[widgeon13]

Road bike ride from the Adirondacks (upstate NY) to the Atlantic, (southern Maine shore)

My BIL rode across the US from LA to upstate NY last spring and will complete the ride this September. I have signed on to do the ride with him but my current road bike is an older Trek 460, very comfortable but very old and I can't change the cassette. I have a Cannondale F700 mountain bike which I like but it would not be suitable for this ride. We'll be doing 60+ miles per day depending how I feel since I'm the weak link in the chain. I have been training and will continue over the summer.

Consequently I have no low hill climbing gear on the old roady. I'm going to be looking at some new road bikes but really don't know what to get. I have looked at the Cannondale CAAD 8 6, CAAD 9 6, Trek 1.5 and Cannondale Synapse Alloy 6. I am going to specify a triple crank (30/39/50) and the standard cassette 12-27 (I think). Are any of those good choices?? I don't want to break the bank but I'm looking for a good comfortable road bike in the range of $1000. I have some latitude but really don't want to go over $1400 or so. Is there a good bike out there for that price. Seems like buying a bike is like buying a boat, many to pick from but much to confuse the inexperienced buyer.

Any recommendations from the experienced riders. I will go through the measurements for the proper fit but can't give the dimensions at this time. I don't really want a used bike so have stayed away from CL and fleabay.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.