How good are GT and Fuji road bikes?

[Doggiedog]

I went to the local bike store just now which is a big one and all they had were high end bikes. The only ones under $1000 were a Specialized Allez for $750, Giant Defy 3 for $800 and some kind of Felt bike for $800.

 

[GoSharks]

I went to the local bike store just now which is a big one and all they had were high end bikes. The only ones under $1000 were a Specialized Allez for $750, Giant Defy 3 for $800 and some kind of Felt bike for $800.

Welcome to the road bike market. That is actually a pretty decent selection of bikes there... Think of your LBS as a car dealership - they only sell a certain number of brands, and you will have to go to other shops to see any others.

 

[Doggiedog]

How about something like this.

They have a 10% off sale right now so it's about $900.

Also, I'm about 5'11" 175lbs. What size frame am I supposed to get?

 

[senseamp]

I would not buy a bike from Performance bike. Maybe accessories, but not bike. Their service is subpar, as is their assembly attention to detail.
I bought one from them, the front brake was not adjusted properly and started vibrating soon after. Then a shifter broke, and instead of offering some sort of advanced RMA procedure, they simply had the bike sit there while they shipped the shifter to Shimano and got replacement back, which took almost a month. I don't see how it's acceptable in any way, shape or form to have a customer off the bike for that long. My friend bought a mountain bike from them, and they didn't tighten the stem properly and it ended up turning 90 degrees unexpectedly when riding, could have caused a serious injury. The one local to me is absolutely pathetic, they don't even take the time to keep the bikes they are selling on the floor in a workable shape, most have flat tires, out of tune drive-trains, etc. Quality of components is second/third rate, although for 500 bux that's what you should expect. You are better off getting a used bike off CL, by far.

 

[senseamp]

I would recommend a Giant. They are usually the best value of the quality brands. It's kind of like HTC of bikes. Most bike companies outsource their low and midrange products to Taiwan, Giant is a Taiwanese bike company that just makes its own products, so you get same or better quality without paying for pretentious BS. My brother got a Defy for commuting, seems pretty happy with it. Try to find last model year sales, you can get killer deals if you look.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Yes please buy a $1500 bike! It will make some bicyclist happy to get it for 1/3 of the price a year from now when you've let it collect dust.

 

[squirrel dog]

or you could go to walmart,take your pick for 100$,see if you LIKE RIDING first.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I would not buy a bike from Performance bike. Maybe accessories, but not bike. Their service is subpar, as is their assembly attention to detail.
I bought one from them, the front brake was not adjusted properly and started vibrating soon after. Then a shifter broke, and instead of offering some sort of advanced RMA procedure, they simply had the bike sit there while they shipped the shifter to Shimano and got replacement back, which took almost a month. I don't see how it's acceptable in any way, shape or form to have a customer off the bike for that long. My friend bought a mountain bike from them, and they didn't tighten the stem properly and it ended up turning 90 degrees unexpectedly when riding, could have caused a serious injury. The one local to me is absolutely pathetic, they don't even take the time to keep the bikes they are selling on the floor in a workable shape, most have flat tires, out of tune drive-trains, etc. Quality of components is second/third rate, although for 500 bux that's what you should expect. You are better off getting a used bike off CL, by far.

It's hit or miss I guess. The Performance Bike near me is actually pretty good. Their in house brand tires and tubes are complete garbage though.

 

[Doggiedog]

After speaking with some friends, I decided I need to up my budget. I'm going to go a recommended bike store this weekend and look at these bikes:

Giant Defy 2

Cannondale 8-6

The store seems to have prices about 10% cheaper than any other place nearby.

As for the guy who said he would be glad to see me buy an expensive bike. I don't understand why you have to be such a hater. I'm just asking for some friendly advice on a site I've had the joy of being on for 10 years.

I've checked Craigslist and can't find anything let alone figure out what something is or how it was treated. I also don't want to wait until winter time to find something I want just to save a few bucks. I want to enjoy it now, this summer. Just because your priorities don't align with mine doesn't make mine wrong.

 

[CraigRT]

+1 on Cannondale..

I have a Specialized Allez 58cm that fits me perfectly, but I really love the new C'dale road bikes. They're great.

My Spec its a good riding bike though, I'd recommend it.

 

[Cdubneeddeal]

Get fitted then buy a cheaper bike first to see if you like the sport. If you do like it then step up to something more expensive. Nothing worse than spending over $1000 on bike only to not like the sport.

Also, after you get fitted I would buy from Bikesdirect.com. I've ordered two bikes from them and both I've been happy with. My last bike I bought was a Windsor 29er Comp which is actually a rebadged Fuji Tahoe 29er Comp that is listed for well over the $500 shipped I paid. People want you to buy local so the bike dealer gets more of the money rather than buying online. But shit, if you can save quite a bit of cash why not?

 

[Sureshot324]

when looking at the lower end of the new bikes... I have always felt much safer buying a higher end USED bike than a low end new one

Lower end bikes really have TRASH components


Craigslist.org
find your local area
bikes section
bam.. you will find a bike that cost $1000 new on sale for $450 and barely ridden

I tried that but didn't have much luck finding a bike on CL. Seemed like they were all either junk bikes for < $100 or really high end bikes that ppl wanted $1000+ for.

 

[kornphlake]

Just to add some unneeded information to the topic, GT was sold to Pacific Cycles along with Mongoose and Schwinn back in 2001 or 2002. The brands represent Pacific Cycles top offerings, but aren't related to the high quality bikes that these companies produced previously. Saying your 17 year old Zaskar or LTS is a great bike isn't really relevant.

Between the updated options, I like Cannondale, but Giant is usually a better value at the same price.

Would you consider building your own bike? If you've got friends (or a forum) to guide your decisions you might be able to build a better bike for less if you look for used parts, even on craigslist parts come up for sale at reasonable prices compared to complete bikes.

 

[Tiamat]

Best thing you can do first is go to a bike shop and get them to size you up. Once you know what size you need, it is far easier to shop around.

Fuji and Scott seem to give you a bit better component for the money compared to Trek and Specialized. Cannondale is also pretty good.

 

[Doggiedog]

I found a 2009 closeout that was on sale in my size. I ended up with a Cannondale Six 6 double in red. Thanks for the advice!

 

[qaa541]

I bought a 2002 Fuji Team road bike from bikesdirect.com in 2003. It has been a great bike for me. I think I paid like $1200 shipped. The frame is a very light aluminum and it has ultegra compontents throughout. It is not carbon fiber, but it has been a great bike for me that is still going strong. It is really light, actually lighter than some carbon fiber bikes.

I personally would not want to buy anything with less than 105 components (or equivalent) for a road bike. I agree with others saying I would rather buy a high end used vs. low end new. Bikes depreciate like crazy. A year old road bike will be heavily discounted when the new model comes in... Typically nothing even changes between model years, just available paint schemes.

 

[Doggiedog]

The list on the bike was $1500 when it came out. I bought it for a little over $900. It doesn't have 105 or Ultegra parts, only Tiagra with a Sora front derailleur but I'm ok with it. It's not as if I am going to be racing anytime soon. Hopefully, the bike will last.

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Good choice. Here's my caad 9 5 before I got some clipless pedals. Rides great and extremely fast.