Buying a road bike - Melbourne

scrababble
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Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby scrababble » Thu Nov 01, 2018 11:36 am

Hi all,

I've done some thorough reading through the forums and whilst I've learnt a lot I'm still confused! Hoping to get some advice + assistance on what to look for in a commuter bike. Deets:

Riding from Preston - South Yarra, approx 13km one way.
around 165 cms and 62kgs
Budget for bike only (have everything else) is max $500

I've been riding a vintage Raleigh cruiser which weighs a tonne, so wanting something light.

I've been looking at flat bar road bikes and have tested the Samson URBAN-7 21 Speed Flat Bar Road which I thought was pretty good (http://www.samsoncycles.com.au/road-bikes/ROAD-BIKE)

Have also tried the Giant Cross City (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/bikes-cross-city) but can't really remember if this felt better than the Samson. Hoping to find one of these on gumtree or the earlier model as it's outside my budget.

I've read that drop bars are going to be more comfortable for the arms, but obviously the upright riding position is way more comfortable, especially with my bad back. Any comments on this?

Any suggestions on similar brands/styles to look for?

Thanks

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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:24 pm

scrababble wrote:Hi all,

I've done some thorough reading through the forums and whilst I've learnt a lot I'm still confused! Hoping to get some advice + assistance on what to look for in a commuter bike. Deets:

Riding from Preston - South Yarra, approx 13km one way.
around 165 cms and 62kgs
Budget for bike only (have everything else) is max $500

I've been riding a vintage Raleigh cruiser which weighs a tonne, so wanting something light.

I've been looking at flat bar road bikes and have tested the Samson URBAN-7 21 Speed Flat Bar Road which I thought was pretty good (http://www.samsoncycles.com.au/road-bikes/ROAD-BIKE)

Have also tried the Giant Cross City (https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/bikes-cross-city) but can't really remember if this felt better than the Samson. Hoping to find one of these on gumtree or the earlier model as it's outside my budget.

I've read that drop bars are going to be more comfortable for the arms, but obviously the upright riding position is way more comfortable, especially with my bad back. Any comments on this?

Any suggestions on similar brands/styles to look for?

Thanks
If you want to stick with the flat bar/commuter theme, the Reid Urban X1 fits within your budget and will do the job. Is an incremental step up from Samson and provided it's serviced and maintained well, should continue to do the job for a while.

Image

https://www.reidcycles.com.au/reid-urban-x1-2019.html
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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Thu Nov 01, 2018 8:29 pm

Or this Specialized Sirrus flat bar, however this unit doesn't have discs, just V-brakes which can be made to work quite well, but discs are nicer to have in the wet. Also think $425 is a bit rich although maay be priced expecting the Gumtree haggle. I'd say $380 would walk away with it. Worth considering if its in good condition :

Image

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/fitzroy ... 1199667418
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scrababble
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby scrababble » Fri Nov 02, 2018 10:01 am

thanks 10speedsemiracer I'll check both of these out! I had this idea that Reid were considered the worst brand, but good to know you recommend them over Samson. Thanks :)

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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby Mububban » Fri Nov 02, 2018 3:06 pm

scrababble wrote:thanks 10speedsemiracer I'll check both of these out! I had this idea that Reid were considered the worst brand, but good to know you recommend them over Samson. Thanks :)
Reid bikes are well regarded for the money. The gears and chains etc are all common proven parts you'd find on any bike of the same price bracket. Their alloy frames and forks have a lifetime warranty. They represent great bang for the buck. Buy it and you won't regret it, have a test ride if you can. Cheap in this case doesn't equal nasty :)
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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Fri Nov 02, 2018 3:53 pm

scrababble wrote:thanks 10speedsemiracer I'll check both of these out! I had this idea that Reid were considered the worst brand, but good to know you recommend them over Samson. Thanks :)
Reid have definitely picked their game up over the past couple of years, with better frames and slightly better componentry, without a corresponding increase in pricing. The Samsons I've had thru my hands have been clunky, heavy things with what would kindly be termed extremely entry-level frames and lots of entry-level generic bits. Reid is a better option.
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Tamiya
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby Tamiya » Sun Nov 04, 2018 11:53 am

Reids are good value, frame looks decently finished... worth buying at tagged price, might get $50-100 off RRP on occasions. Haggle with manager for a package deal if you're after other gear & accessories too.

Go sniff around Anaconda too, look at their Fluids with RRPs ~$699-899... not unknown to get 40-50% discounts off some of those at certain times, just gotta be right time right place.

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10speedsemiracer
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 7:13 pm

Tamiya wrote:...Go sniff around Anaconda too, look at their Fluids with RRPs ~$699-899... not unknown to get 40-50% discounts off some of those at certain times, just gotta be right time right place.
Not sure I'd include Fluid as comparable to Reid, and part of this is Anaconda's practice of semi-misleading marketing in terms of price. Example :

Image

This Fluid High Street Heritage bike shows a RRP of $499, but a Club price of $299. Entry-level steel frame, wall-to-wall generic 'Fluid branded' components with the only known componentry being the basic Shimano Tourney 7sp rear derailleur and the very entry-level Tourney tx30 7sp shifter. Oh, and the Radius brake calipers which make cheap Tektro calipers look good.
Is over-priced at $299, and almost obtaining a financial advantage by deception at $499. In reality, is on par (barely) with $129 Kmart bikes.

And looking thru their listings, all of the bikes are advertised in this manner, with 30-40% reductions for Club members. Club membership is free and is most probably only there to feed their marketing channel and maybe even to harvest information for resale to third parties (I haven't read the T&Cs). So the RRP is a fabrication designed only to give the impression that the discounted price represents value, when in fact it doesn't.

Having seen a couple of Fluids that were listed on Gumtree at ridiculously low prices (both of which I walked away from) there is almost nothing of redeeming quality on these bikes.
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sun Nov 04, 2018 7:24 pm

An alternative would be the Polygon range, sold by BicyclesOnline. The Polygon Path 1 may be suitable :

Image

Has a mix of Shimano Altus components, interspersed with other non-series bits. Rigid fork, V-Brakes, alloy frame with steel fork and nice fat 38mm tyres.

https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/polyg ... -city-bike

Would still rate the Reid a fraction ahead of this, but the Polygon seems to be a fairly competitive package for the $s ($425)
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RobertL
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Re: Buying a road bike - Melbourne

Postby RobertL » Mon Nov 05, 2018 10:22 am

I bought a Reid Osprey flatbar for commuting 18 months ago, and have put 3,300km on it. It has been fine, with no problems whatsoever with the Reid frame, fork, saddle etc.

The original rear wheel was not strong enough for my weight, so I replaced it, but that won't be a problem for you at 62kg!

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