Warning you; asking ten people, and get ten different opinions .
Here is mine:
If you are not into competition, a ~20-25K should do fine.
That will give you a medium light alloy frame, and a Shimano Tiagra groupset (rock solid in my experience).
Just browsing around the Giant website will give you a better understanding without the pressure of a shop.
Basically, their range goes from the TCR (racing and sportive) to Anyroad (more relaxed roadbike frame sizing) to Fastroad (flat handle bar - more upright riding position).
As flatlandr mentioned, do a sizing before purchasing your bike, and then insist on the correct size.
Luckily the range of bike sizes available has improved a lot, but there are still places which will try to push you to a size readily available.
Besides of Giant, there are other local makers such as Merida, Fuji, KHS, Performer, Aster.
As the biking industry is in the dolldrums for a long time already, some better deals might be possible with those.
Finally, There is a whole Taiwanese generation stopping with biking, and 2nd hand availability is plenty.
Need a bit of patience & some luck for the correct size, and some good negotiation skills, but some good deals are out there.
This is the thing youâre going to want to look for at a bike shop.
Itâll get you accurate size and comfort information. And like Eric says, once you get measurements, you can use that info to buy a 2nd hand bike.
Do not forget thereâs more than just the big name shops like Giant, Merida and Specialized. Try and support your local bike shops! I know sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to walk in by yourself and get bombarded with questions you may not understand.
Let me know what size you are and budget. I have a few friends that have bikes they want to get rid of.
I have been suffering from lower back pain for long time now started from inactivity, took up cycling again on a sit up bike hoping would help, a little but not much to talk about.
I changed my bike to a drop bars road bike worryingly considering my back, lo and behold it has definitely improved it after 3 weeks. Most unexpected.
my analogy is, possibly not the bar type but having correct sized bike set up with advice from Foromosa Cycling. Sizing is now the most important part of road cycling bike in my mind.
I did visit a web site I canât find now! Gave instructions on how to measure yourself, finding if you have long or short reach, body length in comparison to inside leg, for my height depending on my reach would be 2 different sizes, short reach me 54 - 56 long reach.
Flat bars will keep you are more up right, but stuck in one (maybe two) positions may result in painâŚsomewhere. Whereas drop bars give you up to 4-5 positions which allow you to use different muscles.
Most bike shops will give you a very simple sizing before you decide on size of the frame. However, a lot of bigger name shops will try to get rid of inventory and sell you a size because they need to get rid of it. Make sure you do your homework first!
We are more than happy to help you out if you need it.
Sometimes shops will push bikes that they have in inventory even though it doesnât fit you. Of course, everyoneâs body proportions are different. I can ride size 48 to 53. Some people donât have that flexibility.
Ok. I will let you know when I get sized by the store.
I had a mid size (have no idea the number) Merida before. Foldable. Costed me almost 60k and was very heavy to ride. So I really want a bike with a larger wheel, something like the Ubike size. Although I am very concerned about my back. I donât feel any back pain on the ubike (albeit in other places). But it seems the lower handle bar is still better based on you guys opinion.
It was a few years ago. Probably bought overpriced anyway. Bought 2 of them (for my kid to ride together) I might have a picture here somewhere of the bike alone. If I find I will post. But the wheel was much smaller than the Ubike. It was good for a short ride but I wanted to ride from Taipei to the north coast and vice versa and it was hard. The bike had several speeds and etc. came with accessories like lights, water bottle holder, helmet etc al included in the price
I am new to cycling, I just want something to make me more active. I am 32 now and not getting any younger .
For road cycling, should I start off with a Giant Escape 1 or go more road bike style with drop bars?
I feel like changing gears on an escape is easy and the riding position more comfortable. I also worry about ly lower back, it gives me some trouble.
Donât you hunch over a lot when using drop bars because the brake and gear levers are more forwards than on regular handle bars? @ericinformosa
Prob a bike to try for a year and then upgrade.
Previous experience = youbike
recreation
budget is around 20k
At the end, the type of bike is a very personal thing.
I can only give my personal experience.
I have 4 road bikes, 2 mountain bikes and some others, and ride an other one every other day, so experiencing the differences.
My mountain bikes are both from the nineties, so with 26" wheels, but set up for road use with 1" slicks, larger gears, and flat handle bars which I cut down to reduce the width of them.
That means, they are very close to a road bike, just a tat heavier, and with flat bars and the flat bar shifters / brakes.
If you measure the set-up, riding them is like riding a road bike with your hands on the hoods, medium bent over of your body.
You will have less options for your hands, it is basically one position forever, although bar-ends (for those who still know what those areâŚ) give you an alternative position.
Feeling of control on the MTBâs is better though, the slightly better leverage of the handlebar contributes to that I presume.
I go down wayyy faster and more confident on my MTB than on any of the road bikes.
For the rest, I donât think there is a whole lot of difference for a tour oriented rider.
I do short and long trips as comfortable on both types of bikes.
But isnât the better leverage of the handlebar compromised by your making it narrower? What do you recommend when it comes to flat vs. drop bars? Also, I wonder if the greater confidence on descents is due to a heavier bike. Thatâs a real catch-22 as you want light weight for your climbs but heavy weight for your descents, no?
There is a limit to how much you can cut them, due to the tapered shape.
That means they are still wider than a road bike bar, obviously providing that extra leverage and security.
It is not that I am afraid to decent at a road bike, not at all, but a mtb with flatbar, on slicks, and with better braking just gives that extra edge.
Same counts for city riding etc.
I am happy to ride both types, but if I had to choose just one, and did not have racing aspirations, i would most likely choose a flatbar.
They served me well for over 20 years without any complain.
I used to do downhill on mountain bike, my best was Santa Cruz Heckler, very wide bars I loved for steering and heavy weight for downhill confident speed.
Same
Iâm new to Lightweight road bikes, I was stunned how much easier the climbing is.
This is roughly the difference between a flat bar and a drop bar bike.
Reach is about the same to the hoods, but a drop bar is lower.
Exact sizing will vary between brands, bikes, stem setup, etc., but it gives an idea.
⌠and flat bar road bikes donât need suspension forks, so you save a lot of weight. The bike is thus much lighter and stiffer, and as a consequence, climbing is so much more efficient.
Many flat bar road bikes work very well as single speed bikes, saving even more weight and complexity. People tend to use them (flat bar bikes) for situations where you donât need all those gears, because youâre not going fast on the flat, or needing to climb for long periods.
Unless youâre into touring, with panniers and stuff: then get a drop bar with a triple up front.
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