|
If you know what frame sizes work for you get a bike on craigslist. Fit is rather important and I recommend getting fitted.
I bought a bunch of road bikes on craigslist until I injured myself and stopped riding. You can get a top brand bike a few years old with full ultegra and a carbon frame for $700 or $800 if you're quick to snag it, and china carbon frames (somewhat misleading as guess where ALL non-boutique frames come from) with an with even better groupo for the same price. I like carbon frames because they're extremely stiff, very lightweight, and unlike stiff aluminum frames, they do a really good job of damping higher frequency vibrations. Steel / titanium frames are also good if you come across the right bike. I don't recommend aluminum because they're more jarring.
I also HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend a power meter. It's SO helpful and interesting that it's a MUST HAVE. It's so important that if your budget doesn't allow both you should get an older bike and fit the power meter. The sad truth is you'll be 99% as fast on a '90s road bike with downtube shifter as a new road bike--and if the difference is that your old bike has a power meter, you'll be way FASTER on it than you would be on a new bike, guaranteed. You can get an older wireless powertap for like $400 or $500.
|