# Beginner Ready to buy new Road Bike in $5,500 - $7,500 range (Trek, C'dale, or Scott)



## dieseleee (Oct 31, 2013)

All - I have a a pretty nice credit for a new bike in my LBS (from a friend who returned his bike and then sold me credit at a big discount). The LBS only sells C'Dale, Trek, and Scott. Want to get a great endurance bike with some "get-up" / speed. I've sprinkled 5 questions in this post. Tried everything and I think I narrowed it down to a 2014 high end 6 series Trek Domane and 2014 Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod. Very tough between the 2. The latter offers this Black Inc. very high end version that has all the top of the line components like Dura-Ace, but *(1)* do I really need that or can I get away with Ultegra as a beginner in 2013 and a pretty hefty guy (6 feet / 245 trying to get to >200 over next 6 months)? *(2)* So let me know thoughts on Ultegra vs. Dura-Ace for a recreational rider who wants to get in shape and get to doing Tris in a year or two. *(3)* But thoughts on the best bikes in this price range let me know. Remember I am going for endurance then speed. Don't like the Modanes, but Domane and Synapse were great. *(4)* Also, as a beginner, should I keep the tires that come with these bikes are spend another $2,000 for some top of the line Aeolus or Zipp tires? Any help would be appreciated. *(5)* I'm also a little worried that the matte black incs. may be too dull?


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## SBard1985 (May 13, 2012)

Get a nice bike you like, it is really up to you. Use the extra cash to get nice pedals, shoes, helmet, bibs or shorts, jerseys, sunglasses, gloves, and any other accessory you may need. In other words, I wouldn't worry about using the whole credit just towards the bike purchase. As far as any help being appreciated, I think you are referring to the wheels, not the tires. Black is classy, not dull.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

matte black is definitely too dull... some would say, ugly. Make sure that you buy something with the brand name decal shown at least six times, preferably with reflective tape so that your friends can check out your ride in low light too!


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

perpetuum_mobile said:


> You better get DuraAce rather than Ultegra because it will make you much faster. I would say 1.5-2 mph faster. And you definitely need Zipps because they will give you tremendous aerodynamic advantage (even at 15mph). After all, the reason why Zipps have dimples is to make you go faster. Add another 2mph. In addition, bikes with matte black paintjob are faster than bikes with ordinary color schemes. Unfortunately, the matte black paintjob will add only 0.7-1mph, however DuraAce, Zipps and paintjob will sum up to 4-5mph which is a serious advantage.


OP, I sincerely hope you picked up on the sarcastic nature of that entire reply. I'm also operating under the assumption that your opening post is serious, too.

That being said, here is what I'd seriously recommend:

Go with whichever bike feels the most comfortable to you. If it doesn't fit well, you'll hinder your performance when you start competing. I think Dura-Ace is overkill for components. They don't noticeably improve upon Ultegra ones. Even as a beginner 105 should be more than sufficient. As for the wheels, you should probably get a different set than stock, but don't blow all that money on high-end wheels just yet. Most road bikes these days come with run-of-the-mill wheels (i.e. Mavics) with a 20/24 front/rear spoke counts. At your weight you need a set that is either 28/32 or 24/28 at the least. When you get down to 200 you will still require a 24/28 spoke count unless you want your wheels going out of true prematurely or breaking spokes. A lot of people around here recommend the staple builds of Pacenti SL23 rims or Hed C2 rims with Sapim CX-ray spokes and T11 hubs by White Industries. A build like that will be light enough for climbing yet strong enough and durable enough to withstand your weight, and you can get these custom made for around $800. When you've improved your fitness a lot and have dropped to your racing weight then you should consider going with some more expensive wheels. I wouldn't recommend Zipps because their hubs are kinda garbage in my opinion; they're not horrible, but for the money you spend you definitely get gypped. Zen Cyclerly can build you some "stallion build" Enve 3.4s or 6.7s. Boyd Cycling offers stallion build 44 mm and 60 mm carbon wheels as well. So does ROL Wheels with their 45 mm carbon sets.


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## DaveWC (Sep 21, 2012)

I think you'll be disappointed with most answers you get to this thread because you sound like a complete beginner but you're contemplating buying a very expensive bike. For instance it's hard to give you a reason to spend $2,000 on new wheels when you refer to them as tires. And I get that it's just terminology and you're new so you don't know better. But it's because you're new that you don't need nor will you appreciate a $7k bike. You'd be far better off finding a bike in the $2k range with Shimano 105 and stock wheels and saving your credit for all of the extras that you'll need. Ride that bike for a couple of years and then consider upgrading. You may find it suits you fine and you don't need a more expensive bike. You may also find that things like pedals, shoes, a saddle, bib shorts, jerseys, cold weather clothing, pumps, tire/tubes, bottle cages & bottles add up to a much larger chunk than you imagined.


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## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Dude, I soooo wnna be you right now. 

Anyway, to your point, at the price range you are at, need is more about fit than anything else. You're well past the minimum requirements on both of those frames. Sure, Dura-Ace is premium, but how much of a premium will it be to YOU (in terms of performance, that is) is the question.

Whatever frameset you choose (again based on fit or personal taste) the one "must have" for me at that price point would be Di2 11 speed; that's a drivetrain you may regret not having bought with the bike, but down the road wind up with an intense case of "upgraditis" in short order. That shouldn't happen when you're laying out that much cash for a bike. 

Wheels will come into play as you ride a bit more, but you can accomplish your goals (weight and fitness, that is) without the bling and associated costs of Zipps for a while anyway. You will probably want to add a monitor, shoes, kit, different saddle/seatpost/bars/cassettes/stems, as well so save about $500-$800 for those espenses as well. 

Let us know how it goes.


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## Typetwelve (Jul 1, 2012)

You're problem is being a complete beginner, you don't even know what it is you like at this point.

Bikes are a funny thing...it takes time on one to really begin to know what it is you do and do not like in a bike...and how to recognize those items quickly.

Figuring you're coming from ground level, I would definitely recommend against upgrading a bike right off the bat...so many things on a bike are personal. Price tags and brand names do not mean something will or will not appeal to you.

I say, if the store credit doesn't expire, get a stock bike, leave it that way and ride the thing. Spend a season on it and see what it is you do and do not like about it. A good, comfortable road bike with an Ultegra (electronic or wired...either way) set will be perfect (hell, I run 105 and suits me just fine). Don't waste the $$ on dura ace...at this point you will not get the benefits of a lighter group, trust me.

Get a good kit. Shoes, bibs, jersey, gloves and a lightweight helmet. That alone can run $700-1000+ at LBS prices. A top tier pair of shoes can run $400-500 alone.

Get fit to the bike and ride/enjoy the thing. Don't upgrade things simply because you have the $$...


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

get a $500 bike off Craigslist...see if you even like cycling.

a noob blowing $5-7K on a bike is a pretty dumb move.


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## perpetuum_mobile (Nov 30, 2012)

This is amazing, my posts just disappeared. This is another of those fake threads set up by mods. A noob spending 7k on a bike? Seriously? Who would believe that?


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## perpetuum_mobile (Nov 30, 2012)

One of my original posts is left as a quote in a SauronHimself post. But how come my posts are gone? I did not delete them.


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## dougclaysmith (Oct 17, 2009)

perpetuum_mobile said:


> This is amazing, my posts just disappeared. This is another of those fake threads set up by mods. A noob spending 7k on a bike? Seriously? Who would believe that?


No, they're out there. 

I remember the first time I saw a ISP bike with DI2 in my LBS, I remember asking, Wow, some stud is gonna love that bike. The dude at the shop said no, it will be some rich business man that has never ridden who will buy just to have the best but will never ride it.


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## Team Sarcasm (Oct 22, 2012)

I also second (or third?)the idea of getting a less expensive bike. I have a alloy 2012 synapse right now and love it Nothing special about it but gets the job done just fine. 

Being new to biking you may fall a few times, especially if you go clip-less. A carbon bike as your first one may be tempting...and the lbs my tell you "you don't need to worry about falling with a carbon bike" ...but a wiser choice (in my opinion) would be to get a caad10 or alloy synapse. Both are awesome bikes, the caad10 being a bit better i think. 

This will allow you to get all your mistakes out of the way on a much more durable frame and then when you hit your target weight reward yourself with a new fancy carbon bike and have the other bike as a winter/back up bike. And as others said this will give you money for other things like lights/computer/clothing which can get pricey pretty quick. shorts and a jersey alone can be 100$ easy, A winter jacket could be 100+ by its self, gloves 30-50 etc... 

As far as components...I think 105 is the best bang for the buck in terms of functionality to cost effectiveness, especially if you're not racing....but this is coming from a college student on college student wages..sooo I am going to assume your a bit better off than I am so take it with a grain of salt  

What ever you buy post pictures


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

Another thing to bear in mind: Don't get caught up in model years. Typically, the differences between one model year and the next is the paint job and maybe the wheels. You can often get a much better deal on a previous year model that the LBS wants to eradicate. It's wasteful floor plan spending for them, so they'll price it to leave. The only reason I would ever get hung up on the year model is because of looks. For example, I have a 2012 Scott Foil 15 and wouldn't buy a 2013 because the brushed silver of the 2012 looks way better than the matte gray of the 2013.


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## junior1210 (May 2, 2013)

One more vote for the less expensive bike for two reasons. 1) Getting 105 instead of any of the Di2's, so you can learn how to shift correctly before getting the shortcut hardware. 2) Store credit will eventually run out, and parts still have to be maintained, fixed, and/or replaced. If you don't race or even train real hard, then you really don't need the upper tier parts and don't need the cost that goes with them.


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## timeless (Jun 2, 2007)

I will join in on getting the less expensive bike. What is the point of getting a very expensive bike if you do not know what upgrades are worth it. Also not worth jumping right in and upgrading stuff. Remember upgrades do not get you much more speed or much else. Ride it for a while and slowly start figuring out the upgrades. Big time is just upgrade parts as you wear stuff out and figure out what you want which takes time.

I bought a 2012 Cannonade supersix 105 about a year ago. This was my first road bike. Now a year later and 3-4k miles later I have just more formed my long term upgrade plans to it. Most parts will be upgraded as the old stuff wears out.
Like others have said get the last year's model as they offer nice deals. Heck only reason I have a carbon frame is I got it for less than the CAAD 10 105 2013. Difference between 2012 and 2013 Supersix is the paint job. C'dale made no other changes and Shimano's 105 line did not change between the 2 years.

Take the cheaper bike and buy good bibs and some jerseys. Those make a much larger improvement over anything that higher specs on the bike. They are worth the money dumping into it.


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## StarTrekBiker (Oct 16, 2013)

I am a newb too. Been riding for about 2 months now. My goals is to ride a double century next summer. My budget for a bike was much smaller than yours, but I would agree with most of the experienced posters here in this thread. I bought a middle-of-the-road aluminum bike off of bikesdirect.com. And as mentioned by others, there are what seem to be a ton of accessories that go along with it. You may figure that you really don't 'need' any of these, but I have found that actually, you really DO. Keep in mind that in most cases, none of the following are included with the bike when you buy it.

-Bike shorts/bib with a chamois. How much is not having a sore butt worth to you? Sore butt = no riding.
-Jersey with pockets in back. How else are you going to carry ID? You are going for endurance riding, so you are going to need to bring food to refuel along the way. Bike shorts don't come with pockets. 
-Shoes/pedals. These make HUGE difference in performance, and is noticeable even by beginners. Your performance will be better being clipped in to a low end bike, than using a high end bike with regular pedals. And you have to get comfortable shoes. Sore feet = no riding.
-Bike computer. You really do need a way to measure how you are doing, and a bike computer is the best way. Without something to objectively measure your improvement, you are more likely to give up or get discouraged in your training. 
-Safety gear (reflectors, lights, blinkies, helmet, etc). This is self explanatory.
-Repair kit with spare tube, pump, tools. Unless you like the idea of being stranded 50 miles from home, a repair kit is an essential 'just in case' thing you need.
-Heart rate monitor. You may not think this is necessary, but I've reached a point where it would really help my training to know what my HR is. You've said you are doing this, in part, for health reasons (ie weight loss). A monitor will help you make this easier to tune your effort when riding.

So all this stuff can add up in terms of your budget. The other thing that I have discovered, is that since I started riding, I've started to wonder about additional upgrades. I certainly would be disappointed if I spend over $5K on a bike and found that there were some things that I didn't like about it. For example, I've been toying with the idea of getting a different gear set. Currently I run a 12/25 cassette, but thinking about getting a 28 for the many hills around where I live. But when I first starting riding, I had NO CLUE what 12/25 meant. And even if I did, I wouldn't know if it would be something that would work for me or not. So don't spend all your LBS credit just on the bike. Buying something that costs lots of $$ doesn't necessarily mean you will like it.


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## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

Dang man. What I'd give to have your cash on hand. I'm a junior racing a $450 bike that weighs double a new Trek Domane.

If you're talking practicality, you don't need Dura Ace. You could use any groupset for your purposes (endurance, centuries, fitness, it seems) and do just fine. I race 3x8 Sora.

I think you just want some solid wheels. I would recommend getting something like Mavic Kysriums. You don't need aero advantage of the 404s because that only kicks in 25mph + and I doubt you'll ever be going that unless you're descending. Kysriums are plenty light (or so I'm told - I ride stock wheels that have been trued 4 times in the past 6 months) and will spin up real quick.

If you have 5k to spend, I'd put 3k into a Synapse with Shimano 105/Rival (I personally like being different, and a ton of people have Treks. Also, Scott is more of a racing company. And since you don't care about that, you probably don't want that geometry), 1k into a Stages or PowerTap powermeter and 1k into a comfy helmet ($100), nice shoes ($200), pedals ($150), and clothing (the rest).

But really, I'd reconsider how much you're dropping on this bike. If I had your credit and your purposes, I'd really just spend $2k max on the bike+equip, no power meter, and give the rest to charity. I'm sure you care about other people, but that extra cash could do a LOT more good than buying you a bike you don't need.


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## Blackbeerthepirate (Apr 26, 2011)

If money isn't a problem, then get whatever you want. The Domane is a nice riding bike. I know someone who has one and she loves it. There isn't anything wrong with the Synapse. They are both fine bikes. 

You probably won't notice too much difference between Dura Ace and Ultegra, because you are fairly new to it. Just get what you anticipate you will want later on because you're going to get a better price now. Upgrading later is pretty expensive. As for a new wheelset, I'd just ride what they come with for a while. That way you will have a better idea what sort of wheels will best suit your riding style and probably your new weight. Maybe throw some decent tires on. I know you can fit 25s on the Trek. 

Which bike feels the best to you? Which one is going to make you want to go ride it? Don't feel the need to apologize for having a nice bike.

Good luck and welcome.

Don't listen to these guys. everyone knows red bikes are the fastest. It's an interweb fact.


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

endurance… get a Domaine w/ultegra. Put aside about a grand or so for all the extra's you will need. Clothes, computer and whatnot.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

Every poster on this thread has been suckered. Come on, this is not a real situation at all. A "friend" returns a bike worth up to $7500 for credit? He then has the ability to sell that credit to a 3rd party that the LBS will still honor? And the poster uses the brands "Aeolus or Zipp" in reference to tires? 

Give me a break. Ask any LBS if they will accept a return of a $7500 bike for credit, then allow that credit to be swapped, and ask any newb about an Aeolus "tire".

And the post conveniently hits on "controversial" topics: brand war, ultegra vs. dura ace, newby spending tons of $$ on a bike, and color. Woohoo, let the games begin.

Fake thread, 100%. And look at all the free unqiue content generated for the search engines by the replies. And note that the forum poster (not troll) who was paid to start this thread accidentally started it again (there is another identical thread in this forum, just look for it).

This is happening on so many forums. You think you are part of a community - you (and I) are often shills in a ranking scheme.


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## dieseleee (Oct 31, 2013)

canuckjgc said:


> Every poster on this thread has been suckered. Come on, this is not a real situation at all. A "friend" returns a bike worth up to $7500 for credit? He then has the ability to sell that credit to a 3rd party that the LBS will still honor? And the poster uses the brands "Aeolus or Zipp" in reference to tires?
> 
> Give me a break. Ask any LBS if they will accept a return of a $7500 bike for credit, then allow that credit to be swapped, and ask any newb about an Aeolus "tire".
> 
> ...


Hate to bust your bubble. But I'm real as they get. Situation is true. Colleague is on his 3rd bike w/ same LBS in as many months and he while he can keep trading them in, he can't get all of the money, so he is working with me and the store through what they call a gift certificate so I will has as much as $7500 + tax in credit. That synapse is so lovely and it is hard to ignore, but the advice on here was great in terms of starting small and using money to purchase accessories. So we will see. Will try to finalize in this week. Doing a lot of test rides recently on all of the bikes.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

Complete BS man. Funny how your first response was to my post for damage control. We are not stupid bro.

3rd bike trade-in at the $7500 bike level? Wow the BS is piling mighty high.

Tell you what, post a link to the bike shop's website so people here can call and see if that situation happened. Such a generous LBS should get some free marketing on here, sounds like a great shop. 

The post is fake, move-on.



dieseleee said:


> Hate to bust your bubble. But I'm real as they get. Situation is true. Colleague is on his 3rd bike w/ same LBS in as many months and he while he can keep trading them in, he can't get all of the money, so he is working with me and the store through what they call a gift certificate so I will has as much as $7500 + tax in credit. That synapse is so lovely and it is hard to ignore, but the advice on here was great in terms of starting small and using money to purchase accessories. So we will see. Will try to finalize in this week. Doing a lot of test rides recently on all of the bikes.


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## dieseleee (Oct 31, 2013)

canuckjgc said:


> Complete BS man. Funny how your first response was to my post for damage control. We are not stupid bro.
> 
> 3rd bike trade-in at the $7500 bike level? Wow the BS is piling mighty high.
> 
> ...


Still wrong. Not the third at 7500. Started off with a ~$2200 bike in July (Domane 4.5), then a Cervelo S5 in early September I believe, and now this better Cervelo he purchased a couple of weeks ago and doesn't want. He has other bikes. I'm taking this off his hands for $4500, so he gets some cash back. LBS will lose out again as they have to sell the Cervelo he got a few weeks ago at a used discount now. Kind of crazy, but real.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

Ya real crazy man. Link to bike shop website please?

Your damage control is not working bud. I call BS.



dieseleee said:


> Still wrong. Not the third at 7500. Started off with a ~$2200 bike in July (Domane 4.5), then a Cervelo S5 in early September I believe, and now this better Cervelo he purchased a couple of weeks ago and doesn't want. He has other bikes. I'm taking this off his hands for $4500, so he gets some cash back. LBS will lose out again as they have to sell the Cervelo he got a few weeks ago at a used discount now. Kind of crazy, but real.


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## dieseleee (Oct 31, 2013)

canuckjgc said:


> Ya real crazy man. Link to bike shop website please?
> 
> Your damage control is not working bud. I call BS.


Why would I provide a link to website. They are the ones coming out on the wrong end with this set-up. Don't want to promote that. Works for me and my colleague though. Well, my colleague suffered a big loss as well. But he is ok with that. But the LBS seems pretty upset w/ the changes but they can't do anything about it since they offer these types of nice return polices for exchange.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

canuckjgc said:


> Every poster on this thread has been suckered.


I resent this, I never did and still don't take the OP seriously. That said, if others want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I'm not going to derail the thread trying to discredit what seems like obvious bs to me. It's not worth the effort.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

I totally agree with you and it's not likely worth the effort. 

I've just seen so many of these fake threads started purely to gather content on various forums, I got fed-up.



headloss said:


> I resent this, I never did and still don't take the OP seriously. That said, if others want to give him the benefit of the doubt, I'm not going to derail the thread trying to discredit what seems like obvious bs to me. It's not worth the effort.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Hmmm I'd like to know what LBS has such a generous return policy that they let customers ride 3 different bikes for a few weeks and then trade them in at a loss to the LBS. 
Why wouldn't you promote that? If that's their policy it's great customer service and I'd like to shop there.


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

TehYoyo said:


> I think you just want some solid wheels. I would recommend getting something like Mavic Kysriums. You don't need aero advantage of the 404s because that only kicks in 25mph + and I doubt you'll ever be going that unless you're descending. Kysriums are plenty light (or so I'm told - I ride stock wheels that have been trued 4 times in the past 6 months) and will spin up real quick.


so, you're recommending wheels you've never ridden..?

proving once again that free advice is priceless.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

Exactly what I thought. You don't provide a link because the entire story is fake.



dieseleee said:


> Why would I provide a link to website. They are the ones coming out on the wrong end with this set-up. Don't want to promote that. Works for me and my colleague though. Well, my colleague suffered a big loss as well. But he is ok with that. But the LBS seems pretty upset w/ the changes but they can't do anything about it since they offer these types of nice return polices for exchange.


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## SBard1985 (May 13, 2012)

I'm calling BS too. New member with only a couple other posts, asking advice on new bikes in those threads as well. 

And the OP only chimes in when somebody finally calls them out for "shenanigans".

BS


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## dieseleee (Oct 31, 2013)

SBard1985 said:


> I'm calling BS too. New member with only a couple other posts, asking advice on new bikes in those threads as well.
> 
> And the OP only chimes in when somebody finally calls them out for "shenanigans".
> 
> BS


I promise. Not BS. Just don't want to promote the shop as this is a flaw in their policy. Not anything they are proud about I'm sure.


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## SBard1985 (May 13, 2012)

dieseleee said:


> I promise. Not BS. Just don't want to promote the shop as this is a flaw in their policy. Not anything they are proud about I'm sure.


I know REI and Backcountry.com changed their return policies recently, still good IMO though. Do they do everything possible to keep their return policies "hush hush"? 

Didn't think so. 

BS.


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## canuckjgc (Jan 25, 2010)

Now it's a flaw in their return policy! A * local bike shop* (that's what you said) has a "flaw" in their return policy that requires them to keep accepting returns of high end bikes at a loss. Now they want to cover it up.

So much BS! How much did Road Bike Review.com pay you to start this ridiculous thread? I'm curious. 



dieseleee said:


> I promise. Not BS. Just don't want to promote the shop as this is a flaw in their policy. Not anything they are proud about I'm sure.


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## dougclaysmith (Oct 17, 2009)

dieseleee said:


> I promise. Not BS. Just don't want to promote the shop as this is a flaw in their policy. Not anything they are proud about I'm sure.


This is where I jump on the BS train. Any shop, store, business etc. would, if they found some loophole in a policy that cost them money, would shut it down immediately. No owner would let something like that go on and on. 

They are not running a charity, they don't wake up, go to work, to lose money.


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## perpetuum_mobile (Nov 30, 2012)

I was the first to smell BS but my slightly sarcastic posts just disappeared. I am sure that mods are involved cuz posts don't disappear just like that. There are bunch of lame fakeazz threads in here-that is just a lousy attempt to keep the traffic high for this forum.


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## Warpdatframe (Dec 9, 2012)

Oxtox said:


> so, you're recommending wheels you've never ridden..?
> 
> proving once again that free advice is priceless.


Come on man didn't you know that aero benefits only happen at 25mph +?


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## TehYoyo (Sep 16, 2012)

Warpdatframe said:


> Come on man didn't you know that aero benefits only happen at 25mph +?


That's actually true. Below 25mph, aero benefits do exist, but they're marginal. Obviously, it's not a hard transition, but that's the number that's usually quoted. At least in studies and marketing. Do you have any counter-evidence?


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## Oxtox (Aug 16, 2006)

Warpdatframe said:


> Come on man didn't you know that aero benefits only happen at 25mph +?


yeah, and you can only hit those kind of speeds descending...


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## sport7 (Jan 10, 2010)

perpetuum_mobile said:


> This is amazing, my posts just disappeared. This is another of those fake threads set up by mods. A noob spending 7k on a bike? Seriously? Who would believe that?


i think mine did too. FWIW i recommended a basic entry level road bike, i.e. a Trek, Giant, BD or Nashbar.........just ride. :thumbsup:


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