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I am in the market for a new ride. Budget is in the $2000-$2500 range. I like steel (have a Lemond Buenos Aires in a different riding location) but am open to other materials. I want at least Ultegra or comparable Campy (is that Centaur?).
So I went to the first of the several LBS's that I frequent, not to ride but just to talk and see what they have in that range. (I am not naming the bike shop -- it's in NYC -- because I don't want to engender a series of ""This LBS is no good"" posts.) I had seen on their website the Orbea Spirit Ultegra 10 (steel) at $2599, the Orbea Mitis Ultegra 10 (aluminum) at $1999, the Felt F50 at $1999. The seemingly knowledgeable salesman was raving about the Specialized Roubaix or Roubaix Pro, the Trek Madone -- in general, towards carbon and away from steel. Is he giving good advice or is he biased towards higher-margin bikes for him? He liked the Felt and the Orbea Lobular (carbon and aluminum -- more expensive).
Any views?"
Steel? Aluminum? Carbon?
I recommend you take a look at the trek 2300. It is made of composite material, a light frame, and ultegra parts. Plus it is in your price range. I've ridden a 2300 for 12 years since upgrading from steel. I like the lighter frame and the feel of the bike over rough roads - plus the 2002+ model feels sturdy/secure on fast downhills. Trek offers a lifetime warranty on its frame. I took advantage of this in 2002 and they upgraded my 1994 frame at no cost to me. You can check out the details on www.trekbikes.com. There may be a waiting list depending on your frame size.
I also ordered a Trek Madone in May but I probably won't see it until August due to the backlog. I don't anticipate much of a different ride compared to the 2300. I just didn't want to have two of the same bikes.
You may also want to read some reviews on http://www.roadbikereview.com/PRD_290758_5668crx.aspx.
Good luck with your decision.
Take a look at competitivecyclist.com and wrenchscience.com as well....
It is important to test ride, and see what you like.
Of the choices you point out the Orbea Mitis is probably the best frame and also the best value. I would be very surprised if after a test ride you didn't it prefer over the rest.
For $2500, you could get a Pegoretti Palosanto or Eddy Merckx Corsa 0.1 with full Centaur. If you wanted aluminum, you could get a Pegoretti Fina Estampa or 8:30 instead.
Those are the bikes I'd look at.
But as far as the general gist of the question - I think material is the least concern when buying a bike. The geometry and design has much more to do with the quality of the ride than the material it's crafted from.
- Christian
I bought the Roubaix elite a year and a half ago. Love the ride.
Ultimately, you should be going on test rides. The fit has to be good for you. As said above, what it is made off is immaterial. Questions are what kind of riding are you doing? what kind of ride do you prefer, stiff or with a little give?
...I recognize that a test ride is the only way to make an educated judgment. I guess my question was really one of frustration -- that is, that despite my avowed preference for steel (although I am open-minded), it seemed to me that the salesman did his best to badmouth steel in my price range (suggesting that you had to have exotic tubing for which you had to pay a lot of money and that wasn't worth it), and I wondered whether he really had a substantive message that I should have been hearing or whether he was really just directing me to bikes he had in stock. Unfortunately, I fear it was the latter.
