WindyCityCy
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
- Posts
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Can't believe it took me this long to find this thread ... Good stuff!
I ride a bunch, like 500mi a week. I have way too many bikes, my "best" ride is a 10yr old Lightspeed with an Ultegra grouppo. Honestly I think either Steel or Ti is the way to go, particularly if you are over 50 like I am. You can probably get hooked up with a lightly used High End Bike on the 'Bay, a lot of guys turn their gear over frequently and it's a good place to g e t a great deal on a good ride. Depending on where you live CL is good too.
Since I joined this forum to talk about hifi, I take my tunes with me on my rides and use a Plantronics wireless. Thinking I could carry my gear in my jersey pocket and use my FIIO, maybe I could ride faster if the Tunes sounded better)
It's much more maintainable than either Al or CF in the long run. The weight game is largely non relevant for an amateur cyclist who is not turning 200 k a day. As they are not "en vogue" right now incredible deals can be had on steel bikes in the used market. That 2 grand you have available, will get you in steel, what 7 grand might buy you in a CF bike.
What do you mean by "it's much more maintainable" ?
While I'm not one of those weight weenies, I like CF. Now it might come from the fact that I've never paid big bucks for it.
Lovely, strong and durable (and light, at 7.5 KGs).
Paid 700 bucks for it.
Your strategy is good, but seriously, get her fit professionally and buy her a second hand bike. My guess is you can buy a topline bike for 2K
I'd have to agree on the steel thing. It's much more maintainable than either Al or CF in the long run. The weight game is largely non relevant for an amateur cyclist who is not turning 200 k a day. As they are not "en vogue" right now incredible deals can be had on steel bikes in the used market. That 2 grand you have available, will get you in steel, what 7 grand might buy you in a CF bike.