Buying a Road Bike: where to start?

[Marcel]

Okay--we're in Japan for our last year and my wife and I are looking at buying some road bikes when we get out of here.
We're either a) riding from Vancouver to Southern California or b) doing a tour of Greece and some other European countries. I'm hoping some folks here can provide suggestions for purchasing good bikes in either Europe or North America.

Should we think about buying something carbon-fibre-y (they sure feel sexy--but are they over-hyped?) or should we think about saving a few bucks and settling for something less pricey but, perhaps, just as effective? These bikes will be for long-distance riding and we ride as often as the bike gods smile upon weather conditions. We're done with the mountain bike thing (for now) and looking to have some great road-biking experiences.

I don't know the first thing about road bikes and have the next year to look into them and then finally drop some pretty pennies on the rides of choice. Any and all suggestions and shared experiences are welcome. Thanks!

[DanielS]

Are you going to be touring by bicycle - i.e. carrying all of your equipment/clothing etc? Or are you touring by car and taking bikes with you?

If the former - look at touring bikes. If the latter - a road bike sounds like a good choice, perhaps something with a more relaxed 'endurance' geometry.

[Marcel]

Okay. Our plan is for a big trip after we're done here. Once that's out of the way then we'll simply be doing long trips (exclusively by bike) of 100 or 200 kilometers in southern California--where we plan on moving to. I don't expect that any sort of car will be involved.

One of the things I'm wondering about are the carbon-fibre bikes I'm seeing (and easily lifting). For example, I was on the Louis Garneau site and they mentioned something about crashing your bike requiring considerable replacement for parts. How accurate is this--or to what extent is this something to take into consideration when buying a bike? I mean, does a simple wipe-out require replacement of parts or does this refer to major accidents whereby most bikes would require significant refurbishments.

I have no experience with carbon-fibre bikes and am hoping someone can chime in about them.

[xrodolfox]

Quick answer: you won't notice the difference with a carbon fiber bike. You'll notice geometry and how the tires are inflated, and how you pack your bike, and your components much much more.

You will do much better with a cheaper frame that is easier to replace and is less prone to problems. Carbon fiber can give away, for example, if it is rubbed, and it'll give away all of a sudden instead of gradually bending like metals.

Focus instead on how the bike fits. Getting a comfy aluminum or alloy bike will treat you all best.

[Marcel]

Thanks, xrod! This is just the kind of advice I've been after.

[xrodolfox]

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

[Mr. Cleetus]

As always, that Sheldon Brown link says it all. There are very tangible differences in the rides of different frames, it's just that it doesn't come down to material, but to how the bike is designed. xrodolfox is right that what tires and at what pressure you ride them are important to comfort - but put those same wheels and tires on a different bike and you may have a different experience (my main three road bikes are carbon, steel, and ti and they are entirely different in their rides with the same wheels/tires). Dont worry about breaking the carbon. The main problem with any bike is usually the deraillure hanger and most carbon frames will have a replaceable one. You probably won't want to clamp something on to a carbon frame though, so keep that in mind for touring. Since comfort will be key for you, try and at least be able to do some riding on the frame you will buy and get properly fitted to it by a reputable shop. If you know somebody who can recommend a good local shop for fitting, go with that - a lot of shops are pretty clueless these days it seems. I can't quite get my head around what the quote from LG means. Parts are parts no matter what frame they are one. If they just mean the frame itself, then, yeah, if you damage a carbon frame, it is likely done, whereas a steel frame can often be bent back or a dent removed. Most people get years out of their carbon frames tho. I don't think there is any reason to stay away from carbon, but conversely, there's not necessarily any reason you should focus on it.

If you are looking for effectiveness you can certainly save some dollars on your components. bottom end (usually) = not so good, top end = very minor gains, somewhere in the middle usually gives the best bang for the buck.

Four touring your seat will be important! but that is a very personal thing.

[Marcel]

Mr. Cleetus, I did some sloppy quoting from the LG site. They basically mention that if you ding the frame (for example) you may be looking at getting it replaced. I really appreciate your comments--particularly about spending on parts (finding a healthy median between 'spensive and cheap parts), getting fitted and a decent seat.

[picaresque]

surly long haul trucker. make sure you get the 700c wheels rather than the 26".

a road bike is not designed for what you want to do. they are designed to go very fast.

a touring bike is designed to be comfortable all day, and still ride well with all your gear on it.