Can anyone recommend a good road bike for me to look into purchasing? Also, any recommendations on where to maybe get a good used one, other than Craigslist or e-bay? My girlfriend has a Specialized Allez which I liked, but I didn't know if there was anything more afforable to start with or if that was a good option. Thanks for any help.

I suggest you post this in the Health and Fitness forum. Quite a few knowledgeable cyclists there.

What city do you live in?

I posted this a while back on another bike thread. If you're in or around Dallas, let me know and I'll ask my bro where he gets his stuff - I know he's got one shop that he really loves.

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I got ahold of my brother and asked him his opinion because he knows this stuff pretty well. He's got an earlier version of the Madone 5.2 ('03 or '04, IIRC).

He said that he didn't want to spend that much initially, but did a lot of reasearch and found it to be the best "bang for the buck." For about two weeks after he bought it, he said that he had buyer's remorse like a mofo because it was his first road bike and he thought he got in too deep too fast. It didn't take him long, though, to realize that he actually bought the perfect bike for him. Several years later it's really treated him well. He's 6'2" 225 or so and the bike has over 7,000 miles on it and, until recently, has only replaced the chain and cables (routine maintenance). He finally ordered some new wheels last weekend. It has really held up well.

His words were "There are better bikes out there, but this one doesn't hold me back. Anyone who is faster than me is faster because they're faster, not because their bike is better. Buy something less and there's a good chance that you'll want to upgrade in a few months." The other big thing he stressed was going to a shop to get properly fitted for your first one.

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[This message has been edited by Emeril (edited 3/22/2007 11:28a).]