The 2008 Fastback Sport is the latest entry-level road bike from Schwinn Bikes. Schwinn has been around for over 110 years, so they’re definitely not new to the road bike (the company has changed a lot over the years, an d not always for good…). They haven’t been known to be on the cutting edge, and with this bike it isn’t any different, but what the Fastback Sport does offer is a pretty solid entry level bike.

The 2008 Trek 1.2 is the latest in Trek’s entry level road bikes. It’s a very affordable bike that falls below the $750 price category, and for many, it’s the first step to the world of high-performance road cycling. Trek has updated many of their model numbers in 2008 from the thousand (1000 last year) series, to the x.x series (1.2 this year). This model number change is not just cosmetic, as it does introduce a few key differences with the previous years Trek 1000.

The Felt F90 is another one of the sub-$700 road bikes that I’ve been given a chance to test out. The F90 is Felt’s least expensive road bike, but fares well when compared to it’s competition.
Let’s start with the details and examine them a little further:
Frameset/Fork

Felt F-Lite 7005 double-butted aluminum
Forged dropouts with replaceable hanger
Felt carbon fiber fork

Wheelset

Alex double-wall alloy rims with CNC machined sidewalls
Vittoria Action HSD tires

Components

Felt carbon micro-adjust seatpost
Felt 6061 carbon micro-adjust seatpost
Felt 6061 oversized handlebar with ergonomic drop
Felt ST 3D-forged stem

Drivetrain

Shimano Tiagra/Sora 24-speed shifters and derailleur
FSA/RPM, 3-Piece …

I was given the opportunity a few days back to give the Giant OCR 3 road bike a test run. The OCR 3 is economy-priced in road cycling standards. It can be found for as little as $500.00 to $600.00 at your local LBS depending on the circumstances.
The Giant was a nice surprise. It definitely has lower-end components on it, but that is to be expected at the price. Let me list the components before I go into too much detail.
Frameset/Fork

ALUXX butted aluminum frame, Compact Road …

I almost feel as if it isn’t right for me to be reviewing this bike because I am such a Bianchi fanboy. I own a 2004 Bianchi Brava and the more I ride it, the more I love it. I have logged well over 2000 miles on it in the last couple years, and I don’t see myself upgrading anytime soon. With that being said, I ran over to my LBS yesterday to give the latest Bianchi Brava a spin. I highly recommend all newbies to …

I am obsessed with bikes that don’t cost much. In fact, I have a category devoted to bikes that cost less than $700. I think it is important for new people to the sport to start small, and work your way up. I purchased a Bianchi Brava (ahh…Italian Steel) for less than $700 about two years ago with the plan to upgrade it if I got into the sport. Well, now that I am obsessed, I am extremely comfortable on my bike and have no need …