# Going to buy my first road bike. Need help choosing from bikesdirect.



## Blasian4992 (Apr 29, 2014)

Hey everyone so I'm going to start getting into riding on roads well more like the parks around here. They span around 15 to 20 miles and then I'll start riding on the road. But I went to a LBS and he has a cannondale caad8 claris for 670. But I've been looking at bikes direct for a really long time now and i'm trying to figure out what to get... I don't want to spend more than 550 or 600. I want to get something that will be good for me. I'm 5'8/9. 134 lbs. But I've been looking at trying to get the best bike for my money. Can anyone point me in the right direction from anything on bikes direct? If nothing can compete with the caad8 I'll probably just get that but I'm on a tight budget. Thanks!


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Get the CAAD 8 or similar. If you are asking these questions you need the help of an LBS. A base model Giant TCR would probably be about the same price. Also with Claris. I got my daughter an Avail 5 for 700. 

The LBS put her on it, measured her, ordered a smaller size. Then tested her again and ordered a shorter reach handlebar. No extra charge. 

Sure I could have got her something cheaper on BD but it would not fit her.


----------



## Blasian4992 (Apr 29, 2014)

How do people who have ridden for a while have the confidence to buy a bike online without sitting on it first? Another question... When I test drive the caad8 I hated the shifters. The whole thumb shifter thing was what I didn't like. How much will it cost to get them changed in the future do you think? Also is 670 a good deal for the caad? Thanks


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Blasian4992 said:


> How do people who have ridden for a while have the confidence to buy a bike online without sitting on it first? Another question... When I test drive the caad8 I hated the shifters. The whole thumb shifter thing was what I didn't like. How much will it cost to get them changed in the future do you think? Also is 670 a good deal for the caad? Thanks


Thumb shifters? Sounds like an old model. My daughter's Claris is the typical Shimano shifter brifter combo. 

That said I have a Secteur with the old Sora and the thimb shifter. It's not so bad, you can get used to it. Replacing it would likely be fairly costly, but you can ask. 

670 sounds good, especially if the current year. If older, maybe try and get it down another 50 or so. 

How do experienced riders get comfortable buying on line? I wouldn't know, I would feel very uncomfortable. But I guess if you know all of your measurements and have been fitted you could make a decent guess. I wouldn't.


----------



## Blasian4992 (Apr 29, 2014)

Okay awesome. I'll see if I can get him to come down 50 bucks or so. Also I guess 670 isn't bad for this bike. I was pretty impressed by the weight. And Okay I'll ask about what it would cost in the future. But you're probably right... By then I wouldn't even care I would be used to it. Thanks for your help.


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

Blasian4992 said:


> Okay awesome. I'll see if I can get him to come down 50 bucks or so. Also I guess 670 isn't bad for this bike. I was pretty impressed by the weight. And Okay I'll ask about what it would cost in the future. But you're probably right... By then I wouldn't even care I would be used to it. Thanks for your help.


Any time. I will say that one of the reasons I wanted to upgrade was to get away from the thumb shifters. Funny thing though, now that I use that bike as a second bike, I don't mind them at all.


----------



## BobCat1983 (Apr 25, 2014)

Blasian4992 said:


> Hey everyone so I'm going to start getting into riding on roads well more like the parks around here. They span around 15 to 20 miles and then I'll start riding on the road. But I went to a LBS and he has a cannondale caad8 claris for 670. But I've been looking at bikes direct for a really long time now and i'm trying to figure out what to get... I don't want to spend more than 550 or 600. I want to get something that will be good for me. I'm 5'8/9. 134 lbs. But I've been looking at trying to get the best bike for my money. Can anyone point me in the right direction from anything on bikes direct? If nothing can compete with the caad8 I'll probably just get that but I'm on a tight budget. Thanks!


Hey Blasian!
I have recently purchased a Motobecane Mirage S from BikesDirect. I really like it, even more and more each day i can ride it, unfortunately i live in southwest Michigan and right now the weather isn't cooperating!
I had owned a Cannondale R700, shows my age, and really like it! I thought it was an excellent bike. Have you compared the components of the CAAD to any of those at BD? That's what I think you might want to do. I've been out of the loop re: bikes for awhile since i didn't purchase a new 1 until 2012. Before that and before and after the R700 i just road a MTB. Recently i got back into cycling. i had been an amateur triathlete when i was younger so the R700 was my baby.
I too could not afford much in the way of a new bike until i checked BD!
I did buy a 2011 Specialized hybrid in 2012 just for the discount at a LBS; that's all i got from them. It's the only LBS in town and he knows it! They really didn't even fit me for it! Bad customer service and high repair prices too! But that's off the path!
I had earlier purchased an inexpensive repair stand ($38) on Amazon which does what i need. I get maintenance info usually from online videos. I do my own maintenance and so it wasn't hard for me to assemble and adjust my Mirage S, which i bought after selling the Specialized because i wanted the aerodynamics for the road. I road about 90-95% on the road so it made sense to get a road bike.
Sorry about the blabbing!
I measured myself for a bike by checking several websites re: bike fit like ebicycles. So, i felt confident about the fit.
Buy what makes you feel comfortable. I know that LBS in a 50 mi radius here charge about $650 for an entry level road bike. i fell that the Mirage S was a step above.
Like i said, I really like it more and more. Just remember you need to assemble it and maintain it if you want to save the money.

Keep on Rolling


----------

