complete beginner looking for a good bike that would last me maybe 5 years
current goal: do 20-50km long rides and short rides at home.
long term goal: use for triathlons
by joshpsoas
complete beginner looking for a good bike that would last me maybe 5 years
current goal: do 20-50km long rides and short rides at home.
long term goal: use for triathlons
by joshpsoas
5 Comments
I don’t think you need such an expensive bike as a beginner, doing relatively short distances. Get a second hand one, or a cheap starter Trek bike. See how it feels and upgrade after a while.
(Unless you are rich a.f. and dont care about money ofc)
I can’t imagine paying that much for a first bike. That’s wild.
I had the same dilemma and went with the Emonda ALR 5. I loved it, but wanted something more versatile a year later. The tire clearance on the Emonda is only 28mm, while the Domane is 37. I upgraded to a Domane SL5, along with a set of gravel wheels that I swap when I want to do something a little different.
In hindsight, I probably would still be riding the Domane ALR 4 longer had I bought that in the first place.
Leaning towards the Domane. Emonda is a dead/dying platform due to its discontinuation, so future frame support might be limited. Also, the Domane has much more beginner friendly features like wider tire clearance and more upright geometry for those longer miles you’re looking to do. Even still both are a huge chunk of change and I always recommend checking out either your local shop for deals and discounts or on marketplace for reasonably priced used bikes. Right now is a great time to buy used because it seems like everyone and their mom is trying to sell something lol.
Honestly, I don’t know why there’s so much commentary about the price of the first bike. A friend of mine gave me much better advice. He told me that if I buy a cheap bike (which usually costs less) and I don’t like cycling, I won’t be able to sell it. And if I do like it, I still won’t be able to sell it to buy a better one. So, buy a good bike right from the start so you can enjoy riding from the very first minute, instead of potentially giving up because you’re riding a piece of junk.