan to log alot of miles every week any suggestions on what to lean towards? and i see different sections like endurance road, competitive road, cycle cross. im 5 7 150 pounds and in good shape will i notice the difference between these bikes i dont plan on racing or anything so does that mean ill regret not getting an endurance bike since i plan on going on long rides


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## LatifB (Sep 6, 2012)

I've been on a 2012 Secteur for the last three weeks and it's a great ride. I'm 5'11 and got a 56 and feel no need to mess with specialized's 4 position stem or move the spacers up. I got the apex group and it's worked great so far. I've heard it compared favorably to 105. I test rode a Cannondale Synapse with 105 and preferred the apex approach to shifting as well as the lower gearing offered for our hilly area. Unfortunately it looks like Specialized isn't offering Apex for the 2013 Secteurs but is for the Allez although the gearing isn't nearly as low.


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## FindTheRiver (May 26, 2012)

dawknezz said:


> Go to a LBS. Make sure to test a bike out. Makes a world of difference when deciding. At 6'3", 60+ is gonna feel far more comfortable.


Yep. I'm 6' 4" and went with a 61 Allez. It was a miracle that I was able to find the one I wanted (2011) in that size, but the wait and quest made all the difference in the world. 

Get what's right for you, not what the LBS might be trying to push on you. You're the one who's gonna spend countless hours and miles on it.


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