# What is the best entry/enthusiast level road bike?



## jjwangman (Mar 20, 2013)

Looking to upgrade to decent road bike. Been doing some research but dont know a ton about bikes. Wondering what everyone's opions are (and why) on the best entry/mid level road bike in the $2000 range or less for someone who will be riding 50-100mi/week and doing a couple century rides per year.


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## CoffeeBean2 (Aug 6, 2005)

Others may disagree, but I think the Cannondale CAAD10 is a great value. Many reviews mention it rides better than carbon fiber bikes in the same price range or a bit more expensive.


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## BostonG (Apr 13, 2010)

Best eh?

I don't think you'll find tons of variation in quality but you will find a large variation in the way they ride and feel to you. So ratehr than getting too hung up on brand or components, I would just take tons of different ones on test rides. That's the best way to figure out what's best.


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## tvJefe (Dec 25, 2012)

This sport is addictive. When I bought my bike 6 months ago, I thought 50 miles was a long ride. Now, 50 is my short ride. I always advise people to get a bike that they will grow into, not out of.

That being said, $2000 is right on the cusp between a good aluminum bike with carbon fork (like the CAAD) and an entry level full carbon bike. You will need to ride both, but some good entry level full carbons are:

Bianchi Sempre
Masi Evoluzione
Wilier Izoard XP
Pinarello FPDue

Ultimately, I went with the Pinarello. I liked the look, I liked the feel. And I'm happy with my purchase.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

CoffeeBean2 said:


> Others may disagree, but I think the Cannondale CAAD10 is a great value. Many reviews mention it rides better than carbon fiber bikes in the same price range or a bit more expensive.


Many things out there and with how nice the Shim 105 or Sram Rival groups are now, the components are less of an issue. (I cannot comment on the new Apex as I have not been on them)

I have a CAAD10 and love it. Any bike will ride better with 25mm tires on there.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

with whatever bike you get, fit matters. A $6000 bike sucks if it hurts your knees to ride because the seat is too low.

Lastly, remember, it's the engine that powers the bike that matters most. I remember doing Livestrong a few yrs back passing many on their nice carbon rigs and Zipp wheels. I was on my entry level Cannodale Six with 9 speed Tiagra with mtn bike shoes and all that.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

One that fits you.

Underlying frame size and geometry have to be right to nail fit.

At your pricepoint, there aren't really any dogs. Ride a bunch of bikes and buy your favorite. Ride some that are marketed with "race" splattered all over the ad copy, and some that are marketed as "endurance."

Something to think about is if you'll be using the bike for any other uses - credit card touring, commuting, anything like that - or if it's just going to be for rec. riding.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

*Entry Level Road Bike Suggestions*

If you're looking for a truly excellent entry level road bike, then a Cannondale CAAD 10, a GT Corsa 1.0, or a Jamis Quest would be really nice road bikes.

The Corsa 1.0 would cost less than $1200 and that's a real bargain with a Tiagra Gruppo. 

* Just go to a bunch of bicycle shops (as many as you can) and test ride a crazy amount of road bikes. Test aluminum, carbon, and steel alike. Don't get hung up on frame material, they all have their pros and cons.


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## webbmx7 (Dec 4, 2012)

I can agree with a couple of the other guys who posted on this thread. Cycling can be very addictive, however a price point of $2000 is a good place to start. Having been in the same boat myself (only my price point was $1000 when starting) I would recommond a quality aluminum bike with mid to upper level components such as the Cannondale CAAD 10, Giant Defy 1, Trek 2.1 or left over Trek Madone just for a few examples. There are tons of other great bikes out there than what I mentioned.

At $2000 buying new will be tough to pick up a carbon bike that is really responsive unless you can score a left over for a greatly reduced cost. In my opinion I would look for an upper end aluminum bike for the current year, or a left over mid level carbon bike like the Trek Madone 4 series. Used is always good too, but most manufactures will not provide the frame warantee to a non original owner.

When in doubt, ride as many bikes as you can. Some will feel like home and others will not. Once you have narrowed that down, look at where your finances are and go from there. Either way, you can come out with a nice bike for the $2000 price point.

Good luck!


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## SystemShock (Jun 14, 2008)

Entry-level is $2000? 

So... there aren't significantly-cheaper-yet-still-good bikes out there for considerably less?

That'd be my definition of 'entry-level'.


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## jspharmd (May 24, 2006)

Trek! Hands Down....

Wait, the absolute best? Out of all the possible bikes out there? You mean, there is one entry level bike out there that is The Best?


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## CheapTrek (Dec 23, 2011)

I picked up a CAAD 10 3 a few weeks back for $1,999.00. I don't see how anyone could do much better at this price level. The ride is surprisingly comfortable for aluminum and without pedals or accessories, it was just over 18 lbs. Not bad for a 60cm bike.

Ultegra group set with the exception of the FSA crank and SLK Light CF crank arms.

No regrets here.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

The one that gets ridden the most is the best.

Even if it comes from walmart.


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## odearja (Jan 22, 2013)

I am in the market too. I keep getting pushed towards a Defy because most bikes are made by Giant anyway (cannondale is a giant but with a different sticker). I'm not sure if this is true and I wouldn't take that to the bank without research.....but I know that out of everything I have read, the Defy sounds like a good first place for me to start for test rides. 

Bottom line, everyone has an opinion. But only one person is opening the checkbook. Take a ride and see for yourself.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

SystemShock said:


> Entry-level is $2000?
> 
> So... there aren't significantly-cheaper-yet-still-good bikes out there for considerably less?
> 
> That'd be my definition of 'entry-level'.


Well, he did say "/mid-level." I rode a Torker Interurban about a year ago and was favorably impressed. I think that's one of the best things going in terms of both stretching a buck and retaining real versatility for someone who doesn't know where his riding might take him. I didn't buy it, but it was my second choice.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

odearja said:


> most bikes are made by Giant anyway (cannondale is a giant but with a different sticker). I'm not sure if this is true and I wouldn't take that to the bank without research.....


Mot the same at all. Good move not taking the bet. Giant makes a good bike but so does Cannondale. Giant makes alot of bikes. That dosent necessarily make them the best. 

Like I said. The best is one that gets ridden.


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## odearja (Jan 22, 2013)

tihsepa said:


> Mot the same at all. Good move not taking the bet. Giant makes a good bike but so does Cannondale. Giant makes alot of bikes. That dosent necessarily make them the best.


Although that happens alot in manufacturing, it sounded fishy to me. 
I think that just like the OP, we all rummage through these forums for the same reasons. We all know there is a lot of options out there and knowledge is power. 




tihsepa said:


> Like I said. The best is one that gets ridden.


Agreed.


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## GregTR (Feb 28, 2013)

16 replies and nobody mentioned BikesDirect yet?

Carbon:
Save Up To 60% Off Ultegra Road Bikes | Carbon Fiber | Roadbikes - 2013 Motobecane Immortal Ice

Titanium:
Shimano Ultegra 6700 Road Bikes | Titanium Road Bikes | Roadbikes - 2013 Motobecane Le Champion SL Ti


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## marhot (Jan 24, 2013)

Have you considered 'used'?

For the money you have budgeted you can find a nice 'mid-level' carbon fiber bike on Craigslist.

My buddy just got a great deal on few years old *Specialized* *Roubaix* *Pro Compact *for about 1/3 the price of a new one. The original owner had been meticulous about the maintance. 


My advice; check Craiglist. If you have the patience, good bikes at great prices can be found.


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## timeless (Jun 2, 2007)

CoffeeBean2 said:


> Others may disagree, but I think the Cannondale CAAD10 is a great value. Many reviews mention it rides better than carbon fiber bikes in the same price range or a bit more expensive.


I have to say that is a really good bike at the 105 level. I was looking at getting that when I bought my road bike. I ended up getting a supersix 105 instead but that was more because I was able to get the supersix 2012 (105) on sale from the bike shop that dropped its price to a little less than a 2013 CAAD 10 (105) and the difference in price was pretty min at that point. I choose to go with carbon fiber at that point since it cost me about the same.

I now have 800+ miles on the bike and still love it. Fit is the most important thing.


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## tvJefe (Dec 25, 2012)

The OP says he doesn't know a ton about bikes. I figured he might want to buy from a LBS so he can ask questions and they can help with maintenance/etc while he learns more. Buying online there is still SOME assembly required, and no one but youtube to help you out when you have questions.


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## JasperL (Aug 21, 2011)

+1 on test rides. I tried a bunch of them, but ended up on the first one I test rode. The LBS tried to get me to move up a size, but the larger size felt obviously wrong, even though it was the "right" size based on measurements. Since I've put 1,500 miles as a newbie on the bike without any pain in my back/knees/feet, etc. pretty sure I made the right choice for ME. 

My wife took forever to find one. We tried a lot of bikes at a lot of price points, and none of them felt right to her. About the 10th model DID feel right to HER, we bought it 5 minutes later, and she couldn't be happier.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

The "best" for you is the one that makes you want to get on it, and ride it.

We can sit here and mention brands, frame material, relaxed vs aggressive geometry, and so on, all day, and it won't matter until you get out to a shop, get on a bike, and take a test ride.


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## odearja (Jan 22, 2013)

I may be naive here, but is there such a thing as brand loyalty in cycling?


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

odearja said:


> I may be naive here, but is there such a thing as brand loyalty in cycling?


Both brand loyalty and brand animosity exist in every form of recreational activity.

People even have brand-loyal bumper stickers on their cars. Almost every day, I pass a car with a bumper sticker that reads "I'd rather be driving a Titleist".


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## odearja (Jan 22, 2013)

Good point. 
I know once you find one you like, you will likely stick to it (brand wise). It just surprises me that everyone here is genuinely interested in helping out the OP. Its nice not being around a bunch of salespeople pushing their pride and joy off on others.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

odearja said:


> Good point.
> I know once you find one you like, you will likely stick to it (brand wise). It just surprises me that everyone here is genuinely interested in helping out the OP. Its nice not being around a bunch of salespeople pushing their pride and joy off on others.


Within a 50 mile radius of my home, I can buy almost anything I want, brand-wise. I even have an REI outlet in that radius.

Given that most of the major brands will have something that suits and fits me, in the final analysis, what decides my purchase is the shop.


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## lootcorp (Feb 27, 2013)

I found myself in your shoes a couple of years ago. Went with a 2010 Bianchi Vigorelli. I absolutely love this bike! I knew I wanted to do long distance riding, so I didn't mind going with the steel frame. I love the way it smooths out the ride. Mine came with a full 105 drivetrain (with Ultegra RD) and I've had no problems at all with it over the last two years of riding. Would highly recommend the Vigorelli.


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## Luis Leon (Aug 6, 2011)

jjwangman said:


> Looking to upgrade to decent road bike. Been doing some research but dont know a ton about bikes. Wondering what everyone's opions are (and why) on the best entry/mid level road bike in the $2000 range or less for someone who will be riding 50-100mi/week and doing a couple century rides per year.


I recently upgraded and wanted to stay below $2,000. In my case I went with a 2012 Giant Defy Comp 2 as my first carbon fiber bicycle. I purchased it for well below $2,000 in February 2013. I did look on Craig List and Ebay for a long time and saw lots of nice carbon fiber bicycles. But in the end purchased from my local bicycle shop. For me its been quite an upgrade from my 2003 aluminum road bike. Good luck with your search...


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## jjwangman (Mar 20, 2013)

Appreciate the comments, really helpful! Think I'll try to ride a CAAD 10 105 and a Madone 2.3 at least. Im in a pretty rural area right now which is great for biking, but bad for shopping so I need to make my trips count. How long long does a test ride need to be to really get the feel for a bike?


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## regnaD kciN (Mar 2, 2013)

webbmx7 said:


> I can agree with a couple of the other guys who posted on this thread. Cycling can be very addictive, however a price point of $2000 is a good place to start. Having been in the same boat myself (only my price point was $1000 when starting) I would recommond a quality aluminum bike with mid to upper level components such as the Cannondale CAAD 10, Giant Defy 1, Trek 2.1 or left over Trek Madone just for a few examples. There are tons of other great bikes out there than what I mentioned.
> 
> At $2000 buying new will be tough to pick up a carbon bike that is really responsive unless you can score a left over for a greatly reduced cost. In my opinion I would look for an upper end aluminum bike for the current year, or a left over mid level carbon bike like the Trek Madone 4 series. Used is always good too, but most manufactures will not provide the frame warantee to a non original owner.


I was skimming an older Chris Carmichael book, and read something about how aluminum frames are subject to metal fatigue and only have a lifespan of five years. That sounded really suspicious to me. Is it true that aluminum frames have a shorter life-expectancy than carbon or steel, or was it ever true but isn't anymore?


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

People are fond of making big generalizations about materials. The kernel of truth behind a lot of the trash talk about aluminum is that it doesn't have an endurance limit. This is an amount of stress below which it would take an infinite number of load steps to cause failure. However, frame design dictates how stress is distributed. So an aluminum frame could certainly be designed such that a heavy rider could kill it in 25000 miles of hard riding, or even fewer. But it could also be designed to last the same rider ten years or twenty-five years. As concentrated as stress risers tend to be, it wouldn't even do much to the weight, although it might give the bike a more precise handling feel. This is the real source of the competing piece of trash talk about aluminum - that it's too stiff. It's actually more flexible than steel, but there's usually a lot more of it.

Realistically, I think production aluminum frames are built in such a way that they'll last until their owners get bored of them or we have another standards change that makes them problematic to maintain. Even with pretty racy models, the bike companies are trying to build a product that's at least ridable by the vast majority of their customers, including those who weigh 250 lb and have decided that today is the day to make a change, and that won't get them sued or get recalled.

As far as brand loyalty - on all my bikes, I've been annoyed by at least some of the manufacturer's choices. Even my LeMond came with stupid handle bars. I guess I'm a bit of a Shimano fan, though.


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## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

This question has as many different answers as there are riders, each has a different viewpoint on what a "decent" road bike is.

Me, I have this:

Road Bikes, Roadbikes - 2013 Motobecane Immortal Pro

Price today: $1399.95, plus $50 for a LBS to make sure everything is right. Price as I am riding it: @ $1,700 (upgraded crank, wheels, cassette). 

If I wanted a less agressive ride, as in doing more century rides instead of club hammer-fests, I would get something like this:

Pro Level Steel Road Bikes | Commuting | Commuter Bikes | Motobecane Gran Premio PRO

Price today: $799.95 plus $50 again. Steel is real, rides better than aluminum and in my opinion carbon. A mostly 105 setup just makes it even nicer although I would replace the FSA crank on this bike as fast as I did with my Immortal.

Either choice gives you a "decent" enthusiast bike (my Immortal is excellent IMO), and also leaves your budget with room to upgrade/change things that you want to replace. Seats, pedals, or the crank (I really don't like FSA cranks personally), changing all of those would still leave you far below the $2,000 mark. 

Oh, and I have only had a few folks say anything about my "brand", mostly just asking how it rides. My choice of color gets the most notice, a bright yellow, with most of the opinions being in favor of the color. One guy did question the "quality" of my bike, but when I pointed out that I was in the same group (in the front of the 60 mile hammer-fest at about mile 40), the laughter from the other riders pretty much quieted that yap. In a break the guy came over and was favorably impressed, Ultegra and 105 components, my upgraded Mavics and the price (less than 1/2 of his Orbea cost), may have had a factor in that.


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## wanderinwalker (May 10, 2012)

Luis Leon said:


> I recently upgraded and wanted to stay below $2,000. In my case I went with a 2012 Giant Defy Comp 2 as my first carbon fiber bicycle. I purchased it for well below $2,000 in February 2013. I did look on Craig List and Ebay for a long time and saw lots of nice carbon fiber bicycles. But in the end purchased from my local bicycle shop. For me its been quite an upgrade from my 2003 aluminum road bike. Good luck with your search...


Funny thing, I actually did the same thing. Like the OP, I was keen on checking out the Cannondale CAAD10, primarily because they have a great reputation. Had heard and read how well they ride, blah blah ad nauseum. Went to a sort-of-local LBS and after talking with the sales staff, doing some more research at home, I tripped the trigger on a 2012 Giant Defy Comp 2 instead. Couldn't be happier, I like the SRAM shifting over the Shimano on my previous bike and while it may be placebo, I do think the carbon frame cuts some of the road chatter my aluminum Trek didn't. As a bonus my Defy Comp was 20% off end-of-season (September 2012). 

For whatever it's worth, my previous bike was a Trek 2.1, the older version of the frame with the carbon seat stays. It wasn't a bad riding frame by any means IMO, but it was a size too big for me. 

Honestly, at the $2k price range the offerings all represent solid choices from the manufacturers. As much as we love to talk about high-end bikes and read magazines reviewing $10k dream bikes, the $1200-2500 bikes are the money-makers in the line-ups.


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## Zeet (Mar 24, 2013)

WaynefromOrlando said:


> This question has as many different answers as there are riders, each has a different viewpoint on what a "decent" road bike is.
> 
> Me, I have this:
> 
> ...


The primary problem with Bikesdirect is the fact that you don't get to ride the bike until after it finally arrives in the box. You then assemble it and take it on a test ride. If it doesn't fit, there's the return hassle, of which, you bear the cost of shipping. 

Other than that, IMHO, it's genuinely a great potential deal! :thumbsup:


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## uncrx2003 (Jul 17, 2010)

One of the best deal out there right now. It'll be $2k after you negotiate with them. Plus you get full Ultegra 6700.

2012 BMC Road Racer SL01/Shimano Ultegra Complete Bike - 2012 - Competitive Cyclist


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## Carverbiker (Mar 6, 2013)

The two bikes I keep reading about are the Cannondale and the Defy series. I own two Defy Advanced bikes and have put many thousands of miles on them with nothing but good things to say. Bicycling magazine has given Defy Ad. top award for plush/enurance/classics bikes 3-4 times in the last several years. Also, Cycling Plus just awarded it Bike of the Year this year. Difference between Advanced and Comp frames is the strength of carbon fiber used. Advanced uses higher strength than Comp. this means they need to use more to get equivalent strength yielding a slightly heavier bike. 

In the May 2013 edition of Cycling Plus they review both the Caad 10 and Defy Comp among several other bikes in this price range. But I would try both and see what fits best as both are great bikes.


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