[waynesan76]

Hello everyone. I am going to the LBS tomorrow to buy a new bike. The LBS's around here are kind of pricy, so if anyone has seen any great deals on the net, please reply. I am trying to find something under or around $1,000.00 with Ultegra or better, and a decent wheelset. I've found a couple good deals, but they are brands that I am unfarmiliar with (motobecane, fuji etc.). I'd like to stay in the Cannondale/Specialized/Giant realm and will probably not be doing any racing anytime soon. I've been all over the internet today and my eyes are starting to get crossed, so if anyone can provide any input, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm in the Marines, and they don't pay me a great deal of money, so I'm just trying to get the best bang for my buck.

 

[bikerbrian]

Cannondale makes all of their roadbikes on the Caad8 frame with different parts groups. I got an R5000 last year but if I had to do it again there is no reason not to save the money and get the same frame with less expensive parts that work just as well but weigh a little more.

 

[johnny99]

Cannodale, Specialized, Giant, Trek etc. are not available on-line in the USA. The only entry-level bikes you can buy on-line are the generic Taiwanese bikes like Motobecane and Performance.

 

[physasst]

Umm

Hello everyone. I am going to the LBS tomorrow to buy a new bike. The LBS's around here are kind of pricy, so if anyone has seen any great deals on the net, please reply. I am trying to find something under or around $1,000.00 with Ultegra or better, and a decent wheelset. I've found a couple good deals, but they are brands that I am unfarmiliar with (motobecane, fuji etc.). I'd like to stay in the Cannondale/Specialized/Giant realm and will probably not be doing any racing anytime soon. I've been all over the internet today and my eyes are starting to get crossed, so if anyone can provide any input, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm in the Marines, and they don't pay me a great deal of money, so I'm just trying to get the best bang for my buck.

I doubt that you will be able to find any of the major brands with an ultegra grouping at that price, you may find some good deals on a good bike with a 105 level gruppo in that price range though......Good Luck. The other alternative, if you know how to do your own wrenching, and know your sizes/fit, then you could look for something used, you may find a good deal on E-Bay.

 

[aejc]

Ultegra was 10-speed last year. Given both that the price of an Ultegra build kit plus wheels would not leave much for a frame and other parts, and that 2006 bikes that nominally meet your description list around $1400*, your best bet to avoid totally blowing your budget is to know your size, then look for a 2005 model in inventory -- you may be able to negotiate a closeout deal, but if you want to stay below $1K, consider dropping Ultegra as a must-have criteria or check the used market (including ads from your local bike club or posted at your LBS).

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* Lemond Alpe d'Huez (Ultegra), Felt F75 (105 w/ Ultegra rear derailleur) and the Orbea Volata (Campy Mirage) all list around $1400; the Cannondale R700 is slightly less, but still well over a kilobuck.

 

[LCFrecrider]

maybe a schwinn fastback pro...

http://www.downcycles.com/store/2004-schwinn-fastback-p-125.html

Thought I saw a 2005 for jsut a bit over $1000 a few weeks ago...

 

[waynesan76]

Thanks to all for your input...

I decided this morning to travel out of town and found a good deal on an 06' Felt F-65. It had all of the same components as the bargain brands I found on the internet, although I went slightly above my budget. I am very happy with the bike so far, and I really have to comment on the service I received from "Two Wheeler Dealer" in Wilmington, NC. If any of you ever find yourself in this area, check em out. They have a very friendly, knowledgeable staff who know how to treat customers right. It's good to know that such places still exist. Again, thanks for your help everyone.