Help me convince Suzie

That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

Euan Wrote:
That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)2-3k is definitely a reasonable sum for a new road bike, once she rides
it she'll understand


--
Jono L

Euan Wrote:
That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)
It will last longer than a holiday for the same price


--
alison_b

Euan Wrote:
That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)
Jono L is on the right track. Get Suzie to test ride some bikes in
that range. It will be a cinch after that.


--
monsterman

"Euan" wrote in message
...
That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)
--
Cheers | ~~ __@
Euan | ~~ _-\,
Melbourne, Australia | ~ (*)/ (*)

Someone ELSE wants to spend $2-3K to buy her a road bike and she's balking?
Mind you I can see that it's a lot to spend for a first bike. Maybe go
$1200-1500 which will get something very ridable and spend the balance on
shoes, pedals, lights, lock, and other sundries. You'll still be pushing $2k
at the end of it all, but you'll have the works.

On 29/10/05 at 11:05:09 Euan somehow managed to type:

That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie
on board here :-)


In the early '70's I spent about $1200 on a custome made frame and all
the bits to build up a top whack touring bike. Thirty years later I'm
still using that frame and the bits that haven't worn out. When I spent
the money I was almost universally derided as being somewhat stupid.
With the benfit of hindsight that was THE best $1200 I ever spent...:-)

If I was to build an equivilent bike now it'd probably cost way more
than you're proposing to spend and you know what ? If I "lost" The Old
Grey Bike tomorrow I'd be heartbroken, of course, but I'd not even
think about spending the money to replace it, I would, as that ad says,
just do it...:-)

--
Humbug

monsterman Wrote:
Jono L is on the right track. Get Suzie to test ride some bikes in that
range. It will be a cinch after that.


Yeah, I'll agree with that. Go fer it Suzy - we just purchased more
goodies for our road bike. Now I've *really got to do some training*.
Can't realistically do the hill training for the Alpine, so I'm aiming
for the 100km Irene Plowman in Feb. Want a training partner Suzy? Hint
Hint.


--
cfsmtb

Resound Wrote:

Someone ELSE wants to spend $2-3K to buy her a road bike and she's
balking?
Mind you I can see that it's a lot to spend for a first bike. Maybe go
$1200-1500 which will get something very ridable and spend the balance
on
shoes, pedals, lights, lock, and other sundries. You'll still be
pushing $2k
at the end of it all, but you'll have the works.

Yeah, IMHO for a newbie...
go the 'OK-midrange' bike and good bits to go with it (comfort will win
her over intially moreso than any frame pedigree). That way you get the
flexibility of possibly carrying stuff in future OR whippin your
butt/Leading-you-out into that headwind


--
flyingdutch

Someone ELSE wants to spend $2-3K to buy her a road bike and she's
balking? Mind you I can see that it's a lot to spend for a first bike.
Maybe go $1200-1500 which will get something very ridable and spend the
balance on shoes, pedals, lights, lock, and other sundries. You'll still
be pushing $2k at the end of it all, but you'll have the works.


I got my first bike at the start of august, about $1500 on bike, rest on
sundries, and by the time I got a few pairs of knicks/tops etc, prolly ended
up spending $2000-2500 (who's counting!?). I went this way since I really
wasnt sure how I fully I would embrace it, and I really didnt/dont
understand too many differences with frame types etc as yet. Having a nice
bike to ride though will surely enhance your riding experience!.. A few
months down the track the only thing that I'm annoyed at is that I didn't
get my bike sooner :P..

The more you/she/I rides, the better understanding you will get of a) what
sort of riding is being done b) what on the current bike to upgrade to suit
this riding style or c) what to change when/if bike no. 2 comes along.

"Feed the addiction!"
Ash

Euan wrote:
That 2-3K for a road bike is NOT an inordinate sum of money.

Bonus has come through and I want to spend it on a new road bike for
Suzie 'cause she needs one. Come on guys and gals, help me get Suzie on
board here :-)

My first roadbike cost me, including pedals, shoes, new helmet, knicks,
saddle bag, mini pump, track pump, spare tubes & repair tool all up a
shade under $3000 (Trek 1400). Nowdays, for around $2500 you'd get
roughly the same setup. The 1400 retails for around $2k now, with a
decent groupset (shimano 105) and carbon forks and seatpost. Comfy
shoes and pedals will set you back between $200-$400 depending on what
you get. Also, cheaper bikes often have nasty wheels that won't be as
reliable.

Think of it this way. A good quality bike will last, feel better and
be more fun to ride than a cheapie. It'll have a frame that won't fail
on you in 2 years time, a seat that won't split your arse in half etc.
I went on a trip to New Zealand last year, for a week, which cost me
around $3k all up, but I ride my bikes every day, and it's fun, fast
and keeps me fit and healthy.

And, as everyone else has already said, take the nice bikes for a good
testride (from a good LBS that will set them up for Suzie before she
rides them!) and also test ride the cheapies. There *is* a difference.
There's a lot less difference between a $5k bike and a $7k bike than
there is between a $1500 bike and $2500 bike.

And! It's an investment in health, fun and legs to die for! w00t!
Some friends of mine got themselves a jetski - around $15,000 or
something, and they use it three times a year for a few hours. What's
the entertainment value per hour? And the health benefit? Some things
are priceless

And one bit of advice - buy the bike for the frame and the fit, not the
groupset. ie: if two bikes are the same price (roughly) and one is
Ultegra and the other one 105, but the 105 bike has a better frame and
fits better, get that one. Components wear out. Frames last.