why don't more bikes have kickstands?

[Artsemis]

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why lol @ getting a car for several thousand?

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How many new cars can you get for under 5 grand?

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it has to be new? everyone drives new cars??

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Some people do for about a day.

[LetItBe]

Sorry, don't have too much time to get into details, but basically, the world of bikes can be INSANE, especially for road bikes. My friends who ride competitively obsess about shaving grams off of their bikes by buying carbon water bottle cages...so be wary- once you start heading down that road, there is no turning back!

Single speed not a good idea if you want to put real rides on your bike. They are fine for driving around town, but if you go out for a weekend 100 mile ride through some hilly terrain, you want every gear possible to make your life less miserable.

Your style wouldn't destroy a road bike, it's just a completely different style. It takes some adjustment/getting used to, but you will be fine. It's just weird when you have to sit hunched over for an hour instead of riding more upright. After getting used to that you can worry about proper form (knees tucked in, pulling up on the pedals, etc.).

Oh, disc brake. Not very popular on road bikes, there is kind of a split in the world of biking- some are pushing hard for them, but last I checked the UCI had outlawed them in competitions. I've never ridden a bike with them, so I can't comment on how they are.

Tires...durability is pretty good, depends on how often and hard you ride, obv. I have never been picky about tires, though- some people are nuts about them. Sorry I can't really give a good answer for this, I don't pay enough attention.

The question of all questions- what bike! That's a really good price range for a great bike. As for which one, that really is a matter of preference. For someone just starting out you will want a little softer bike. At that range you will see some very stiff bikes (stiff = fast, but also = less comfort). You will feel every little bump in the road with a stiff bike, so I would stay away. The best way to pick one is to find a good bike shop and test ride them. Personally, I am a big fan of Cannondale and Giant bikes. Trek gets pooh-poohed in the bike world a lot but I think their bikes are decent, lots of choices too.

I would buy this:

OCR1

But like I said, trying out a bunch of different bikes is the best bet. There are also choices to make like what kind of pedals and shoes you want, what to upgrade (if anything) on the bike, and so on.

Sorry, I feel like I am rambling. And it ended up longer than I thought! Hope it helps at all. There are also plenty of bike forums out there that may have a better answer. I've been running lately instead of biking, though, so I have gotten away from it for the past year of two.

[LetItBe]

Actually, at this price range, you will probably find mostly aluminum bikes anyway, so no need to worry about stiffness too much. If you start looking at carbon bikes, then you can worry about that more (but those would be at the high end of the range, and most likely closer to $2k).

Here is a pretty good Trek for that price:

Decent Trek for under $1500

Here is an entry level Trek carbon bike. Great bike for the price, but I am not sure you need a carbon frame.

[kidcolin]

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when i was a kid all the bikes had kickstands, but now that i'm getting into biking again, none of them do. i'm guessing this is some kind of weird bike-snob thing? they're pretty convenient.

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simple answer, all price aspects aside: they look lame and aren't that important. That's really all there is to it. They're an eyesore. That's really all there is to it.

[Badger]

If you want a kickstand, put one on. I don't have a kickstand on my road bike, I do have one on my commuter bike.

The reason for not having one on my road bike is that it's not really necessary, and it would add weight and get in the way if it becomes loose while riding. Also, I'm guessing they aren't allowed in racing because it's one more thing that other rider's bikes could catch on.
My commuter bike has one and I haven't bothered to take it off. It's even come in handy a few times, so it stays.

[cbloom]

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simple answer, all price aspects aside: they look lame and aren't that important. That's really all there is to it. They're an eyesore. That's really all there is to it.

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No it isn't.

[MrMon]

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Sorry, don't have too much time to get into details, but basically, the world of bikes can be INSANE, especially for road bikes. My friends who ride competitively obsess about shaving grams off of their bikes by buying carbon water bottle cages...so be wary- once you start heading down that road, there is no turning back!

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Reminds me of a story I heard a long time ago about bikes. Wealthy guy not in the greatest shape is bragging about buying the latest carbon-fiber with all the latest stuff for like $40k. His friend asks why he needs that, when he just bought the latest and greatest a few months ago. Wealthy guy responds yeah, but this weighs 3 ounces less. Unimpressed friend replies, wouldn't it have been cheaper to make you weigh 3 ounces less?

[kidcolin]

cbloom,

For non speedsters/every-ounce-counts type of people, that's generally it. There's other advantages. Less maintenance, no chance of it getting caught on anything (ties in with the maintenance.. we all remember riding our bikes when you and hearing the loose kickstand hit rubber). The latter is a major concern for mountainbikers I'm sure, I was thinking more along the lines of road/commuter biking.

But you gotta admit, it's an eyesore.