“You're looking for a '10-Speed' you say? Right, well check out this FACT 7r triple monocoque Zertz frame with the Ksyrium SL wheels and an STI DA groupo and FSA SL-K MegaExo carbon compact crankset. Wicked, huh?”

For someone new to road bikes, I may as well just have said, “Shimmey-shimmey, pa-chooey-chomp, doodle DAR womple.” The only real difference being that the latter sentence doesn't contain any acronyms, registered trademarks or abbreviations created or owned by Specialized Bicycles, Shimano, FSA components or Mavic wheels.

Every manufacturer comes up with nifty names, acronyms and such to differentiate their product from the 7 million other products out there. Some of them mean something important or useful, others do not. The in-a-nutshell of what you should know about the road are as follows.

Groupo
You'll hear the word “Groupo” a lot. A groupo is generally the term used to describe the parts on the bike, mostly the drivetrain and braking components. There are five groupo's from Shimano, ranging from 7-speed to 10-speed (number of gears on the rear cog). Going from top to bottom, they are:

Dura Ace (often called “DA”): The benchmark. High dollar, incredibly precise and smooth. If money were no object, everyone would ride DA. 10-speed.
Ultegra: Probably 85% as good as DA, but about half the money. Excellent bang-for-the-buck. 10-speed.
105: The first “performance” groupo out of the five. About 70% as good as DA. 9- or 10-speed.
Tiagra: About 40% as good as DA. 9-speed.
Sora: For very recreational riders. About 20% as good as DA. 7- or 8-speed.

Frame Materials
There are four main frame materials found on road bikes.
Titanium: Very light, very expensive, good durability. Good shock absorption, but often not very good in terms of lateral stiffness.
Carbon: Very light, very compliant, usually very stiff laterally. Has become common and affordable in recent years. Sometimes described as being the weight of an aluminum bike with the ride comfort of a steel or titanium bike. Incredible ride comfort and getting more affordable every day. (We've all switched to carbon at Solano Avenue Cyclery.)
Aluminum: Very light, but not a very good ride unless matched with a carbon fork and seat post and even better with carbon “seat stays” (the part of the frame that goes from the seat post tube to the rear axle on either side of the rear wheel). Very affordable.
Steel: Becoming a dinosaur. Known for ride comfort, but at the expense of weight. A light steel bike is as laterally stiff as a wet noodle, and a big weight penalty is incurred by building a stiff one. As carbon bike prices continue to drop, so will the existence of steeal bikes.

Fit
Getting a proper fit on your new road bike is essential. We pride ourselves in doing excellent fittings here at Solano Avenue Cyclery so that your experience on the bike is perfect. We don't use generic calculations based on your height, leg length, etc. The only way to do a correct fit is to put you on the bike and see how you look riding it (in the trainer). If the bike doesn't fit, we don't want you to buy it. Your comfort and ultimate satisfaction with the bike is our number one concern. We have been around for about two decades while countless other local shops have come and gone. We treat people right, and word gets around. We're looking to continue that tradition and promise you nothing but excellent service.