beginner: questions about choosing a bike

[GeorgePatton]

I have heard the 2400 is kind of hard to shift but otherwise I think I'm interested in this bike 2016 Specialized ALLEZ BASE | Road Bikes | ERIK'S

It has a carbon fork, which I hear makes the bike lighter and easier with bumps. Is that true?

I have an 8 speed on my mountain bike. Would this bike go about the same speed? Dumb question but does the speed really dictate how fast the bike can go?

Otherwise if the 2400 and the carbon fork arent a big deal I was thinking about going with this bike

2015 Specialized ALLEZ BASE | Road Bikes | ERIK'S

and then theres this bike thats all carbon if i want to go crazy

Trek Emonda S 4 - penncycle.com

Otherwise the cheapest bike that looks pretty good

Giant Contend 3 - penncycle.com

 

[Racing roadkill]

Try and get a test ride of the bikes. Buy the one that you like the best.

 

[Cycleops]

Hi George and welcome.
Nothing badly wrong with 2400 shifting.
The carbon fork is said to dampen out road vibrations, but you won't feel a lot of difference to steel or ali. I have bikes with carbon and steel and prefer the latter.
The bikes will feel much faster than your MTB as you'll be riding on narrow high pressure tyres. The trade off is less comfort. Just looking at the specs the Giant seems a good buy. The carbon framed Trek will feel quick and responsive but won't be a world away from the others.
As RR says get down to a shop if you can and try some out. Advice on getting the best fit is essential.
I don't think you'll be dissatisfied with any but one might just stand out for you.

Good luck.

 

[youngoldbloke]

First - get to a shop and find out what size is right for you. The Allez you link to is only available in 49 and 52 (relatively small sizes) and the Emonda in a 54. You need to sit on and test ride a few bikes too, as the fit will be different, depending on the brand and frame geometry. BTW the 'speed' has nothing to do with how fast the bike will go - that's up to your legs. It simply refers to the number of sprockets on the cassette.

 

[Tin Pot]

It has a carbon fork, which I hear makes the bike lighter and easier with bumps. Is that true?

I have an 8 speed on my mountain bike. Would this bike go about the same speed?

Dumb question but does the speed really dictate how fast the bike can go?

Yes.

No, the road bike will be able to go faster (in absolute terms).

Partly...but there is some learning to do here to understand what gearing achieves, and how much power you can apply to the pedals to make the question relevant.

The context of what you plan to do with the bike, what kind of riding you do now and what your goals are - this is all useful in recommending one bike over another.

 

[biggs682]

2400 is fine stop listening and get on a bike and test it , if you think 2400 is bad you try down tube shifting

 

[cyberknight]

2400 is fine stop listening and get on a bike and test it , if you think 2400 is bad you try down tube shifting

Indeed , i rode 2400 for a couple of years and it is fine , just stepped up to 10 speed tiagra and apart from having 2 more gears it works pretty much the same.Ok maybe a bit crisper but the old bike was in need of recabling after a few years riding in all weathers .

Carbon ?
So much depends on frame lay up , your bike set up etc etc , again i have just got my 1st carbon bike and honestly its not really any faster but in my case the bike compared to my old cheap alloy bike does abosrb road vibrations a bit better .

 

[biggs682]

Indeed Carbon ?

I treated myself to a Bmc full carbon just before Christmas to see what all the fuss was about , strangely enough 6 months later its been sold and we are back to a garage full of steel (15) with one alloy machine .

So dont think carbon is the bee's knee's go and try as many as you can and all materials

 

[cyberknight]

I treated myself to a Bmc Christmas to see what all the fuss was about , strangely enough 6 months later its been sold

I can do half quotes too

 

[Cycleops]

I treated myself to a Bmc full carbon just before Christmas to see what all the fuss was about , strangely enough 6 months later its been sold and we are back to a garage full of steel (15) with one alloy machine .

So dont think carbon is the bee's knee's go and try as many as you can and all materials

Someone posted on a thread here and gave a link to an Australian guy on YouTube who cuts up carbon frames to highlight how well they're made. You'd be surprised how many faults he found on supposedly high end frames.