2nd Hand Trek Madone 6.2 Safe to buy?
 

Hi Guys,

Have a chance to buy this bike, its a Trek Madone 6.2 from 2011 with a carbon frame and Ultegra groupset for 400USD. I have read warnings against buying used carbon frames. Unfortunately I will be unable to physically inspect the bike before buying, I can only rely on photos. Based on the picture of the shifters, looks like it might have been crashed?
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8d10d39506.png
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...884ae88570.png
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f505e78f72.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...09e5243be8.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7a5a408eac.png
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bcc2fbb9ce.png
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...be136e9693.png
Crash damage?
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ba7ebe9112.png
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7fe8996ff3.png
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c8c1efe4cf.png
What do you think? Worth the risk or steer clear?

Hard to tell from the pics but $400 for that is a steal if it's still intact

You can tear up the hoods and levers like that by having the bike tip over on you too. If you look at the value of the parts separately, how far behind are you if the frame is trashed? I'd still insist on a personal inspection, though I'm not seeing anything in the pictures that gives me immediate pause. Laying a bike down on its side is the 'best' way to crash a bike, vs. running headfirst into something or having your rear triangle hit.

Yeah its 400 but its an auction site so it could be 400 for a reason I dont know. Would you still buy it if the frame was bad?

Unfortunately I cant personally inspect it. In your experience, what do you think of the damage exhibited in the photos? What kind of worst case would you think could be likely? What do you think is likely?

If you are this apprehensive about buying the bike, don't buy it. Only buy a bike that you can inspect beforehand.

Worst case in my opinion is that the previous owner(s) low sided at some point. It'll scrape up the bar tape, pedals, shifter, and maybe the RD if you go down on that side, but it doesn't tend to damage the frame much until you slide into something, which doesn't necessarily happen. The nick on the top tube is small and was likely caused by something hard hitting it. It doesn't look like something to be concerned about, like a crack, or a depressed spot. I think with the group and wheelset on the bike, you'll be short $80 or less if the frame is actually unsafe to ride.

The groupset looks pretty clean except for the shifter. Usually the crank will be scuffed if it's had a lot of use. Personally, I would not buy a carbon bike of unknown provenance but not everyone has that level of concern. $400 isn't huge money so it's not a big deal.

Is it that much of a risk to buy 2nd hand carbon? I can see some other auction bikes that are Alu frames with Shimano 105's that look quite clean for the same price or slightly less. Is the risk with carbon worth just getting one of the Alu bikes instead? I ask because I have no experience with road bike.

Buying any used bike is a risk. Steel bikes rust, bend, dent, and sometimes crack, aluminum bikes fatigue, dent, bend, and sometimes crack, and carbon fiber bikes...sometimes crack. It's the reason I try to inspect bikes before buying. The paint on the bike indicates that it was ridden, but probably cared for as well. Most of the components look good, with the small scrapes on the RD and the right integrated shifter being fair instead. If the owner or a mechanic dropped a tool on the top tube, it'd result in a small paint chip like that. The good news is that the chip is very small, and may not even be through the primer. The scuff on the stem is probably from a computer mount, while the stem cap scratches probably came from flipping the bike upside down on the ground for a roadside repair (which is annoyingly common).

There are other, additional areas to inspect for a carbon frame that we can't see. Depending on the construction, the dropouts could be aluminum bonded to the frame (I'm not familiar with the construction of this bike, consult with Trek's back catalogs if it's using bonded dropouts or integrated carbon dropouts). If they separate, that's the end of the frame. A sucked chain or a chain dropped to the inside of the cranks can be fatal for the frame, as carbon fiber is cut very easily that way. The thing is, few of these problems are without a similar issue on a steel or aluminum or titanium frame.

I dont see confirmed crash damage. I see wear and tear from normal use, plus a what could happen from a couple of bike tips while stopped.

The stem looks bad and scuffed, but its a stem. Just use some acetone and rub off the scuffed paint and itll look better than new since the paint design is fugly.
The right brake hood doesnt look good and it could be due to the bike sliding along the ground in a crash, or it could be from the bike falling a few times from being propped up poorly.
The chip in paint on the top tube is evidence that a 10 year old bike was ridden. Its a paint chip.

I'm no expert on crash damage, but my shifters are pretty scuffed up from loading and unloading bike from the back of my vehicle.

$400 isn't much a risk. I'd buy it if you like it.

Crashing isn't that big a deal. I've crashed every single one of my bikes multiple times and they're all fine except for one left shifter that somehow broke in half.

I'd probably buy it if I was needed a road bike for cheap. The components are worth more than $400.