Guidance for a first bike

[thejrider]

Hi all.

Plan to become quite active on here, so this will be the first post of many.

I'm a 27 y.o guy who transitioned from various sports (mainly AFL), to functional training and now to bike riding. Injury killed off the first passion whilst I've grown very tiresome of the gym, I need a new challenge. For a month or so I've been looking into buying a bike and was amazed at how little I knew and how much there was to learn. I had an old road bike a few years ago that I used in conjunction with training for sport, but gave that away to a friend about 3 years ago.

My purpose for buying a bike is:
x Improving my fitness and body composition. I live with plenty of open roads around me, so I plan to take advantage of them.
x Stress relief. I hate that I can't play sport and I have an office job. I need to get active again and cycling is perfect for this.
x Finding a new challenge/passion that allows me to be adventurous too. I love the idea of combining fitness and adventure through cycling.

How I will use the bike:
x Purely only on roads. If I decide I want a bike for trails, I'll end up buying a separate bike!
x Various distances. I want something that I can use for interval, high intense training (ie. speed) along with comfort for longer distances.

Other info:
x No plans to race.
x Budget is no more than $1,000 for my first bike. Ideally a bit lower, but seems unlikely.
x Size wise I am 172cms tall. Medium - Large / 54cms would be my guess from limited in store trials.

Bikes I am considering:
x Trek 1.2 2016 (AT) $970 discounted.
x Cannondale Synapse Sora 7 2016 (AT) $980 discounted (perhaps could get this a little cheaper again).
x Reid Vantage Endurance 1.0 (AT) $750. Cheapest option.
x Totem Rapid Elite (AT) $750. Probably unlikely due to the store being in Sydney, as I'm Melbourne based. Online seems too risky.

Thoughts/suggestions? Open to other alternatives. At the moment it seems the Trek/Cannondale are more logical choices with not a lot separating them, whilst Reid is obviously the budget bike for a first timer. Totem Rapid would be nice if I could test ride it, but alas..

[P!N20]

Check with North Fitzroy Cycles if they have any Totem Rapid Elites in stock. Totem are associated with Cell Bikes and North Fitzroy Cycles is an authorized Cell dealer.

[Warin]

If buying from a bricks and motor store .. go sit on the bikes. You want to be comfortable on it. Talk to the staff - get a feel of what they will do for you as a new rider. They could offer a basic 'fit' of the bike to you. You will want pedals and shoes too... try to get them fitted by the store.
Once you have a good feeling by sitting on the bike (and this is best done on a stationary trainer) .. go for a test ride ..

[MattyK]

This maybe:
https://www.cyclingdeal.com.au/buy/2017 ... ed/CGRT5CM

PS: Noone ever complained about exceeding their budget.

[Richie Bikelane]

Hey welcome to a whole world of fun Matty.
Buy the wrong bike and welcome to a world of grief. My recommendation is the Cell Lapa 3. It has a full 2017 Shimano 105 11 speed groupset - thats the gears, brakes and crankset. Anything less than 105 and you're doing yourself a disservice. This is probably the cheapest 105 bike (that's any good) on the market and from a shop. The groupset makes all the difference at this or any other price, it makes your ride faster, lighter, smoother and easier to crunch up those Ks. Cell have a good reputation and putting the boat out for $1k would be your best move. Sora and Tiagra are horrible to use and you will be wanting to upgrade within months - this bike will last you a year or two before you upgrade and if you don't take up cycling you would be able to sell easier. Yes disc brakes are great - but not at this price point, the thing will weigh a ton. With the CAnnondale you are buying a great brand but inferior groupset. This pricepoint you need 1. good groupset 2. good frame/weight and 3. the wheels will be junk so upgrade when you can later.
Go for it

[thejrider]

Thanks for the replies all.

Checked North Fitzroy Cycles but looks like they're all out of anything Totem related. Shame, as it would have been interesting to compare this one to the others.

If I could find a store to test ride the Cell Lapa 3, I'd be all over it. Given it's my first 'proper' bike, the risk of buying over the net is too big.

Saturday morning I'm gonna head to a few stores and test 'em out. Most likely the Trek 1.2 and Reid's Endurance 1.0 - don't believe the store I'm going to has the Cannondale.

Also gonna test ride the Giant FastRoad SLR 2 - interested to compare the drop bars to the flat bars and what I'll prefer. Pretty solid deal on the SLR 2 and I love the way it looks, so if I end up liking how it feels/rides, I'm thinking I'll lay down the paper for it.

Will keep you updated - expect a purchase soon!

[Duck!]

I (and I would suspect a lot of others too) would suggest a drop bar rather than flat bar bike, because it gives you a greater range of position options, therefore better suited to the mixed range of riding you're looking at doing. So in the Giant range I'd suggest looking at the Contend series rather than the FastRoad.

[rodneycc]

For your budget I'd be looking at the Cell Lapa 3 or the Reid Vantage 2 (Got to go the 2 over the 1 - well worth the extra $$). There is also the Polygon range to look through as well. I agree with most of the comments above but if the passion is strong I can see an upgrade happening in a year or two (its just a natural progression and ideals change so just go with it..).

[Zippy7]

Based on what you've said in your first post, here are my 2 cents worth (which is likely to be similar to everyone else's experience).
1. Ignore the groupset and go as cheap as you can tolerate. I say this because if you are still riding in a year, you'll want to upgrade. If you're not, then you've lost a lot less money.
2. Drops are probably the better choice for you. I have a flatbar and a drop bar. It's easier to keep up with mates on my drop bar.
3. Go and do a proper test ride of the bikes. Not just around the carpark or around the block. Find a shop that will let you go for a 1hr ride at a minimum. My local specialized let me take the new Roubaix for an hour ride, and then offered it overnight so I could take it on a morning ride too. You want to make sure you're comfortable on it and that means riding a few different bikes to experience them. Whilst you're at it, go find some steep hills to test them on.
4. At the end of the day, it's your money and your bike. Buy the one you like and be happy about it.

[thejrider]

Put a few to the test over the weekend.

Started off with the Trek 1.2 and spent about 30 minutes on it. I enjoyed it, felt light and responsive and I could push hard. Customer service was excellent, from the bike fit to the deal ($900). Very comprehensive and knowledgable. My only gripe on the bike were the brakes. Just didn't feel particularly responsive and in turn made me feel a little uneasy. Nothing too bad, but noticeable.

Second was the Reid Vantage Endurance 2.0. Another 30 minutes or so for the test ride. Felt smoother than the Trek when changing gears slightly and the brakes were better. Nice bike, but at $1200 it's a bit over my budget. Customer service was ok but bare bones compared with the first.

Third was the Giant FastRoad SLR 2. Spent about 10 minutes on this one, due to rain and the fact that they were closing soon. Bike felt really light and responsive, gear change similar to the Trek but a little better. Brakes were great, I definitely prefer disc brakes. I preferred the flat bar and felt more stable but it wasn't a deal maker or breaker. Customer service was good, though not as thorough as the first. On sale for $999 and I laid a deposit down.

Overall, I really was torn between the Trek 1.2 and Giant SLR 2. I loved the look of both bikes with a slight advantage to the Giant. The Trek's drop bars are an added advantage from a hand positioning perspective and customer service was terrific. I wanted to go with the Trek, but the brakes stopped me from doing so. Would have been ideal to get the bike from this store, but in the end I just felt better on the Giant.

[andrewjcw]

Sounds like you're all over it. Have fun!

[st27]

My recommendation is the Cell Lapa 3. It has a full 2017 Shimano 105 11 speed groupset - thats the gears, brakes and crankset.
Go for it

THANKS for the tip! I was looking at the Canyon Endurace AL 6.0 (aluminium/full105) and the Trek Emonda S 5 (Carbon/partial105). both cost way over $2k. This is by far the best 105 bike that I have seen to get started. I wasn't fully sold with either the Canyon or Trek as I know I will be gunning for a CF frame with Di2 very soon! This Cell might just do the job to get my bike experience up and start riding.