Cyclists? Help!

I'm looking at getting into road cycling.

I've checked out some Giant and Trek bikes, but they're all so expensive. A friend who does triathlons suggested this "off-brand" bicycle for me. I wanted to see if anyone could weigh in on the specs and such.

It's $595, supposedly comparable to a $1600 Trek. I've done research, and my friend recommends this company, so I know all parts are real.

Main Frame Advanced Aluminum alloy, Double water bottle mounts with matching Blue Aluminum Bottle Cages
Rear Triangle Tapered Aluminum rear stays, forged replaceable road dropout with rack mounts
Fork / Headset Mercier Carbon Fiber, 1.125" steerer tube, Threadless Headset with semi-cartridge bearings+ 15mm conical spacer
Crankset FSA Forged Aluminum arms, Triple Rings 30/42/52T
(44,47,50cm=165mm / 53cm=170mm)
Bottom Bracket Sealed Cartridge, Square taper, 68x118mm
Pedals Traditional Alloy road with clips and blue straps, 9/16" Boron axle
Front Derailleur Shimano Tiagra FD4500, clamp-on, 31.8mm
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105, for Triple, 5600GS long cage
Shifters Shimano Sora 3400 Triple, 9-speed
Cassette/Freewheel Shimano HG50, 9-speed, 12-25T
Chain KMC Z-9000, 9-Speed
Front Hub Sealed Ball Bearing, Aluminum Alloy 2200, 32H
Rear Hub Sealed Ball Bearing, Aluminum Alloy 2200, 32H
Spokes 14 Gauge Stainless
Rims Alex DA22 Aero Profile, 32H/32H, CUSTOM Blue Powder Coat, 700c
Tires Kenda M-191, high pressure road, 700 x 23c presta tubes
Brake Set Forged Polished Aluminum Dual Pivot
Brake Levers Shimano STI Triple
PLUS FREE FACTORY UPGRADE CROSSTOP BRAKE LEVERS
Headset Sealed Threadless, 1.125" steerer
Handlebar Mercier Comp Road, 26.0mm, 6061 Aluminum, Woman-Proportionate Sizing
(44/47/50=380mm, 53cm=400mm)
Stem Mercier Comp Road 6061, 1.125", 26.0mm clamp, Aluminum
(includes two different stems; a 25degree rise in 70mm=44/47/50, 90mm=53cm and a -7degree in 90mm=44cm, 100mm=47/50cm, 110mm=53cm)
Tape/Grip Mercier custom cork wrap color coordinated
Saddle Mercier WomensComfort
Seat Post Silver Micro Adjust alloy, 250mm, 27.2
Seat Clamp Mercier Ultralite alloy, 31.8mm

 

Buy the bike second hand Giant bikes are good, I have one and it does a fantastic job.

 

Sounds alright for the price, Sora shifters are bottom of the range but they still work and are reliable.
Wheels seem the worst hit for cutbacks.
I say go for it.

 

for the most part you get what you pay for with bikes. sure you can do end of the season sales (maybe 20-25% off) but thats that.

I generally consider any bike under $600 pretty bad.
$600 - $1200 - will do just fine for beginner to intermediate

If you race competitively you need $1200 - $2500

and if you are a pro..your bikes are already paid for you, so who cares.

sure there is some variation to this overall price plan, but not much. The market is small enough that there aren't a ton of bike makers and biker sellers, so its a pretty close community...just like snowboards...you know the 3-4 "cheap" guys while everyone else that can be found in a decent snowboard shop will be just fine.

 

I've checked, but it's hard to find a women's sized bike, for some reason.

 

That seems to be a pretty good price. You can always upgrade the parts at a later date. I dropped about $650 on a really nice set of Velocity Deep V's with Surly high flange hubs laced with Swiss DT Spokes. The most important thing is that the bike fits and all of the parts on it are adjusted to maximum efficiency. Or you could try a fixed gear bike for probably a lot less $, just depends on if you live in an area with lots of hills.