Can't decide. Ahhhhh

“Okay, I'm looking for someone with some road biking experience here. I have narrowed my decision down to two bikes, and I can't decide which one to buy. Here are the bikes and specs.
Specialized Allez A1
LeMond Nevada City
They are the same price, so I'm debating between frame material, geometry, and components.”

“DM99, are you getting a bike because everyone here thinks you shouldn't be driving a car, lol? I wish I could help, but I don't know nothin about bikes. Did you compare the weight of each bike?”

“lol, I just like biking. The weights are virtually the same. The Specialized is only a few ounces lighter due to the aluminum.”

“Get new boots man.”

“Good Luck choosing a bike. Mine is in the shop getting all tuned up and NEW PEDALS. They were a Mother's Day gift from Baume. And shoes to go along with my new pedals. You know how it feels to have new gear.”

“The only thing I'd recommend is get clipless pedals - forget about the toe clips on that Nevada bike.”

“Get the red one.
Either that or get the other one, because the pedals are included in the Nevada.

Personally, I like clips anyway.”

“Go for the Lemond. The bike I ride most now is a Specialized Epic carbon fiber composite frame. I broke the head tube on my last steel bike. Check out what top leave racers are riding. There is some pressure on them to use what their sponsors want to see the them ride but they do get some say. Steel remains the most common frame material. Unless you have deep pockets steel is the frame to buy. I don?t know much about the drive trains speced on those bikes. Ride both and make some extreme maneuvers to test the handling. The frame geometry is important and is the main factor in the handling characteristics. Find the geometry that fits your riding style. I take it this is not for racing. There is great pleasure in the responsiveness of a good road bike. The acceleration, handling and lightness make mountain bikes feel like slugs. A good road bike, the second best thing to have between my legs.”

“And . . .the best way to improve a bikes performance is to get better wheels. If you latter want to upgrade, get wheels. Wear a helmet. Demand respect form motorists but expect not to get any.”

“the Specialized Allez A1 looks way hella cooler!”

“Get the Allez!
I personaly would never buy anything with less then Shimano 105 on it or anything other then Aluminum.

Also check out the Ralight R700, it's got Ultergra on it! $1500, and I own another Raleigh that kicks ass!

Speaking of bikes,

I just bought a Yamaha Seca II 600CC sport bike! YEEEHAAAW”

“Go with the Specialized. They have always been a good company. With the Lemond you are probably just paying for his name. What does the run for, $750-$1000?

I would definitely recommend taking some bikes out for a test drive. Each bike material has a different feel to it. Good Luck with your purchase. Biking is an awesome sport.”

“The what?

The specialized A1 is about $1300

The specialized A1 elite is about $1600 with much better components!”

“Depends on the ride you are looking for. The Specialized will be really stiff. Great for climbing and cornering. It will really track but will also be twitchy that way. The steel LeMond is made of excellent steel. Reynolds 853 has a tinsile strength of 200,000 Ksi -- really strong. It also will be a lot more forgiving on longer rides and rough roads. Just a way more springy and lively ride than the Specialized. I'd try and ride them both if I were you.”

“ok, do you like going fast up hills, or slow? If you like crawling up the hills on a flexible steal frame, get a LeMond.

I like flying at light spead down hills, and passing the old school steal framers on the up hills.”

“Its the legs and lungs that get you up a hill not the bike. I have ridden thousands of miles on steel frames. They are fine. They balance comfort and stiffness well. Some aluminum frames can beat you to death. Unless you never spend more than one hour on the bike. After six hours or 150 mile without stopping you will appreciate steel more. Ti or Carbon composite are my choices but they are not in the price range of the bikes in question.”

“Ok mtn gal,

try riding 150 miles on a heavy $200 bike from Kmart, and then tell me that weight doesn't matter.

To a certain extent a steel frame is as good as a aluminum, and yes, ones physical ability is also a factor, but all things being equal, a lightweight aluminum bike will out run a steel bike any day.

Oh, and go eat poopy!”

“Ummmmmmmm!
Poopy!
do:3”

“Before my legs or lungs give out, my ass and back do.

Riding 150 miles without stopping? That works out to ten hours continuous at an average speed of 15 mph, or 7.5 hours at an average speed of 20mph. Although I do not doubt that Mountain Gals legs and lungs are mighty, I still find it hard to believe that this feat is accomplished on a Huffy.”

“Exactly!”

“Ken and TR, I did see someone doing Seattle to Portland on Huffy mountain bikes last year. Granted, they did 2 days for it (100 miles per day), it can be done...just hurts a bit more.

At the level that DM is looking, the difference between the two materials is not that great. It will rely more on the person powering the bike than the bike itself.

Last year I rode my 11 year old steel frame bike and was passing riders on aluminum bikes (the riders were at the same general level of fitness and condition as I was) on climbs flats and descents.

Mtn. Gal was also talking about comfort. Steel is a more forgiving comfortable ride. Unless DM is thinking of hard core racing, there's no good reason for the added expense to drop what, a pound or two?

DM, given the choice of the two, I'd lean towards the Specialized on their reputation, and the component group. Definitely ride them both and see what is the most comfortable to you.

Enjoy riding them”

“oh, and so I don't come across as some unbeatable cyclist, I was passed by folks as much as I passed others...

The bike is a good start, it's really the engine that powers it that counts...”

“I think you should ride both bikes before you buy. If you can't ride the exact model take a steel and an aluminum frame bike thats similar for a ride and see how you like the way it handles rides and climbs. That's really the best way to decide. I never rode an aluminum bike, but I have a steel Trek mountain bike and a Merlin titanium mountain bike. If you can afford it, get a titanium frame if you plan to seriously ride. It's feather light, will never rust and the ride is incredible.
Invest in the best frame you can afford because you can always, and will wind up replacing components later. Steel has a good ride also, just not as comfy or light as Ti and it rusts. Ti is for life.”

“I have ridden both bikes. Both ride extremely well and almost the same. THe Lemond I rode had a slightly long post, so I'm going back tomorrow to see if I can talk him into putting a shorter one on. Other then that, they are about the same price ($850ish). Right now I'm thinking I like the acceleration of the aluminum over the ride of the steel, but I'll have to see. The bad thing is that the two bikes are at two different shops, so I can't ride them right after one another. Anyway, there also might be the chance that one of the shops has last years Lemond Tourmle, which is the same frame with Tiagra parts. So it would have the components of the specialized and the geometry and frame of the Nevada City.”

“Make the shop put on the right seatpost before you buy. Make sure you get a good fit on whatever bike you buy. Just like your backpack. You'll be spending a lot of time in the saddle so you want to be sure it fits right.”

“Deathmarch,which ever you get here are some modifications that will not only improve performance but enhance your image...

Get a yellow banana seat, get those big "monkey bars" style handle bars, put baseball cards in your spokes so as you ride you get that cool clickety-clack sound, then get really looong forks and a small (10" or so) front tire, maybe a chain steering wheel instead of monkey bars, and to top it off some pink streamers to trail in your wake.Trust me dude, chicks dig this!!!!!!!!!!!!You may even pick up a girl who has a license to drive (hubba hubba).”

“That's my bike! Haven't picked up any licensed chicks yet, but I'm tryin'!”

“I have the Allez, it's a great bike...”

“You can always change components, but the frame...well... All things being equal (note that qualifier) go with the better components. Another thing to remember is that if you should be so unfortunate as to tweak the aluminum frame in the least, it's pretty much over, as a rule. Especially a big tweak. The steel, well, a good bike shop with a jig will have it squared up in no time. Personally, I rode an aluminum bike (Trek) for years and then had the good fortune to pick up a Masi for a steal (no pun intended). I know, I know, superior bike anyway, but the comfort, trackability and handle of the steel was a hands down winner. Yes, in a way apples and oranges considering the disparity of make. But, though the Trek always felt zippy and fast up a hill, the overall benefits of the steel outweigh for me. If you are doing track sprinting, ok...but, then, you'd have a much different bike for that anyway. Also, if this matters in the least, I do believe that the LeMond, whatever you think of the markup, will retain it's value much better should you ever plan to sell.

The person who said "no lower than Shimano 105" was right on I think...although, personally, Shimano sucks for replacement parts and their continual need to make different models every year, it seems. Your components become impossible to replace or repair when that happens. Go Campy.”

“I don't know where you are getting a Specialized Allez for $850ish. If you go with anything less than Shimano 105, you may as well not get a road bike. It is not possible to get a good road bike for less than $1000.”

“I'm don't know most of the tech stuff about bikes, but I've got two - a steel frame Trek 800 and an aluminum frame Cannondale Silk Path 300. The type of biking I do is road touring, about 60-80 miles/day, so I like comfort, not concerned with speed. I've toured with both bikes and it's your legs that get you where you're going, not some super duper expensive bicycle. No matter what the bike, if ya don't put the time in it won't help that much.

The Cannondale is light and is great as far as comfort goes, but everything about it is pricey - gotta have a certain kickstand, a certain rack, (all more expensive of course - not to mention omigod! I put a kickstand on a Cannondale!), and I can't put a rack on the front for paniers, etc. It's a tad too fussy for me, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. However, a4naught is right, you have to be very careful with the aluminum frame. I've got some dings in mine - no matter how careful I am - and there ain't much left once the paint is dinged. I bought the previous year's frame, so got a good price on it. I'd definitely spend more time researching my next bike, especially considering the investment.”

“Comfort = Speed
Speed = Comfort”

“Hey DM: Most ti bikes are way expensive but here is a co. that imports Ti frames made by Red China's aerospace industry. They have quite a repitation and I have been thinking baout getting a road bike frame from them and swapping out components. Sorry you'll have to cut n paste. www.airborne.net

Seriously, I think the next best thing for road riding is steel. Steel is real.

Tarpy: I'll crush you and your beercan bike any day!”

“Twigeater, I?ve got a rack on the front of my Cannondale for panniers. Forks came pre-drilled. I guess yours didn?t. The last bike with a kickstand I had was stolen when I was fifteen, but I?m considering getting one again.”

“WhatEVER! man, I can pick my bike up with 2 fingers!”

“cool, me too, but hey, i got stroooong fingers.”

“i can pick up my bike with my tounge.”

“braggart”

“I rode the LeMond again today and am starting to love the smoothnes of the steel, but I'm still going to ride the specialized one more time. I'd really like to find a 2000 LeMond Tourmale. The one bike shop ran out and only has the 2001 model for $1000.”

“the shop also had this bike It's a Trek 1200 only it has 36 hole rims instead of the standard ones. It's a 2000 too on sale.”

“I can pick up my bike without hands,tongue or toes......”

“Well, I finally made a decision. I'm going to work and make more money so I can buy a better one. This is the new one I'm looking at”

“LOL @ hyper!!!”

“I thought I was a mess, but ya`ll are funny
some with a love for life and others for money
empty pockets and you wanting a bike
never ask this bunch which one they like
for under fifty bucks you can buy bolt cutters, what a deal
others can pay over a thousand bucks, but your`s was a steal
get you one that`s heavy, or get one that`s light
but, you best not do it in the day time, do it at night
get you a bike with all the buttons, a whistle and a bell
but as soon as you cut the lock on it, you better run like hell”

“lol @ bigfoot
I guess outrunning the cops on a bike would be good training.”

“Sorry for that DM,....I got carried away.lol”