One other thing to keep in mind is to budget in any accessories you'll need. I would recommend at least getting a good lock and helmet. You may also want to get a good floor pump and a saddle bag for a spare tube and basic tools, you can buy those things as you go though.
im building a bike from a frame i found in my grandfathers garage.. turned a 10 speed to single speed, freewheel though, im not fkn with a fixie..
I have hit up some of the stores and found that Bike World off Memorial pretty much sucks. Don't get me wrong, they have a great selection, but their staff sucks balls. How you going to let someone walk in, take every bike off the rack and not even approach that person? There were three employees having a pow-wow at the register like "Oh yeah, that dude over there don't matter". I know I could ask them for help, but please. I will finish my bike browsing today when I hit up Bike Barn and the remaining places. Leaning towards buying from Blue Line at this point.
Not to steal this thread or anything but I'm also looking for a bicycle. Looking for a bike for road rides to exercise and such. I'm 6'3" and pretty athletic. What should I be looking for in my first road bike? Any advice is appreciated.
The most important thing about buying a new bike is making sure it fits you properly. This is so much more important than the material the bike is made from or what level of Shimano or whatever components you get. You need to get a frame that fits your body as everything else (crank length, stem length, handlebar angle, seat hight, etc..) can be adjusted. I would pick your budget and then buy the best bike you can that fits you in that budget. Don't worry about name brand too much as long as you buy from a good store. When you go to a bike store, explain that fit is your most important criteria and buy from the store that takes the most time to fit you on a bike. Do some research on the Internet for "bike fit" to get an idea of what the salesperson should be helping you with. A bike that fits properly will be so much more comfortable to ride in the long run and, with road bikes, that's kind of what you do.. ride them for really long outings...
Nice timing for a bike thread! I just rode my new road bike for the first time - back and forth from Lake Austin Blvd to UT Campus and back. This is a huge accomplishment for me especially because I'm not athletic, not active, spend a lot of time sitting. Feels good man. Wrt buying a bike: I live in Austin so second hand bike turnover is huge. I had been browsing craigslist for months when I finally came to the same conclusion as 111chase111: the brand doesn't matter as much as the fit, and each person's fit is just a little different. I got tired of looking/waiting for a good deal so I ended up going to Clown Dog bike shop right beside UT and told the guy that I want to walk out with a bike (I had been there before and browsed their collection, and liked one particular model). Mike spent the better part of an hour making sure the bike fit right and answering my dumbass questions: nontechnically speaking, we looked at standing distance from crotch to the crossbar, leg length wrt to the pedals, how far forward the seat had to be, and some others (i'm not a bike connoisseur). I rode it around a few times to make sure I was satisfied, then paid the price and left happy. My mildly informed opinion is that bike technology has reached a stagnant point - pretty much all the companies you've heard of know how to make solid, durable bikes. You just have to find the right fit.
