What is a good entry level racing bike to get?

CASEY P: What is a good entry level racing bike to get?
I run quite a bit, and i am looking to get into racing bikes. What is a descent bike that will not cost a fortune,and will be competitive with other people? Please no bike snobs that tell me I have to buy a 6000 dollar bike to shave off a few seconds. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

Answers and Views:

Answer by ciaobella
Entry level is 900 to $ 1500 at non sale prices.
At this level you can get something in aluminum with a carbon fork and at least a Shimano Tiagra level drive train, maybe 105, which is the next level up. (Besides Shimano, SRAM and Campy also make respectable drivetrains) Stay away from low end Sora. Spend a little more to get carbon rear seatstays that absorb road buzz, which can be annoying and fatiguing. Trek, Specialized and Giant are the biggest names. Felt, Blue, Scott, and Lapierre are not as common, so you feel less like you are owning a Camry.

I assume you are not really racing, just want a fast road bike. And I don’t know what you mean by “other people”

You will sell yourself short if you don’t also test-ride the steel bikes from Jamis, Bianchi, Gunnar and Soma. Steel has much better vibration absorbtion than aluminum frames at the same price level, maybe 1/2 lb heavier.

However if you know snooty “other people”, you’ll also need to look at full carbon frames which is all the rage, (min. $ 2200) BUT put a ding or crash these once and that may be all she wrote. Steel is at least repairable usually.

Answer by intrepidfae
There is not a lot of difference among the various brands at the entry level. Entry level bikes are mostly made in just a few Asian factories regardless of the name on them. The business is so competitive that any two bikes at the same price point are very likely to be equivalent values. Go to your local bike shop and tell them what you need and how much you have to spend. Then, test ride the bike. Go to other shops and test ride what they have to offer. This will enable you to make some apples to apples comparisons. One bike will just fit and feel better than the others. Buy that bike regardless of the name on it. Ignore fancy brochures and marketing hype. The bike that feels the best is the one that you will perform your best on.

HTH

Answer by mtlbiker
I am a great believer in what I call the three shop rule. You should go to at least three different stores, talk to the staff, state your budget and your needs, and try as many bikes as they will let you. Really good bike companies will often have demo bikes that they will lend out to let their customers really try out the bikes in the real world. buy the bike you like best, regardless of brand, from the store that treats you best.