A mate of mine is looking to get a new roadie in the $4-5k range. He doesn’t and won’t race. He’d prefer steel, but hasn’t ruled out carbon.
Most of the OTS bikes I know in this price range are carbon and the nice steel ones are above that range. Though I’m thinking a Cinelli Supercorsa strada + eBay group and parts would pull together a sweet bike for the coin.
Hit me with the OTS steel bikes out there in this range…
Or new steel frames up to $2K.
You can get a carbon Azzurri for 3.5 with full Ultegra and Mavic wheels. Frames come with lifetime warranties. FOr 5 you could probs get Dura Ace. They are nice bikes. I’ve got one with Sram Red on it and it rides like a dream. One of the best value for money bikes out there.
In terms of steel…im sure paconi could do something.
4-5k would get you up into that lovely Titanium range wouldnt it? I might be wrong but 2-3k custom built ti frame then 1k on a good groupset would just about do it. I cant recall the place that ive heard is highly recommended for them though. They have a few months waiting list.
Yep if i had that cash id be goin custom frame for sure
If it was me, I’d be going custom too - but he’s not a cycling connoisseur. To be honest, the most likely outcome is that he’ll drop $5k on a bike that won’t get ridden all that much.
Dean?
The only problem with going custom is that he wants/needs it by May - and that the benefits of a custom build will be ‘lost on him’.
i’ll sell him my look kx (Ti lugged carbon) w/ record…
Make sure he buys it in your size and make him an offer 6 months down the track, depreciation, don’t you know it.
If you are willing to put in some work, track down a 90s steel frame and put a mid range brand new group on it.
:evil: I’ve got that in mind.
No go on old steel - not interested (wierdo! :roll:)
Like my neighbour who has a LOOK and only takes it out once a year to ride the Around The Bay.
NOS it will have to be then…
Bicycle recycle moorabin - last time I went there they had a Gios 10 spd chorus for $3300 in my size, lots to chose from generally and you can save a buck due to the fact that it’s second hand (or stolen 
)
of course I’m not sure of the place you’re talking about, but I love wandering around Cycling Edge in South Melbourne and taking in the ti Independent Fabrications frames (good guys too). I’d be taking my dollar there most likely.
A custom built titanium road bike would set you back close to 10g. PBK have started stockng their own titanium framesets (although the fork is a richtie carbon). You could probably build one of these up for about 2500
well its a shame cycling edge want close $7k for an IF Ti crown jewel frameset. Far cheaper to buy from the US, and youll still get warranty.
In my experience they are good guys because they want your money.
but back on topic, Colnago clx 2.0? very, very nice bike. you can get it with ultegra at that $$$. argon 18 krypton too. you could probably get a bmc for that money too. don’t get a paconi. but a supercorsa off the bay sounds good.
(yeah, you can probably get a giant with DA for that pricepoint, but thats because 10 minutes of R’n’D has gone into their frames, and that was by the marketing department. and really, if the guy is a punter, the last thing he needs in a bike is top end groupo which will only come into its own in a grade+ crit racing. get a nice frame, then nice wheels, then a nice groupo…thats how i see it anyway)
You should check out the dean website - complete customs for less that half that.
I reckon Giant cop a lot more flack than they deserve - they are the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world (making many top brands including Trek and Specialized) and surely when you are making these frames, you can appropriate the technology to some degree. Giants probably offer the best value on the market and I reckon most riders couldn’t tell the difference. I’ve always ridden Specialized because I get them cheap, but I’d look closer at Giant if I was hunting around at RRP.
I’ll check out that Colnago though.
making them in their factory is different to them making them. well i can tell the difference and im fat and useless! and dont forget the argon!
What town is he in?
for OTS steel he could look at Salsa (pistolo), Kona (Honky Tonk or Haole) or one of the Lemonds, any of which would probably fall well under his budget
or if he’s in/near Sydney (?) Paul Hillbrick ought to be able to put together a decent steelie for those $$
Thanks, I’ll check those out. In Sydney. I’m chatting to Bundy tomorrow about a build (a little closer than Paul).
Once again you have proven yourself to be a Class A idiot.
I also like the Salsa Pistolo. If you could buy it as a frame only, and then stick Ultegra or DA on it. Fulcrum Racing 3s or something. Perfect.
You might even get change.
I agree that a carbon frame is unnecessary for somebody not racing, although they are very affordable these days, and probably more so than a high quality steel.
And Giant bikes rock! If I raced Id definitely buy a TCR.