Gear: Great values in road bikes
Bike buyers have become accustomed to getting more for their money every year, but that has changed for 2012 thanks to rising commodity prices. Still, there are great values to be had if you know where to look. The road bikes below, which are targeted at riding enthusiasts, provide a representative spectrum of attractively priced aluminum and carbon models with vibration-damping carbon-fiber forks. If you plan to log a lot of miles but don’t want to break the bank, these are good places to start.
Entree to serious riding
GT Series 5.0: Prototypical aluminum-frame road bike with carbon-fiber fork and 16-speed Shimano gearing.
Likes: Conventional features, with flair. The lowered seat stays and wedge at the seat tube juncture combine with muscular top and down tubes for an eye-catching look. It pairs Shimano’s basic 2300 derailleurs with double-button brake-lever/shifters from Microshift, an up-and-coming Taiwanese brand seen frequently at this price range. In a 56-centimeter size without pedals, it weighs 22 pounds.
Dislikes: The lack of rack braze-ons on the seat stays limits functionality for long rides.
Price: $770. (800) BIKE-USA; https://www.gtbicycles.com
Mid-pack Value with a capital V
KHS Flite 500: Aluminum road bike with carbon chain stays, seat post and fork and a mid-range 20-speed Shimano component group.
Likes: Loaded for the price. Like many bikes from KHS, a full-line brand based in the Los Angeles area, the 500 mixes and matches marquee and no-name parts from a variety of makers to squeeze in surprising value. This allows it to include lightweight, shock-absorbing carbon parts and Shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs, a combination found nowhere else at this price. It comes with a tall stem for comfy, upright riding. The 56cm version, sans pedals, weighs 20.3 pounds.
Dislikes: No rear rack braze-ons.
Price: $1,239. (310) 632-7173; https://www.khsbicycles.com
Cut-rate all-carbon
Raleigh Revenio Carbon 1.0: Beautiful budget carbon-fiber bike with 20-speed Shimano Tiagra components.
Likes: Same sleek carbon frame and most of the same parts as Raleigh’s more expensive 2.0 and 3.0 models, with a comfortable, fast ride I didn’t want to end. The frame has a relaxed geometry (long chain stays, short top tube and elevated steering) for all-day rides and internally run cables for a classy look. Tiagra, the group of choice for similar carbon bikes at this price (which will be closer to $1,900 in stores), has a 1/2 - to 1-pound weight penalty over the more expensive Shimano groups, but a very similar feel. Weighs 19.2 pounds without pedals in size 56cm.
Dislikes: No rear braze-ons.
Price: $2,000. (800) 222-5527; https://www.raleighusa.com
Hammer time
Cannondale SuperSix 6: All-carbon frame with 20-speed SRAM Apex derailleurs and shifters.
Likes: It flies. Cannondale’s DNA — stiffness and speed — oozes from its massive, power-transferring, wide-as-the-bottom-bracket down tube, which is so big that I can’t put my hand completely around it. At the same time, it’s still comfortable due to its flexing hourglass-shaped seat stays (although not as plush as on the Raleigh). The single-lever SRAM Apex group, roughly equivalent to Shimano 105 in weight and perceived quality, works perfectly once you get used to it, and the matte black-white frame is tuxedo-handsome. It’s 19.2 pounds without pedals in size 56cm.
Dislikes: No rack braze-ons (although nobody in their right mind would put a rack on this bike).
Price: $2,220. (800) BIKE-USA; https://www.cannondale.com
Wallack is the author of “Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100” and “Barefoot Running Step by Step.” roywallack@aol.com
