Test Riding Road Bikes - Specialized, Raleigh, Masi

I rode three bikes this weekend and had a blast doing so, a Specialized Allez, a Raleigh Revenio 2.0 and a Masi. Each rode a bit differently, and even though I am a 100% n00b when it comes to these bikes, I'm excited that I'm actually getting to spot differences in the way they ride! I've been experimenting with shifting, speeding up, slowing down, riding in the drops, etc. I've noticed that riding in the drops is a great way to tell if a bike is ok, or really comfortable. I've also noticed that every bike shop, EVERY bike shop tells me that it's
"it's cheaper to buy upgraded components on the bikes than to upgrade later" - and I think they are correct. On to the bikes!

The specialized Allez is gorgeous! This one is a 54 and fit me just right. Though I felt a TINY bit stretched out when I got into the drops. It has 105s and was dialed in perfectly. I rode this and the Raleigh at a shop in a part of Sacramento that is a bit sketchy. How sketchy? I saw an impala jam packed with guys all wearing sunglasses and blue ball caps (and no, they weren't baseball fans) then a few minutes later a guy calling his associate and loudly proclaiming his displeasure at a financial transaction involving a medically legal plant here in California. Visions of me being mugged for a bike I don't even own and getting stuck with the tab played out in my head as I pedaled around the shopping center and out onto a bike trail.

This bike, the Raleigh Revenio wasn't as dialed in as the Specialized, thumb shifters were a bit lacking and the pedals had me paranoid, but the way this bike felt was AWESOME. Next to the Trek 1.1 - this bike rocketed to my top 3 bikes. It felt so nice in the drops, and the prices on these are not bad! $819 for an aluminum frame and carbon fork. If only it had nicer shifters/cassette etc. I'm a fan of these bikes. If any Raleigh folks are reading this and want to give me a coupon for a few hundred dollars off? I will represent your bikes to the fullest on my humble blog!

This Masi was the most solid, dialed in machine I've ever ridden on. Not a single thing was loose, everything was set up great, this felt a lot like the Specialized in the drops - very 'racy' and I felt like I was stretching a bit but goodness was this thing fast. I zipped up and down a street and got up close to catching up with cars. So much fun!  This one was a bit pricier (I think in the $800 range) but I can see why.

So there you have it, aside from these bikes I've also ridden a few more Trek's and Canondales but those bikes I almost want to ride again because it's only till now that I feel like I understand really what I am looking for. Every step, err pedal I take gets me one step closer to running again and gets me my much needed endorphin fix! I'm also having a hard time figuring out how much to offer or look for in used bikes. There's so much more risk, potential broken stuff, fixing up, adjusting etc. with a used bike.
Thanks for reading! Also, if you are into cycling at all and are on twitter - check out the hashtag #bikeschool, lots of cycling talk!