Too often people are looking at the price and not the quality of the road bike when they are in the market to buy. Although price is obviously important, it is equally important to recognize the value based on the price you are paying for the bike.
You search for a new road bicycle must begin with certain answers addressed first.
Used-vs-New
There is no shortage of used road bikes on the market today. Craigslist is one of those places and has hundreds available for sale in every imaginable category and price range. If you finances are tight then this may be your only option. The problem with buying a used bike is that you really don’t know how many hours are on the bike and what condition the bike is really in. Even though the bike may look shiny and clean there may still be serious problems which may cause a failure down the road.
Look for signs of metal fatigue and obvious wear on each and every part of the bike. Naturally all bike parts will eventually wear out, it is the degree of wear that you must concern yourself with. Be sure to thoroughly look over the bike because even a small crack in a weld can render the bike useless.
You can always swap out the components yourself if you have the capacity to do so. You can go to a bike shop and have them do it for you but the cost will be exponentially higher. These are just some of the problems with buying a used bike. Not to mention that if the bike has a structural failure while you are riding it you risk serious injury or worse.
Mid-Range Price VS Low-Range Price
You can categorize road bikes relative to their pricing so in this article we will focus on the mid to lower-range road bikes. These bikes range in price from 200 dollars – 400 dollars for the lower priced bikes and 400 – 1200 for the mid priced bikes. 1200 is not a lot of money to spend for a quality road bike when you realize that to get the top of the line bike you could easily spend 7 to 10,000 dollars.
The difference between these bikes is the quality of the frame, crank, derailleur, gears, brakes, tires, seat, head post, handlebars etc. Simply put, the bikes will be as different as night and day. Chances are both bikes will have a derailleur from Shimano but you certainly won’t be getting the top of the line Shimano on the less expensive road bike. For most of the components this is true. The less expensive bicycle might be your best bet if it doesn’t matter to you. An example would be, if you couldn’t afford the more expensive Schwinn Laguna you could instead look at the less expensive Lamborghini Rapido. Both are good road bikes and for a beginner the Rapido may be good enough. If you can afford something in between, the Tommaso Monza might just be the road bike for you.
Cost Of Repair
If you factor in the cost of replacement for the cheaper components you have to ask yourself what you really saved by buying the cheaper road bike. To replace the derailleur will cost you anywhere from 100 to 200 dollars and more depending on the bike shop and the derailleur you choose to replace it with. This is true for all the parts and specific components on the road bike. The total cost of replacement will certainly out price the original cost of the road bike.
Basically speaking the cheaper you buy it for the cheaper it will be.