I decided to ride the MS Bike Tour this year and need a bike for the trip. I have no idea what to look for so hopefully some of you guys can help out. I'm hoping to stay under $600 as I'm just starting out and not too sure on how serious I will be after the actual tour.
1. I took some measurements today and I fall in between a 54cm and 56cm frame. Assuming since I'm relatively tall (6'0) and not into racing (weight isn't a big deal), I would probably be more comfortable on the larger frame. Is this correct?
2. What are the popular, well built brands? When I was a kid Schwinns were a good quality name, now they sell them at Walmart. From what I can gather through reviews on Google, Trek seems to still make a good bike and have some entry level road bikes that would probably fit the bill.
3. Where should I look? In Greensburg there are no bike stores. I'm hoping to find a decent, larger store with lots of different inventory to try. I may consider buying online once I ride a few bikes as well.
4. When do new models come out? My hope is to find a leftover model from last year at a cheap price, hopefully I'm not off in my timing. I may consider a used bike as well since its my first.
5. Is there any particular equipment I can't live without? I've already been told by a bud who used to sell bikes to get clip-in pedals which I'm planning on.
Thanks in advance