# Your Favorite Entry-Level Road Bike of All Time?



## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

There's just something about a good entry-level bike, mainly because they're like a first love– the first good bike you ever own.









My top picks, in no particular order (and, ironically, I test rode 'em all back in the day, and passed on 'em for a bike I ended up not liking as much...  ):



*Trek 400 Elance* - Reynolds 531 bike for low $400s or so back in '86-87. Wow, imagine if that were possible today... 













*Centurion LeMans RS* - luv the color, nice Tange #2-tubed ride, also for low-$400s, also mid-late '80s. Person in pic isn't me.













*Bridgestone RB-2* - Overshadowed by the legendary RB-1, but at half the price of its' big brother, a terrific value for around $650. Early '90s was its heyday. Also came in a metallic purple I _loved_, but can't find any good pics.


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## BuenosAires (Apr 3, 2004)

Interesting that you would post those bikes. When my buddy and I first got serious about cycling in High school, i bought a Trek 400 in the red to black fade and he bought the Centurion Lemans in that exact color. The Trek was a great bike and i put thousands of miles on it before it was stolen in 1992. My buddy still has the Centurion and is considering converting it to a fixie. Those bikes bring back a lot of great memories.


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## Lighthouse Cycles (Apr 22, 2009)

If your old enough. It has to be a Peugeot UO-8. Preferably in white with alpine gearing. You would be amazed at the number of old riders who had one in their lives.
Tim


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## holy cromoly (Nov 9, 2008)

The Centurion Accordo RS, the 90's era one.

I found it for $100 at the Salvation Army store. Took it home and cleaned it up and it got me back into road riding after 3 years off. Lugged Tange tubing with Shimano SLX and Biopace rings. I later gave it to a co-worker after I picked up a new road bike.










I don't have any photos of it, but I found this photo on the web.


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## Mel Erickson (Feb 3, 2004)

Lighthouse Cycles said:


> If your old enough. It has to be a Peugeot UO-8. Preferably in white with alpine gearing. You would be amazed at the number of old riders who had one in their lives.
> Tim


I didn't have one but I wanted one. I settled for a Stella.


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## flan48 (Aug 25, 2008)

My Giant OCR 3 which was purchased June 2008 - my first road bike and I love it. Of course in retrospect I would have purchased the OCR 2, as the derailleurs, especially tehe front, is better. However, since I almost never use the front derailleur it likely matters very little.

Best regards


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## bane (Aug 30, 2006)

The '06 Fuji Roubaix RC with Ultegra (!) that I still own. Got it on sale and no sales tax after selling another bike.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

Lighthouse Cycles said:


> If your old enough. It has to be a Peugeot UO-8. Preferably in white with alpine gearing. You would be amazed at the number of old riders who had one in their lives.


I seem to recall an older rider conversation one time... something along the lines of, during a certain era, if you didn'y want to shell out an absolute TON of money on a high-priced, high-end Italian-made wonderbike, you pretty much had to go Peugeot. Hence their high popularity for awhile. Does that sound right? I wouldn't know, before my time. :idea: 

I've heard lots of kind things about the UO-8, but also for some reason hear a lot of good stuff about the PX-10 (and still see some around from time to time), which was higher-end.

Pics:


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## QuiQuaeQuod (Jan 24, 2003)

My favorite, because I had one.... Schwinn Tempo. Steel, lugged, 105, 6 speed freewheel, takes 28s for tires (barely). In fact, I still ride one on occasion when my main ride is in the shop (almost never) or the weather is crappy. Lots and lots of miles on it, and most of them good miles.

Not mine:


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## 3rensho (Aug 26, 2003)

Now I need to find a pic of my Ross Paragon............

fun thread, thanks for starting this.


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## bwana (Feb 4, 2005)

The biggest difference in the cost of good entry level bikes from the 80s to now is the percentage of overall cost eaten up by brifters. Basic brake levers and downtube shifters are a lot less expensive than even low end brifters.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

3rensho said:


> fun thread, thanks for starting this.


No prob. I find it an interesting subject.  
.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

bwana said:


> The biggest difference in the cost of good entry level bikes from the 80s to now is the percentage of overall cost eaten up by brifters. Basic brake levers and downtube shifters are a lot less expensive than even low end brifters.


You've got a point. Sora brifters are about $100 more expensive than what a pair of low-end aero brake levers plus cheap downtube shifters would cost. That's a lot of added cost at entry-level bike pricepoints. Sure, those are retail prices I'm using, but even though the bike maker gets components for cheaper than that, once you factor in the distributor's and LBS's margins, the cost is back up pretty far again.

The even worse cost-rape seems to be with midrange bikes... 105 brifters are $300-350+ retail, i.e. almost what a good entry-level _bike_ from 20 years ago would cost. Just ridiculous, really.  
.


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## vandalbob (Dec 13, 2001)

*It was a peugeot*

The first peugeot was a 1982 ph10 that introduced me to road riding mainly as my ride to school and work. The shop had a PXN10 hanging on the wall for a year or so, a bit big but I thought I was still growing, so for $400 (traded in my ph10 and an old yamaha 125) I had my first "real" road bike. That bike got me hooked on cycling and introduced me to my first tubular repair. BTW, great bike pics of the trek and bridgestone....i remember those bikes.


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## ROAD&DIRT (Mar 27, 2009)

*1985 Schwinn Sprint*

View attachment 165947


I couldn't find any pic's of my actual bike, but I had this very same one. I changed the pedals to "LOOK" clipess in white and also changed the tape and seat to "white' as well.

I put about thousand miles give or take on it and sold in a garage sale back in 1998 for $10.00. The bike was still in great shape. Just needed new tires. I even threw-in the cat-eye cumputer and shoes to make the sale...


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

last week i was out on a ride and saw that trek out for the trash. by the time i got back it was gone. had a rack and everything. i almost cried.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

weltyed said:


> last week i was out on a ride and saw that trek out for the trash. by the time i got back it was gone. had a rack and everything. i almost cried.


Dear God, man. You _know_ you drop everything and gank that sucker then and there, don't ya? :eek6:
.


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## jmlapoint (Sep 4, 2008)

1972 Schwinn Continental.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

The bike that got me into cycling was a 1964 Schwinn Varsity....red.
Got it new in 64 and rode it until it was stolen in 73. I was given an 84 Trek 400 a couple of years ago, near mint condition, I converted it to a ss/fixed but retained all the original pars, just in case


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## lancezneighbor (May 4, 2002)

I agree about the Centurians, excellent frames. I suppose all mass produced Japanese Tange frames from that time, some of the best value I have seen. I gave my Centurian Ironman away


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)




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## Sablotny (Aug 15, 2002)

*You*

resurrected your own post? OK, I'm fine widdit - you are King of Relevant & Answer-able Posts... KRAP! ;-) I second the Bridgestone RB-2 (this one freshened up a bit, with Sora STI) and add the MB-4 on the mountain bike side.


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

*Sometimes...*

... you just gotta bring back worthy threads that didn't get quite the attention they deserved 'at the time'.

But this thread does make me feel a bit sad- so many nice, inexpensive road bike options I 'coulda woulda shoulda' bought instead back in the '80s/early '90s, if only I'd had a little more cash then.  

The Bridgestone 550 I _did_ buy (on sale) was decent, but the geo was wrong for me, and the ride wasn't as good as something like the Reynolds 531 Elance. 

For want of a mere 100 more bucks back then, I tells ya. :cryin: 
.


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## VBKLINGEN (Jun 2, 2006)

Simply put: GT-Force, Tripple triangle alu frame reduced from 2000 US to 1200 US, had it for a long time, then a crack on seat tube, new company and my life warranty not met :-( no mor GT for me, and that sucks !

I will though take a used for winter bike if I stumple onto one here in Denmark


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## bismo37 (Mar 22, 2002)

This is a pic of the first Trek 560 Pro Series I owned. I bought it used off of eBay. I was really happy with the ride. Sadly, I sold it a few years later to make room for fancier bikes. Turns out the fancier bikes didn't ride quite as well as those old Reynolds 531 tubes. A few months ago, I bought another Trek 560, same model, same great ride. This bike has earned it's keep in my stable. (The second pic is the "new guy" I bought a couple months ago. And yes... I got rid of the fugly white plastic bottle carriers. )


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## PlasticMotif (Aug 1, 2006)

My sister just bought a fixie Centurion Le Mans. I just bought a SS 81 Peugeot


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

A '69 (or so) Schwinn Continental. What a tank.

Univega made some nice "entry level" bikes too. I had a Sport Tour which unfortunately was jacked out of my garage.


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

bwana said:


> The biggest difference in the cost of good entry level bikes from the 80s to now is the percentage of overall cost eaten up by brifters. Basic brake levers and downtube shifters are a lot less expensive than even low end brifters.


Yeah, and they _work _a whole better, too! I just pitched the 2300 brifters that came with my Jamis Satellite, put in some good ol' Shimano 8 speed bar end shifters. Major improvement in aesthetics, performance, and all around fun! I don't know why more entry level bikes aren't set up this way....you get a way better bike for less money.


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