Hey everyone,
Im debating weather or not I should buy a new road bike. Currently I am riding a 77' Raleigh Super Grand Prix that is in good shape and rides pretty darn well, but the frame is a bit small for me, as i got it from someone smaller than me. Ive been doing a pretty good amount of riding since spring; 3 times a week or so. Basically, if i break down and get a new bike and keep the raleigh as a backup i believe my budget is about $500ish. i know this is not a lot but i wanted some input if i could get something worthwhile that fits better and is in my price range.
Thanks!
since its still in good shape, i'd say take the raleigh to a good bike shop to give it a once over and replace what little will need replacing. then ride it for another year and save your money. you will get a lot more bang for your buck with a geared road bike if you can look at the $1000-$1500 range. if you want a single speed however, plenty of options at the $500 price point.
Or look for a used road bike.
A lot depends on what you want to do with said road bike. Is it a commuter? A club bike?
Most of my riding consists of the paved trails around pgh, and on road riding. Its for recreation/exercise purposes. An example ride i went on was 23 miles last week at a 14 mph pace all around the out skirts of pgh.
If you have $500 to spend, I would keep an eye on Craigslist. If Raleigh doesn't fit well, I'd definitely go with a new ride--it's not like your current steed is an English-build classic. Yeah, it's a pretty decent bike, but as your mileage increases, the poor fit will catch up with you.
Also, if you can manage another $200 or so, you could get a pretty decent entry-level road bike/fast commuter.
Also, don't discount looking for used cyclocross bikes, too.
Fit is just about everything. It also helps if the bike you ride is purpose-built for the type of riding you do. If you can afford to get both of those things in one bicycle....well, riding rises from a practical pursuit to something almost magically delicious.
Based on your description, I'd save your money for (or find a used) Surly Pacer or Crosscheck or a Raleigh Clubman or any of the other new steel road bikes out there that allow at least medium width road tires (700X28-32).
+1million on the "bad fit will catch up to you" comments. Once I had to call of work to deal with the results of a poorly fitting bike ridden about 3 times farther than I'd ridden it before. It was temporary, but you really don't want to go through that, or any version of it.
if you've proved to yourself that you both can and will use the bike, I'd stop in a bike shop and have them do their magical fitting thing, write down the numbers, and see what you can find. I'd hate to then recommend going to craigslist or similar and buy used with that information, but if you consistently patronize that shop for everything else and they have nothing in your price range, then you've done the best you can (unless you're a whiz with how to fit a bike to yourself, then no need to harass them).
I just bought a Specialized Sirrus for a little more than that (sticker was ~$610?) at Dirty Harry's when my Crate Bike bit more dust than I wanted to repair immediately. I love it, and use it to commute (~8-10 miles one way)during the week and run errands (groceries, dry cleaning, etc) and Explore ("where does this road go?") on weekends. It's ridiculously awesome - for me.
Good luck!
All about fit. You wouldn't wear pants that are too small just because they're free...
err... I have worn pants that were too small just because they were free... and awesome. They were silver vinyl pants, shiny and fantastic, and I worshiped those pants. I dieted for those pants. At one point they didn't look too bad, but eventually I gave up on them and gave them away. I later realized that ALL vinyl pants are too small, no matter the size or awesomeness.
people do crazy things. often they learn from them, like to get a bike that fits. But if all he/she knows is a bike that doesn't fit, it's hard to describe the difference other than euphoric 
i started wearing tight jeans cause i found a bunch for free and realized i liked how they look. and cause i'm a ramones geek
You git dem skinny jeans dahn pants n'at?
Sorry couldn't resist. I rode an old peugot roadie, "Appolonia" because she was purple, for a couple of years. She was too small for me, that I knew. What I didn't know was that all road bikes are not inherently twitchy and hard to ride, that is until I finally saved up and bought a cross bike that fit me. Until then I was considering giving up on skinny tires and going back to mtn. bike commuting and not looking back.
The point is riding a bike that doesn't fit can be more like work than fun. Either take your 5 bills and grab a used bike from an LBS or the interwebs (there's soooo much out there your bound to find something). Or save another 5 bills or so and go new. But no matter what make sure it fits you and your riding style by getting on the thing and riding it, don't always trust what someone else tells you about fit, I for example prefer a bike that is technically a little to small for my body size because I like the way a smaller bike handles. Once YOU determine the size that feels most comfortable to you and you find the appropriate bike it will improve your ride dramatically.
