Best Road Bike Under 2500$?

macdaddy wrote:

Finally looking to upgrade from my 300$ entry bike.

Would mostly be for exercise and the occasional triathlon so I’d like something comfortable and fast. Looked at triathlon bikes, but I don’t think I’m ready for that stage yet...

Any advice on which bikes to look at?

$2500 is entry-level carbon frame territory. There isn't really a lot of difference between the major manufacturers in terms of price or quality. The components and wheels are likely the same at the same price level between companies. The frames are mostly all made in Taiwan, so similar quality/durability. Your main choice would be between a standard road racing bike (such as the Specialized Tarmac) and one with a slightly more relaxed geometry (such as the Specialized Roubaix). But again, between companies, the main difference is marketing, which is partially achieved through small differences in design or gimmicky features. Specialized, Trek, Canyon, Giant, Cannondale...all about the same.

Giant bikes are good value for money and have good frame quality. A number of other manufacturers outsource to Giant to make their frames in Taiwan.

I would advise going for a "climbing" or all round frame. Aero bikes are potentially slightly faster (on the flat) but are usually less comfortable and more expensive.

Giant TCR Advanced is a good place to start looking. After that maybe Cannondale supersix evo or CAAD13 if you want high-end aluminium rather than entry-level carbon. The best place to buy is a local bike shop (if they are still open) unless you are quite mechanically minded and have the tools to service and fix it yourself.

+1. Love my Tarmac.

There are aerobars you can attach to road bikes if you want to do a tri one day.

Many, many good options in that price range. Just ride a bunch and get whichever one fits and feels the best.

Entry-level carbon is more like 1500-1800.

If you've got 2500 to spare, just go to a decent shop, and test ride what catches your eye.

Get the best brifters, rear derailleur, and wheel set you can afford. Everything else is fairly cheap to upgrade. Go with at least 105 or higher. And caliper brakes are just fine, no matter what the salesman says.

Yea, but it'll have Claris components. Get a bike with at least 105 stuff. Although the new Tiagra set is pretty good, too.

something like this

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/carbon-road-bikes/carbon-road-bikes-immortal-pro-dt-swiss.htm

bikesdirect.com is going to be the best place to check things out

At 2500, you're going to get a quality machine. At that price point, it basically comes down to what fits well and what you like.

As mentioned, 105 is a good place to start. You'll find various component mixes and house brand parts, but aside from weight and aesthetics, there aren't a lot of differences.

I got a 105 equipped Felt AR5 off ebay for 1500 brand new a few years back. Raced it at multiple national championships and PRTs and won a dozen plus p/a/2/ races on it.

105 is decently solid; not the lightest, but works well. I got near ~20,000 miles out of most parts before replacing due to being worn out or broken in crashes.

dondeesta wrote:

something like this

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/carbon-road-bikes/carbon-road-bikes-immortal-pro-dt-swiss.htm

bikesdirect.com is going to be the best place to check things out

This is a pretty awesome deal if you can due very basic maintenance/assembly and know your fit.

My very first bike was a Motobecane I got for 300 bucks from BD. Rode it until it nearly fell apart. My dad has also gotten a Motobecane like the one pictured a few years back. Really great bike and super light with great components for the price.

I do the occasional triathlon but agree that clip on aero-bars are good enough. Road bike technology is changing. The future is disc brakes. There are slight modifications to a frame required for disc brakes - at least on my bike the axle slides through holes at the bottom of the forks rather than the forks sliding over the axle. Disc brakes will allow you to stop more quickly and in wet weather and do things like ride downhill very fast without crashing. If you bought a new road bike now you would want to future proof your purchase by buying disc brakes. The other big technology change is electronic shifting but that is really only available at the $3500 and up price point. Some brands for you to consider. "Giant" is known for having high quality components at an affordable price. "Canyon" is a German company who sells direct to consumers and also provides a lot of value at a given price point. In December I purchased a Specialized Tarmac S-Works frame-set and had it built up with disc brakes and Di2 electronic shifting. I'd been riding and older Tarmac S-Works with dura-ace mechanical shifting and rim brakes. Night and day difference in terms of ride quality and stopping power. My other suggestion is that you pay the extra money to be "fitted" properly for your bike by someone who knows what they are doing.

Look at any Specialized Roubaix, even a year or two, old model. They are designed to handle more of the bumps of the road. The Roubaix is a race that is done on old cobble stone lined roads, hence the need for a bike that has more "give". Your saddle area will thank you! Bonus for you if you find one with the cobble-gobbler(weird name) seat post and the shock system built into the neck. Those two things really make for a smoother ride and less pain.

Hey Now Your A Rock Star wrote:

Yea, but it'll have Claris components. Get a bike with at least 105 stuff. Although the new Tiagra set is pretty good, too.

Where do you live?

I've got a few bikes for under 2K in the last year or two, with Force and XTR.

Or yeah, just grab something off Bikesdirect. You can get hydro/Ultegra carbon bike for 1500.

So I look around, and holy crap, buy this (if you can go without a road bike):

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/epic-hardtail/p/171127?color=264116-171127&searchText=91320-7001

I’M a former roadie who raced, 15 years, until last summer when I transitioned to running full time.

My thoughts;

- Avoid “entry level” carbon frames in off the shelf builds. The big bike brands all skimp on the wheel sets and component packages to scale the price to their range.

- Instead go for a mid to higher alloy frame complete with AT LEAST a Shimano 105 group set. You are going to get full Ultegra in your price range and forgot anything Dura-ace. A mif to high end alloy frame set will be a more solid frame set overall than a cheaper carbon, the entire bike will be MUCH better.

- Look at last season’s models for big discounts, Cannondale is very good about this on their site.

- a good wheelset isn’t what is going to give you the best ride for the buck, not the frames. Entry level bikes have trash wheel sets. If you buy a last season alloy frameset you will have some left over for a ok wheelset. Spend as much as you can here. Wheels are your number one upgrade.... then tires. Decent wheels with good tires are optimal, shitty wheels with good tires are ok, shitty wheels and shitty tires (like what you will find on a $2500 carbon complete) are trash, you might as well just stay running.

- rim vs disc brakes for road bikes...doesn’t matter for you as an entry level rider... but if you can find it in your price range buy disc brakes for the future proofing of it.

- of the four frame types out there; climbing = Lightweight/stiff, aero = aero/harsh, endurance = comfy, gravel = new hybrid.... You probably are going to find primarily endurance in your price range, which will be fine for you.

Hope this helps.

Back in the Saddle wrote:

Look at any Specialized Roubaix, even a year or two, old model. They are designed to handle more of the bumps of the road. The Roubaix is a race that is done on old cobble stone lined roads, hence the need for a bike that has more "give". Your saddle area will thank you! Bonus for you if you find one with the cobble-gobbler(weird name) seat post and the shock system built into the neck. Those two things really make for a smoother ride and less pain.

+1

great bike.

I used to ride bikes wrote:

e. Wheels are your number one upgrade.... then tires. Decent wheels with good tires are optimal, shitty wheels with good tires are ok, shitty wheels and shitty tires (like what you will find on a $2500 carbon complete) are trash, you might as well just stay running.

.

The rest of the post isn't that bad, but this is categorically, 100% wrong.

Tires and tubes have the single biggest impact on bike performance. Significantly more important than wheels, and orders of magnitude cheaper. Tires impact the comfort of the bike single-handedly, and they also affect rolling resistance, which is far more significant than wheel weight or aerodynamics.

As long as your wheel isn't breaking spokes left and right, and has a somewhat modern, wider-rim shape, then you're golden. Tires/tubes are far, far more important than that, because rolling resistance is the single biggest factor affecting performance aside from aerodynamics that primarily affect the rider. And rolling resistance doesn't care if you're solo, in a tailwind, or in the middle of the pack. It's always there.

I've upgraded wheels twice in the last 10 years. First to an aluminum Mavic Kysrium where I immediately noticed when climbing that there was far less "flex" or force lost as the spokes responded to pushing hard on the pedals. These wheels at the time were about $800 but similar very good aluminum wheels today are probably cheaper. Then I changed to Zipp 404 disc wheelset which is a moderately deep profile carbon wheelset that is more "aero" and probably has better bearings. But you know what, the biggest change was buying Vittorio high end tires that cost something like $80. Buy 25mm or even 28mm wide tires if your frame allows and instead of running at 120 psi drop to 100 psi. In terms of ROI you will notice a big difference only spending $80 or you can spend $2500 on a carbon wheelset. The lower pressure you can go with on a wider tire will mean a less bumpy or harsh ride. Other good tires that re more readily available would be Continentals new 5000 which are a little more durable than the Vittorio

Dude, read what he wrote. He said the same thing. Good tire on good wheels are the best, but if you can't afford that then get good tires on ok wheels.

And breaking spokes isn't the only consideration. I disagree when you say " rolling resistance is the single biggest factor affecting performance aside from aerodynamics that primarily affect the rider". Weight is HUGE. If there are any kind of hills, weight is more important.