Looking for a new road bike.

Question

i have been involved with riding now for a little over a year and started out with a entry level dawes road bike, and enjoyed it, but i have reached my performance limit with the bike. I want to purchase a better bike, but by no means top notch bike. I am not looking to spend an incredible amount on this bike and would like to buy used if possible. What are some good light weight bikes that are "off brands" I hear that there are biek companies that make just as good bikes as Trek, Giant, specialized, but at a fraction of the cost. Only problem is i dont know the names of these bike companies. I did find one bike that i did like however, its a company out of singapore called anza and they make a complete bike that only weighs 20 lbs, which i a 6 lbs drop from what im riding now, any reviews on the anza bikes

Answer 1

If you are in the UK go to an Evans Cycles and look at their Pinnacle brand. It is a store brand but provides an amazing value.

If in the US, you have a vast choice. I tend to lean towards KHS, but Raleigh, Fuji, Novara (at REI) provide good bang for the buck. Trek and Specialized tend to have one level lower grade of parts than these bikes at the same price.

When considering weight, you should think about WHERE the weight is saved. A 1 ounce savings in each wheel is comparable in performance to a 1 POUND savings anywhere else. If the bike you want is 25 pounds and the wheels are 6 OUNCES lighter than the ones you have, you just reached the performance of a 19 pound bike without breaking a sweat.

Of course, weight is only part of it. I hope that you are looking at an improvement in the quality of components as well.