With interval season quickly approaching (stay tuned! you’re about to get the email/blog post of a lifetime!), multiple team members have expressed their interest in securing a bike they call call their own. This is a really good idea for a few reasons:
1) Henry, Amy, and Cole are all proud recipients of new bicycles. I think they’ll agree with me when I say that owning your own bicycle makes all the difference in the world. I care more about my bike than any other material object in the entire world. It becomes the physical manifestation of your soul, your hopes, and your dreams.
2) Those of you who have been using the loaners: your new bikes will work infinitely better than the trainers. Loaners certainly can be used in races (and have been successfully), but if you’re serious about racing you want your own bike. Trust me.
3) Buying a bike begins a self-perpetuating cycle. Here it is:
– Buy bike; love for sport of cycling increases
– Spend more and more time on bicycle
– Become really fast and win lots of races
– Realize that you need a new, faster bike
– (Repeat)
4) Owning a bike is sexy. Game over.
So, I think this all is pretty convincing that buying a bike is the way to go. Here’s a few pieces of advice/FAQs on the process of buying your first bike.
Used or new?
Used bikes are usually way cheaper than new bikes. However, you run some degree of risk every time you buy a used bike. If you’re thinking about buying a used bike, be sure to know the answer to the following questions before you commit to anything:
– Has the bike ever been in a crash?
– How many owners has the bike had?
– When was the bike purchased?
– What sort of maintenance has been performed on the bicycle?
– Have any components been switched out?
In general, new is safer but more expensive. Seeing as we have a kickass deal with Felt Bicycles, I’d suggest rolling new.
How much should I spend?
Not surprisingly, this is really a preference sort of thing. New racing bikes go from anywhere between $400 and probably $25,000 or so. I would strongly recommend against buying anything in either of these extremes. The difference between a $400 and a $1000 bike is huge. The difference between a $4000 and a $8000 bike is miniscule. Basically, I would say that if you’re willing to spend between $600 and $1000 then you’re totally capable of buying a sweet-ass racing machine that can totally kick butt. If you’re able to go up to $2000, you will be able to buy a significantly better bicycle. Remember that buying a bike is an investment. Treat this bike well and it will still be serving you in ten years time. It’s unfortunate that cycling is such an expensive sport, but you will get your money’s worth (up to a certain point).
Carbon? Aluminum?
The two most common materials that bike frames are built from are carbon fiber and aluminum. There are also plenty of bikes build from everything ranging from steel to bamboo, but those are the two most common materials.
The basic difference is that, for the most part, carbon fiber is lighter, stiffer, more expensive, and more likely to crack. Aluminum is cheaper, gives a less smooth ride and more durable. I like my carbon bike, but there are plenty of really great aluminum bikes too (just talk to Amy!)
What size should I get?
You should definitely get fit to a bike before purchasing it. An awesome bike that doesn’t fit you isn’t worth its weight in manure. Any shop owner should be able to tell you pretty quickly what size you want. As a point of reference, I’m about 5′ 10″ and very happy on a 56 cm. frame.
SRAM? Shimano? Campognolo?
Three different groupset manufacturers. I’ve tried all three and honestly there isn’t too much of a difference between the products they supply. The shifting changes a little bit, but nothing too drastic.
Questions? Send me an email! I’d love to help get you on your new bike.