# Beginner Road Bike Questions Revenio



## pintail (Feb 27, 2014)

Hello to everyone.

First off I am new to bikes so please excuse me for any butchering of the terminology. I am looking to get a bike in the near future but I am a college student and limited on my funds. I want to find a bike around $500 and am looking for any advice you could give me.

My needs for the bike are just to get me interested in the sport. I am a pretty fit guy, and just want to get a feel for the sport. Down the road, possibly after college when I have more time and money, I would like to train and compete in triathlons. This will mainly just be a bike to get me accustomed and learn about this sport. 

My first decision was looking at the Vilano Tuono. From my research this is a bike with cheap components. However the price being under $300 really caught my eye. My problem I foresee is the shifters being up on the top handle bar in a different position than most I have looked at. 
Vilano TUONO 21SPD Shimano Road Bike Best Prices - Road Bikes, Fixed Gear Bikes, Tri Bikes

My second option, and right now I am leaning towards this, is a Raleigh Revenio 1.0. My local shop has the on sale right now for $499.
Raleigh Bicycles - Revenio 1

My first question is are there any better deals that I could find out there? And my second question is will the Revenio fit my needs?

And as far as finding a used bike I am really skeptical based off my limited knowledge.

Thank you for your time


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## country cyclist (Oct 28, 2013)

Hey Pintail, for what my opinion is worth if you can spare the $500,i would go for the revino 1.0. The revino is going to be a little lighter and probably in the long run more dependable. If your wanting to get into cycling i think you would also like having shifters on the brake levers. I'm not familiar with the Vilano,but looking at the spec sheet the revino has better components. The Claris groupset works fine,i have 1000+mi on a set with absolutely no problems. Plus you'll have the support of a local dealer.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

You can get something really nice for $500. Or, you can get something new. But you can't have both.

Both universities I've attended had bike coops. Does yours? Student districts also support used bike shops, IME. I think that's a better way to get a $500 bike.

Do you have any friends who ride?

And for my curiosity - why triathlon? Why not road racing?

Speaking of road racing, college is a great time and place to try it. If your school has a club team, it will never be easier for you to find rides to go on, carpools to events, and support. That's getting ahead of where you're at... but don't sell yourself short.


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## davecm203 (Feb 28, 2014)

I would really recommend that you go used if you can scrape together about $500. You could find a well kept aluminum, Shimano equipped, Giant or Trek. You would get a better frame and probably better components if the were maintained. I would recommend having the bike checked out by a LBS or have a friend who is familiar with bikes give you a hand.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

IMO those two bikes aren't even comparable. The Raleigh is far superior and will hold its value far better than the Vilano.

But beyond that, if you buy from your LBS, you'll get sizing/ fit assistance, a warranty, and the ability to test ride the bike before committing to a purchase. 

Buying used can save you some money, but (to the uninitiated) it's not without pitfalls.


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## pintail (Feb 27, 2014)

Thank you for the replies. As far as what got me interested is my girlfriend wants to run a 5k so we are signing up for a color run to get started. While I was signing up for that I noticed some smaller local triathlons that kinda got me interested. That on top of my dads friend who is in his 50s just completed an iron man or half iron man but I couldn't let him outdo me (although that is way down the road) Haha 


I have always wanted a road bike and a few years back when deciding between a kayak and a bike went with the kayak. But now I have saved up some money and with my bday coming up I want to get one. 


Also thank you for the idea of the riding club and I am going to check into that as soon as I get home today. I am currently at LSU but only have one year left so I'm not sure how into the club I will get. 


As far as used I really am terrified of buying anything used because I have absolutely no idea what I am looking at. I had to ask the guy at my local shop, who was really helpful, what the fork was. I am just really new to the sport. 


As for right now the shop has me sold on the Raleigh Revenio 1.0. It is normally 700ish and they are getting rid of Raleigh and marking them down to $499. So I'll probably be going with that. 

And also to anyone who may be celebrating. Happy Mardi Gras!


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## bmach (Apr 13, 2011)

I had a revinio for my first bike when I got back into riding. A year later I bought a cannondale synapse and put the Raleigh on my KK trainer. It should be fine for you and if you get the bug you can move up if not you did not spend a lot.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Do you swim?

I feel like people put competition on way too much of a pedestal. Especially things like 5ks and sprint triathlons, that you don't get dropped from and DNF if you can't keep up with the pack. Do the next one. You'll figure out where your biggest liability is and if you even want to do them. Multisport races are a bit bizarre. The transitions are killer. At least, bike to run and vice versa. I don't swim.

That's kind of tangential to the issue of getting a bike. The Ravenio looks pretty basic, but everything on it matches current standards, so you shouldn't have any nasty surprises as you put in the miles and wear things out. Wheels may only be good for about a season, but something's gotta give to stuff a bike into $700. I considered something comparable a couple years ago, after breaking my previous commuter, and probably would have done it if a friend hadn't offered to sell me one of his.


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## pintail (Feb 27, 2014)

Yea. As of right now that is probably my strong-suit. I grew up on a lake in HS and my parents have a pool. Actually biking will probably be my weakness just because I have only ridden bmx bikes around the neighborhood as a kid.

For now I'm pretty sure I will go with the Revenio. I know of the condition of the bike plus I will have the service from my LBS for a year when I am getting to know things. I thought this would be helpful for me in the future. Then after I get out of college I could step up to another bike if I am interested or sell the bike and not lose too much.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Everybody loves to complain about their leg of a triathlon, but there are also ways to argue that each leg is the most important. Gotta love opinions.

The good and bad for swimming is that a good swimmer can get a "hole shot" and just keep working it for the rest of the race. One reads about a bit of an aquatic mosh pit for the bad swimmers, forcing them to waste energy and chase back into the race during the bike leg.

The bad is that by time, it's usually the shortest leg of a tri, by a lot.

You'll take a bath selling that bike, but otherwise, your reasoning for a new bike isn't bad. Does the shop fit it for you?


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## pintail (Feb 27, 2014)

Yes the shop will fit it for me plus they have one year of service with any bike you buy. I guess that is standard. Just checked and now I see the bike has a $50 mail in rebate so I get that as well. So I can but a helmet with that. So I'm guessing for $450 I can't pass it up.


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## pintail (Feb 27, 2014)

And by take a bath. Is that good or bad and do they hold their value? Just curious.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

pintail said:


> And by take a bath. Is that good or bad and do they hold their value? Just curious.


When referring to reselling, "take a bath" generally means it's a losing proposition, but most bikes are ultimately sold at a loss. They should be, because the new owner gets no warranty, the bike is (obviously) used to some degree and there's an element of the unknown as to its history (crashes, etc.) 

Percentage-wise, for the price you're paying, I doubt you'd take a big hit. But that aside, for the price you're paying, just ride the bike for a couple/ three years and decide from there. You may opt to use it as a trainer/ rain/ beater bike, but no matter, if you ride it to any extent, it'll owe you nothing.

As long as the bike fits your intended uses and anatomy, I doubt you'll regret this purchase.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

pintail said:


> And by take a bath. Is that good or bad and do they hold their value? Just curious.


I believe he means you won't be able to get a whole lot for the bike should you decided to sell it in a year or two and upgrade.

For your budget, I would jump on the Raleigh. Much better than the Vilano bike, which you may have a hard time sizing to yourself without being able to try it. You wouldn't be able to resell it for anything down the line. At least you'd still get something for the Raleigh should you look to upgrade in a few years.

For the price, the Raleigh will be a great bike to get you into the sport.

Don't wait, go ride it already!


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

bikesdirect.com

Save Up To 60% Off Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage Pro
Save Up to 60% Off Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage S
Road Bikes - DawesLightning1200
Road Bikes - DawesLightning1000

bikes direct is the way to go, man. perfect for your needs, in your price range, good entry level components, free delivery, any number of choices

what else is there?


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

easyridernyc said:


> bikesdirect.com
> 
> Save Up To 60% Off Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage Pro
> Save Up to 60% Off Road Bikes - Motobecane Mirage S
> ...


Sizing/ fitting assistance, test rides, all the services a LBS offers that an online retailer _doesn't_ provide.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

PJ352 said:


> Sizing/ fitting assistance, test rides, all the services a LBS offers that an online retailer _doesn't_ provide.


lol...ok no problem. im just sayin, man...with that budget and for the first time out, the bd entry level bikes are very, very competitive...


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## Deering (Apr 10, 2007)

Well you mentioned a helmet, but don't forget other expenses such as patch kit, tubes, chain lube, .... But you mentioned a birthday, so maybe some of those things can be handled there.

One other thing. When I was in college I would think that I would have a lot of time to do stuff after graduation. For me that was not the case. As busy as I was in school with studying, writing and tests, I ended up with less time after college and in the working world. So get a bike and ride as much as you can now.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

Bd bikes are not so great for a newbie, more for someone who already knows their sizing, and practice and skill at assembly (unless they take it to a shop to be built). Can't tell you how many times I've done a tune-up on a BD bike the customer thought they had assembled correctly and many things were not done right. People think all they need to do is put on the front wheel and handlebars and they're good to go. Out of the box and out the door in 15 minutes, most of that spent taking off the packaging. If it takes less than an hour from box to door, I could almost guarantee several important steps were skipped (and that's by someone who knows what they are doing). 

OP's best choice is the Revenio. He sounds like he definitely needs help with sizing/fitting and assembly and maintenance. He could also really use some face-to-face with a person who can answer questions for hm. The internet is useful for that stuff, but not as good as an actual live person, imho.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

pintail said:


> And by take a bath. Is that good or bad and do they hold their value? Just curious.


"Take a bath" is bad. Retail bikes drop about 40% of their sticker price when you wheel them out of the store. They continue to depreciate with time and every scratch and dent.

At a certain point, they do hit a minimum of sorts. For example, I think a bike that goes, stops, shifts, and doesn't need work right off the bat is worth at least $100. So far, no $90 department store bike has made me rethink this.  Goes, stops, shifts, no work needed, and modern standards, $200.

Basically, if you look at retail bikes in financial terms, they're straight-up losers. So are most items of sporting equipment. So are cars. There are very few things that carry a similar value outside retail channels to what retailers can charge for them. But in the post in which you said you planned to buy retail, you listed a number of reasons you're making that choice. Those are all valid reasons, and clearly they have value for you. They also have value to any potential buyer for your bike down the road, but he won't get them. So you're going to have trouble making a sale if you expect him to pay for them.

On the other hand, owning a bicycle gives you the opportunity to ride it. Hopefully you'll extract the same enjoyment and utility from riding bikes that the rest of us have. If you think that, over whatever period you expect to have this bike, is worth the price you paid, you're all good. If down the road you can get some money back out of it, that's pure bonus.

My current road bike was a retail purchase and cost me a lot extra in credit card interest and replacements for broken or non-functional components. But I got, and continue to get, a lot of joy from the riding I do on it. So I'm glad I have it. And there's no sense whining about the money at this point; 2009 sucked for a lot of people. It does have me a little less positive about the least expensive retail bikes, though.

So don't treat this like an object carrying intrinsic or negotiable value, and you're all good. Let its value be in what it lets you do.


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