buying on road bike online?

hobojojo

hello everyone,
i'm thinking about buying an entry level road bike on the internet, possibly a trek trek 1.5 or the giant scr 2 or 3 depending on how far i can streach my budget. i cycle around 75k each week while commuting to and from dublin city centre but want to buy a racer so i can take advantage of living at the foot of the wicklow mountains.

2 of my mates recently bought road bikes, trek 1200 and trek 1000, so im eager to go out on cycles with them too.

i've looked about and seen that you can buy bikes cheaper on the internet, even after you add on shipping costs. i was thinking that i could go to a bike shop, try out their selection and see what size frame fits me and so on, and then go home and buy the same one on the internet.

however, the only catch seems to be that you have to assemble the bike yourself. would this be very hard to do? im handy enough at fixing my hybrid but racing bikes are a whole new thing to me, i know little or nothing about them. would it be an unwise decision to try and assemble a racer by myself?

has anyone done this themselves? how did you get on?

cheers,
great forum by the way,

brian

Hungrycol

Welcome to the forum and all that is addictive about road cycling.

Firstly what's your budget? Once we know how much you're willing to spend we can advise you better as to the best value for money in our opinion. Remember to factor in shorts, top and helmet to begin with.

Assembly will be no problem and a lot of online shops can give you a guide as to how to assemble it. Generally all you'll have to do is straighten the handlebars, saddle and pedals. You may have to tweek here and there which will be fairly easy to do but if you're really not confident then bring it to your LBS (Local Bike Shop) and ask then to give it the once over. It is better to try before you buy to see whats most comfortable. Don't be afraid to get last years model as these can be had a good prices.

E@gle.

most important thing is to make sure get the correct size.

paulksnn

I would agree to find the correct size frame in a bike shop before ordering on the internet.
I bought my first road bike there about a month ago.
It was a very simple job to attach the front wheel and saddle then straighten the handle bars.

After that, just the usual tuning of gears and brakes.
A set of alan keys and a philips screwdriver is all you need.
maybe an hour outside to do all that,
then maybe an hour with test riding and making sure you happy with the gear changes and brake settings.

hobojojo

wow, thanks for the info lads. i fell id certainly be able to assemble the bike now.

budget wise, im looking to spend 900 to 1000 euro on the whole lot, closthes, accessories, bike and everything. but id rather stay on the 900 side as ill be pretty broke after buying the bike.

i'v been told that last years entry level trek models are better than the 08 models, so i might try to hunt on of those down. possibly the trek 1000 '07, which is now called the trek 1.2 '08 from what i can tell.

could you please explain the frame size issue to me? i know its the most important thing about buying a racer but havnt been told why exactly. i mean if you get one thats slightly small cant you just raise the saddle half an inch? or does it not work that way?

i mean there is no way ill buy a bike without knowing first that its the right frame size, everywhere i look people are saying its the most important thing, so im certainly taking that on board and will test out bike in local shops before making any internet purchase.

any advise on how to tell if the frame size fits you well?

cheers lads,

im already loving to forum

hobojojo

what is you opinion on this, its a trek 1000 double '07.

mind you i plan to mainly use the bike up in the dublin and wicklow mountains so i think a triple would be better, wouldnt it?

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=5230

penexpers

Looks good but...

"PLEASE NOTE: This bike can only be purchased in store or online via our Ship2Store delivery service and cannot be shipped via courier for home delivery. For more information on this policy please consult our Help section."

Actually the only thing I would add is that I have heard people have problems with the Sora shifters, I would aim for Tiagra at a minimum.

Chips Lovell

penexpers wrote: »

Looks good but...

"PLEASE NOTE: This bike can only be purchased in store or online via our Ship2Store delivery service and cannot be shipped via courier for home delivery. For more information on this policy please consult our Help section."

And they've one (tiny) size left.

Junior

I recently purchased a Trek Madone using Ebay, I spent some time shopping for a full Dura Ace Groupset along with other components .. Well worth doing..

lukester

Wiggle have some good buys, Giant SCR3 for around 550 euro delivered(380 quid plus 20 for delivery). Comes with Tiagra rear mech, has decent reviews for its price. Wiggle pre-assemble and test the bike before shipping- seems a decent service.

Chain Reaction Cycles have some decent bikes too (I just bought one ). Theirs require some basic assembly, stick on the saddle, front wheel and pedals mainly.

Main thing is to get the right sized bike IMO.

Raam

Hobojojo, what height are you?

blorg

Trek don't allow online sales; only in person through authorised dealers. This is since September 2007 AFAIK.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Trek don't allow online sales; only in person through authorised dealers. This is since September 2007 AFAIK.

http://www.evanscycles.com appears to sell them online. Are you sure?

Raam

Raam wrote: »

http://www.evanscycles.com appears to sell them online. Are you sure?

ah, more info here
http://www.evanscycles.com/helplp.jsp

Trek, Gary Fisher & LeMond bikes can only be purchased in-store or online via our Ship2Store delivery service.

These bikes can be ordered from any of our stores, however not all stores stock these bikes on the shop-floor. Please contact your local store to confirm in-store stock availability. All stores are happy to order any model of bike of your choosing allowing you to inspect and test ride the bike before making your purchase.

These bikes can be purchased online and via our mail order service, but can only be collected in-store using our Ship2Store delivery method (we are not able to despatch these bikes directly to you for home delivery). To use this service simply place your order online as usual, when you get to the delivery options stage of the checkout choose the Ship2Store option and select the store that you would like your bike delivered to.

Please note, Trek, Gary Fisher and LeMond accessories and clothing are not effected by this policy and can be purchased online for home delivery.

Junior

blorg wrote: »

Trek don't allow online sales; only in person through authorised dealers. This is since September 2007 AFAIK.

I bought from a private individual in the states - I just got the frame only..

hobojojo

hey raam,

i'm about 5'8 to 5'9.

my friend told me today id be about a 54cm frame, does this sound right. ill have to go to a bike shop this weekend and try a few bikes to get my size

Quigs Snr

I'm 5'7 to 5'8 and one of the bikes I ride is an older 54cm trek 5500 with less than half the seatpost showing. 54 should be perfect for you and will definitely fit. A 56 would probably be ok too. Try them both and see what grabs you.

blorg

Junior wrote: »

I bought from a private individual in the states - I just got the frame only..

Yeah, I saw your thread on that and was quite jealous of your bargain! I was mentioning it more from the point of view of the OP who is looking at buying a road bike online and considering an entry-level Trek.

TheBandit

This seems pretty cheap, perhaps too good to be true. A giant scr 3 for £300 thats 400e : ) http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=643

lukester

TheBandit wrote: »

This seems pretty cheap, perhaps too good to be true. A giant scr 3 for £300 thats 400e : ) http://www.ashcycles.com/power/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=643

They only have the 46.5 cm frame size available though, which is why it's so cheap

TheBandit

I am 5'10 ish so i'd be lookin for 50cm would i? You can get it at http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360031634&N=Giant%20SCR%203 for an extra 100e

Freddy687

If can go to a bike store it is defineitely easier to size a bike.The general rules are:
1. Straddle the bike, you should 1 inch clearence from the top tube to your croutch. If the frame is to high you will know.:D
2. Measure your inside leg in cm frame size should be 66%.

An average guy 5'8"- 5'9" you would have an inside leg of 32" (81cm) approx, this would be a 54cm frame (66% = 53.4cm).

blorg

TheBandit wrote: »

I am 5'10 ish so i'd be lookin for 50cm would i? You can get it at http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360031634&N=Giant%20SCR%203 for an extra 100e

It depends on the individual manufacturer but 5'10 would put you in the 56cm region. 50cm would be much too small.