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Wanted 59-60cm Road Bike

yamamancha

Warming-Up
Mar 31, 2014
2
0
Hello TCC!

I am hoping for some direction from people more experienced that myself.
Looking to buy my first fitted (to the extent possible) road bike. At 6'3" with a suggested fitting of 59-60cm for a road frame, neither Yahoo Auction nor any LBS I've been to have yielded any results. I've become buddies with a manager of an LBS and he promises to do the fitting for any bike I buy elsewhere because he's restricted in the bikes he is allowed to sell through his store.

So, from where do tall riders living in Japan get their bikes?
I know about Wiggle & CRC, and have checked out AliExpress as well.
Even the cheapest new road bike is going to cost at least 70,000 yen on CRC/Wiggle. As such, I am considering expanding my budget and going for a long-term purchase, which is something that will be good for sprint tris and eventually 70.3 Ironman distances. My objective is to participate in triathlons and my budget is around 120,000 yen (but I am open to less/more expensive options).

So can you help with the following questions?
1) Do you know of any sources other than Yahoo Auction for inexpensive used road bikes?
2) Do you know of a trusted vendor on AliExpress?
3) Any local trusted sellers offering the types of rigs and prices on Wiggle/CRC/AliExpress?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
-Charles
 
I just bought and ordered a frame from r and a cycles in New York. They aren't the cheapest but they seem to stock every desirable bike ever made and the interaction was fast and painless.
 
Given that Tri fit is radically different than Road fit, if you are serious about proper bike, then choice should be according to that. Of course you CAN ride any bike for a Tri event, but if you want to be competitive, you'll need the right gear. There are LOADS of decent open molds available - but I'd probably go more towards a used CEEPCO, Cervelo, Slice, etc - mainly because the flexibility of the fit - mainly due to their more sophisticated seat post adjustment. One big sleeper bike is the Neil Pryde Alize. It has reversible seatpost so you can get a decent Tri fit and it's also highly aerodynamic for a road bike. A great all around bike if compromise is considered.
 
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What size Tri Bike do you want? They are different beasts with different sizings they are also quite specialized and as such command a price. he cheapest i your size, (perhaps?) i found was this http://www.cycle-yoshida.com/pc/syousai.php?MODE=0&SYOCODE=00621726
way above your budget but seriously if you are buying on the net sight unseen you really need to know your size, I wouldn't go into a new discipline sight unseen. Or like Tim said get a road bike and use that for Tris. Have you done any Tris already? If not then I would suggest a road bike until the lack of a specialized machine is what is holding you back. It will be a couple of years before you are ready for a competitive half ironman so you can start saving your pennies for that day. Meanwhile the roadbike can be your commuter and group rider which will get you fitter than any solo training will.
There are also Panasonic or Bridgestone Anchor order system bikes that will get you on a properly sized bike at about your budget. The components you can upgrade as they wear out but the custom made steel frame would last a lifetime and be repairable.
 
I think the answer depends on budget and usage, as well as the yen/Euro and yen/Dollar exchange rate at the moment, and whether you want to do the build-up yourself. It is very hard to get a decent 59-60cm frame in Japan. Over 10 years in Japan, I have tried the following:

-- Bought a frame on a business trip to NYC. Walked into a store and walked out with an on-sale frame in a box that I could check as regular luggage. I could not have gotten this size in Japan and the same model would have cost at least 2x as much.
-- bought a used touring bike via the TCC classifieds.
-- got a Canyon Ultimate CF SL frame mail order from Germany. Very nice frame and good cost-performance. Limited ability to mix/match components (stem length, handlebar width, crank length etc) so you need to know your size when you buy. It is very much a road (not a Tri) bike, but I used it in 3 triathlons in 2012 (Tateyama, Ishigakijima and Murakami) with HED Jet 6 wheels and passed plenty of folks on TT bikes. I see that Canyon has a complete TT bike with aluminum frame and 105 groupset on its website for 180,000 yen, but recommend you start with a road bike.
-- ordered a titanium frame from GS Astuto complete with SandS couplers. Great for sportives, training and randonees and fits in a regular sized luggage case for air travel. I hope it will be a "lifetime" bike, unlike Carbon or aluminum frames. And cost competitive with higher end steel frames from the Panasonic order made system.

For your budget and use, I think a decent entry level road bike from Wiggle is probably a good approach. You also might look at the entry level models from Canyon.
 
...
-- ordered a titanium frame from GS Astuto complete with SandS couplers. Great for sportives, training and randonees and fits in a regular sized luggage case for air travel. I hope it will be a "lifetime" bike, unlike Carbon or aluminum frames. ...

At least one nice thing about getting old is that the pool of bikes that qualify as "lifetime" bikes grows on a log scale.
 
One big sleeper bike is the Neil Pryde Alize. It has reversible seatpost so you can get a decent Tri fit and it's also highly aerodynamic for a road bike. A great all around bike if compromise is considered.
they also have a good fit calculator on this site http://www.neilprydebikes.com/bikes/nazare/bikefit.html
Kestrel Talon is also similar in this regard as a do it all bike. Sizes in Japan being a problem however.
 
Not sure if you want to go the frameset route, but I have a Gurciotti Auriga, 59 cm TT, 20 cm HT frameset, that I'm not using. Could sell it for about 40,000, then with 105 level components/some used parts, you could probably build it up within budget. Bought end of 2010, has about 6000 kms on it.



Otherwise, for complete bikes, another online option is Competitive Cyclist. They position themselves as upscale and pricey, but sometimes have really good deals on last-year models (Ridleys especially). I've ordered 3 framesets and 1 complete bike from them, they have reliable service.
 
Given that Tri fit is radically different than Road fit, if you are serious about proper bike, then choice should be according to that. Of course you CAN ride any bike for a Tri event, but if you want to be competitive, you'll need the right gear. There are LOADS of decent open molds available - but I'd probably go more towards a used CEEPCO, Cervelo, Slice, etc - mainly because the flexibility of the fit - mainly due to their more sophisticated seat post adjustment. One big sleeper bike is the Neil Pryde Alize. It has reversible seatpost so you can get a decent Tri fit and it's also highly aerodynamic for a road bike. A great all around bike if compromise is considered.
Neil Pride Alize??? Don't you mean Neil Prde Nazare?
 
Same bike, just renamed within the last day or so. I'd reckon most local dealers still have 'Alize' in stock. Maybe good timing for a deal??
 
Thank you everyone for your replies and useful information!
This is helpful. So much to consider when you're inexperienced! lol
 
I am surprised no one has mentioned it, but you can get well within budget by buying used on Ebay. I have purchased more than 10 frames on the bay, none over $600 (including shipping!), most in perfect used or new condition. Mechanicals (group sets) can be had from $300 (used) to $600-$800 (new), a wheelset for another $200 (the sky is the limit here--you can get a better set sometime later on). I have found that frames in your size are almost always available--great models at great prices--simply because these larger frames just don't sell well. I have found the best deals are from sellers in France, Italy, Ukraine and Poland, rather than the US, because postage is still fairly reasonable from those countries. Of course there is always a risk, but if you do your homework, know your frames, ask the right questions, and avail yourself of all information available, including seller feedback, you can get a great bike. All bikes in my signature were put together this way, with the cheapest frame costing less than $200, and the most expensive at the top of my scale of $600--and each one is a champ in its present state--all easily worth twice or more what it cost me to make them--the sooner you take control over your own bikes, the happier you will be--good luck!
 
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