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The super high end stuff is up to 12 speed cassettes in the back, up from 10 when I last built a bike. You can always upgrade the components on a frame.

 

Personally, I'd go for something high entry level or midrange off the bat, from Bikesdirect. If at some point down the road you decide that you want a different riding experience, you can always get a different frame and transfer the components. Sort of reversed. My first road bike came with a Shimano Tiagra groupset and that was plenty until I got serious about road cycling and went higher end. Claris/Sora are a little lower end and feel a little chintzier, but are completely functional too. You should be able to find 8 or 9 speed Sora, at least.

 

 

Disc brakes require a different hub, and caliper mounting points on the fork and frame. Gotta be set up for it from the getgo.

Edited by awfulwaffle
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Do the two types of disc brakes use the same mounting points on the fork. for example if I have the cheaper style cable pull disc brakes will it have the stuff needed to upgrade to a hydraulic?
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What other options are there? Can I change the gears and shifter at a later point if the 2x7 or 3x7 isn't enough? What do you prefer

 

More than 7 :lol: On my bikes, the 1st 4 gears have more separation for hills, 5+ is for relatively flat surfaces and going fast. The last 5 gears on 10 speed are tightly spaced, so you are always in the right gear if its a slight up hill, flat, slight downhill and as you get stronger and faster you can move up. I don't know how they gear 7 speeds, but if the 4 are for hills, 7th gear for top speed, it seems like the remaining 2 gears are going to flat, even those may not be spaced that close.

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If your looking to save money, I wouldn't put too much money in wheels. You can always find decent used wheel (likely for cheap) for someone upgrading to nicer wheel. [if I could remember what I did with my original road wheels, you could have them]

 

My GF bike has disk brakes, the mounting points are on the frame and front fork. If I was buying a new bike I would buy one with disc brakes, but my budget for a new bike is more than yours. I also am not selling going to my current bike because it has V-Brakes.

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My budget is flexible, if I saw the need I would spend 1k. But I don't see anything worthwhile to make me spend more. I'll spend what it takes to get what I want. I just need to get the lungs flowing and the heart pumping.

 

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/liberty_cxd.htm

 

This guy seems to have everything, but out of stock.

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you might have scope creep. :)

 

Usually you buy a nice frame and fork, then spec components to match your budget. Having nice wheels & tires will make you pretty happy as they mean less effort. Lots of gears are good if you have terrain variation. If it's mostly flat, then you'll only use a few gears.

 

Disc brakes have consistent braking regardless of surface or weather. If you buy an off brand, buy a rebuild kit as well as a couple sets of pads. I sold my old mountain bike because the cost to rebuild the disc brakes was more than the bike was worth.

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http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/liberty_cxd.htm

 

I think this covers everything I need and is only 500 bucks. Something with what this has for 500 would be perfect for me. Seems like bikesdirect is the only place to buy this stuff......

 

I like simple, but it doesn't look like I can buy that bike anytime soon, if it were available to order or preorder I would have already pulled the trigger....

 

Is there a site that sells the pieces? Something like newegg. I don't think I will be able to get anything off of bikesdirect within a month or 2.

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I don't know where to get one brand new for that price, but used is quite doable. If you want to dive into building one yourself, there's plenty of parts houses like Nashbar, Jensen USA, BikeParts.com, etc. If you're patient, some really cool framesets will come up on Ebay. I managed to get my hands on a nice titanium frame made by a sports wheelchair manufacturer a while back that way, and built my best riding road bike around it.

 

That said, I think you'll have a hard time coming out even on price versus a prebuilt bike from BikesDirect, mostly because they must get pretty hefty bulk discounts on components. At least, that was the case when I was looking for my first road bike. It only made sense for me to build one when I wanted a very specific high end setup and was willing to buy used top-of-the-line components that were a generation or two old.

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This right here is a very good deal, if you're willing to give up disc brakes and go for the older style quill stem for attaching the handlebars. That 105 groupset is four tiers above Claris on the bike you linked in Shimano's hierarchy, though there's probably less than that much quality/tech difference between them given the generational gap. Still, that's a lot of road bike for the money, and that vintage should still be built on a handmade US frame. Should have 9 or 10 speeds in the back, and while the cassette looks pretty closely spaced you can always change it out for like 50 bucks if you want more hill-climbing low end. Will be nimble and quick, though a little stiffer than some of the other options. My commuter is built around a Cannondale ST400 frameset (similar construction, but longer wheelbase for a sports-tourer type feel) and I absolutely love it.

 

https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/d/brooklyn-vintage-cannondale-road-bike/7152476338.html

 

The best part is that if you decide you don't like it, it'll resell for the exact same amount of money (or a little more).

Edited by awfulwaffle
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How much am I looking at to build something like what I linked? Not a fan of used. In my younger years, the 90's, I was well versed in bmx and mountain bike riding, customization, repair and maintenance. Customizing sounds a lot more fun and efficient, especially if I can get more bang for the buck. But if this bikesdirect has better numbers, then I may wait for a good deal to come around and jump on it asap. I know my way around a bicycle, I am just not up to date on the trends and technology over the past 20 years. I had a simple 10 speed road bike throughout college that did the job, some old schwinn varsity i think... rode it everywhere, to campus, to bars, to work.... I need all the modern basics, so I want disk because I hate shitty stopping in the rain. Gears are whatever, I can deal with 10, that's enough for me, but more would be welcomed. I need skinny tires because I prefer speed on the road, its purely for covering distance on the road like going to work, store etc. I live in NY so everything is paved/asphalt/etc, so zero dirt. Suspension?? I didn't even know that was a thing for road bikes lol! Do top road bikes have front/rear suspensions now?, like mountain bikes? I figured the loss in energy isn't good for a road bike and thats why most don't have springs, but like I said I'm running on 20 year old knowledge.

 

If I can build my own custom road bike for 800 or less I would be interested.

Edited by Tehnation
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No way you'll match 500 bucks piecing a bike together to get the same specs as that BD bike. I think you'll have the most trouble finding a cheap enough frameset that'll mount disc brakes. I just did a cursory search and didn't find anything from the usual no-name frame offerings. Maybe a deeper search would yield something.

 

If you can give up the disc brakes, you might be able to put something otherwise comparable to the linked bike for around 800, which would admittedly still be a bit cheaper than buying a name brand bike with the same specs. Assuming you're buying brand new you can expect something around 500 bucks combined for an aluminum frame, OK wheels and a decent set of tires/tubes, and the rest of the 800 bucks will go into all the other things like crankset, shifters, brakes, bottom bracket, handlebars, wrap, etc. This will require you stay lower end on the drivetrain, but you could mix and match and go with lower end crankset and derailleurs but spring on some higher tier shifters/brake levers to make the bike feel a little nicer. In any case, all of the 'named' drivetrain product lines (Claris, Sora, Tiagra, 105.......etc) will be leaps and bounds ahead of anything you could get from a big box store.

 

I've always been a Shimano guy, so no input from me on comparable SRAM offerings but I imagine they're in the same ballpark.

Edited by awfulwaffle
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On the bike I have it's 3x8 gears and that's plenty enough even when there's a lot of up hill/down hill.

 

When it comes to brakes - disc brakes gives you the best control. It's like a drug - by having them I would never consider going back to anything else. Much like a turbo engine v.s. a NA of the same displacement. Good brakes are also a life saver, so see it as an insurance cost.

 

Suspension - it's a bit of a curse - if you only do road riding I'd consider to only have it in the saddle post. I have that and it's a decent 'spine saver' and 'ball saver'. Suspension on the rear wheel can 'eat up' your pedaling power. A front fork suspension might be useful if the road paving is varying in quality but a suspension also add weight.

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http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/liberty_cxd.htm#size

 

I bought/pre ordered this guy for 550 total, shipping and tax inc. Email came like 5 minutes ago stating they had some new stock coming, so I just pulled the trigger.

 

What do you guys think?

 

This is actually the 2021 version of the 2020 one I really liked. Tires seem a bit big, can I change that?

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Not the bike I would have picked, but my spine isn't that flexible since I have a compressed disc.

 

 

Also - I prefer to have fenders on my bikes, I hate coming home with a dirt strip front and back even after a short ride.

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because no suspension or some other reason? Not a fan of suspension on the road, my mtb has all that crap, that's why i don't like using it. If anything maybe I will get a seatpost with some kind of suspension, thats all I would need if anything.

 

It has all the meat and potatoes that I was looking for, so I don't have to do much. Change tires maybe, I will wait and see what they actually look like. I hate the sounds mtb tires make when on the road, that's why I prefer a road tire. Not sure what type of tire it has though, doesn't look like a mtb tire entirely.

 

I don't plan on riding on dirt or in the rain, so fenders don't seem all to important.

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because no suspension or some other reason? Not a fan of suspension on the road, my mtb has all that crap, that's why i don't like using it. If anything maybe I will get a seatpost with some kind of suspension, thats all I would need if anything.

 

It has all the meat and potatoes that I was looking for, so I don't have to do much. Change tires maybe, I will wait and see what they actually look like. I hate the sounds mtb tires make when on the road, that's why I prefer a road tire. Not sure what type of tire it has though, doesn't look like a mtb tire entirely.

 

I don't plan on riding on dirt or in the rain, so fenders don't seem all to important.

 

 

I had a case where I got a too heavy lift once and that compressed my spine. Sucks, but only rarely gives me pain.

 

 

Around where I live - rain is pretty common, so there's almost always some dirt that sticks to the tires - or remaining water puddles. Without fenders on the bike you'd look like a moron walking around. It's a lot easier taking the bike downtown than the car as well. Parking cost sucks here - if you can find a parking place.

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Looks like a solid choice to me. Buy some 32mm wide road tires and go about your business. They'll be a little wider than what most call a road tire, but will be a bit more comfortable for it without too much extra rolling resistance. Edited by awfulwaffle
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I have owned a few bikesdirect bikes and the higher end ones in the 1K range come with some nice bits.

 

With that said the Gravity line is the entry level.

 

One word of advice if you outgrow that bike do not think on upgrading anything, just buy something new and sell it. It is not worth upgrading anything because anything that is worth while upgrading will not be compatible with that bike.

 

The saddles on the cheap bikes are horrendous.

 

Get some padded shorts, they are a life saver.

 

Check these places out for accessories:

 

https://www.jensonusa.com

 

https://www.backcountry.com

 

A lot of the amazon stuff is also good.

 

Check ebay for stuff as well.

 

Helmets you need to test fit. They all do not fit the same.

 

I own 6 bikes. They are all different. I have not been riding a lot recently but most of my weeks have always been around 125+ miles each week with sometimes 250 miles in a week.

 

Saddle, padded shorts, and good fit are key.

 

Enjoy.

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helmet? I need a new one, I let someone borrow it years ago and we know how that goes... its theirs now lol

 

anyone have a recommendations?

Go to a shop and try out a model that fits your head and is comfortable.

 

 

 

If you get the wrong one you will just hate it.

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  • 1 month later...

So the bike came, tires are to fat. All these tire sizes are confusing.

 

Rims 700x14Gx32H HJC DA-14 DOUBLE WALL, ALLOY BLACK

 

Tires Kenda 700x50C BLACK A/V K-935, presta valve tubes

Wide Tires FIT with Room for up to 2" x 29er Tires

 

I want to order some tires off amazon but have no idea what size to get. I want a nice road tire. What size tire should I be looking for that will fit on this rim? I have a 50mm, I think I need like 1/2 that. What do you guys use? I'm 5'10" , a weight between 195-210... my weight fluctuates a lot!

 

20200816_120540.thumb.jpg.52cad75e64ba4a540f2b91e0ba5c41e0.jpg

 

20200816_105828.thumb.jpg.9029cec248c41a8f38cec71c8edf86c2.jpg

 

20200816_105821.thumb.jpg.3be30875939507b3361fb8a4a757359e.jpg

Edited by Tehnation
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