Skipjacks

Hi everyone,

I have an option to buy this bike...

https://www.rei.com/product/842588/s...r-50-bike-2013

(Or one exactly like it) for $350

Stock set up just like in the old listing. Owner says about 500 miles on it. Let's assume that's accurate and the bike is in good ridable condition. (Or I'm not interested anyway)

I'm not looking to race or even ride it every day. I commute on a Specialized Crosstrail that's a fantastic commuter that can carry a heavy load. But I'm looking for something a little speedier and responsive for weekend riding. I'm an entry level road bike rider so I don't need a $3000 full carbon racing bike. I need something that's zippy and fun for a rookie on a good weather joy ride.

Is this a decent buy at $350? I don't know enough about road bikes to tell.

Thanks for any feedback!

JohnnyCyclist

• Low-end gruppo: mostly 2203 (RD is Sora, don't know much about low-end Shimano products - is there a 2203 RD, or is Sora their "bottom of the line" RD?)
• Heavy: 21.82 pounds specified (undoubtedly the smallest size - what size are you buying?) ... and that's before pedals + water bottle(s)

My 2 cents: offer $250 and go no higher than $300. This assumes, of course, that it truly has "only 500 miles" on it and is ready-to-ride. This is truly a "low end, entry level" road bike, so you don't want it to be a money pit in addition. If you can get it for $250-$300 and run it until the tires wear out, IMO you will have gotten your money's worth in deciding whether to upgrade it, buy something better, or decide you're not into road biking.

memebag

$350 seems high for that bike.

mstateglfr 

entry level drivetrain, carbon fork, 500mi?
sure- up to $350 makes sense as long as it fits and is legitimately ready to ride.

It will be tough to find a modern STI bike for less. Good news is you could ride it for a year to figure out if you like it and sell it for $250 quickly. Pretty great way to figure out what you like and what you would want moving forward.

Rock71

I agree that the bike is very low end, the cheapest of the shimano groupsets. If you think you will buy it and be happy for a couple of years, then give 250 or so. I think the bike would be a hard resell no matter what the condition. I think you could find something with tiagra about the same year and price. JMO

surak

Are you light enough to not break spokes on those 20h/24h wheels? If 23 mm is the widest tire that frame can fit, it may be a bit uncomfortable for an entry-level rider, rather than "zippy and fun." If you have left the original wheelset and wheels on your Crosstrail, you're running something like 32 spokes and 38 mm tires.

Skipjacks

I never would have even considered that.

I run 32 spoke 37mm tires on my Crosstrail.

I'm 6 foot 220. Am I over stressing the wheels on this bike?

I think it'll take up to a 28 mm tire from another listing I found for it.

I'm not a rookie bike rider in general. I ride every day. I'm just new to road bikes.

surak

I'm not qualified in any way to make wheel recommendations, but 20 is a low spoke count and I've not seen people recommending even 24 spokes for your weight, though I think I've seen some posts by people who've run them just fine. Spoke count isn't everything, but it is something you'd want to consider, since fixing or replacing those wheels would cost money and time. I'll add my vote to those who don't think the Scott is anywhere near worth $350.

Psychocycles

I would hesitate to put that much weight on a 20 spoke wheel. Honestly, I think if you could save up an extra $150 or $200 you could buy a brand new entry level bike with Claris for $500-700 at a local bike store assuming there's enough competition where you live. You'd get a 2017/18 frame & components, and the updated Claris grouppo looks very similar to its siblings further up the food chain.

TrojanHorse

I'm 6'2" 220# and I have TWO sets of wheels with stupid low spoke counts (IMO) that are holding up just fine... one is a shimano ultegra wheelset and the other is a reynolds carbon wheelset, both of which were hand built and I think ultimately, that will be the difference. Low end factory wheels will probably suffer under your butt HOWEVER, you can wait till you have problems and buy an aftermarket wheelset or you can ignore this bike. The nice thing about wheels is that they are generally portable between bikes, so you can take them "with" you when you upgrade... (certain exceptions apply, like disk / no disk and 10spd vs 11 spd)

Maelochs

At BikesDirect you can get a new Claris-equipped bike for $500 and a Tiagra/105 bike for $700. Yes, you;d have to "assemble" them---add the wheels and handlebars, seat and seat tube, and adjust the brakes and shifting-0--but if you ride already none of that should be a mystery to you.

On the other hand---IF that Scott is really basically unused---well, they claim 22 pounds for the medium, not the small. For a $500 Al bike with a CF fork, that is average. it has a triple, which you might or might not need ... adds a Little weight but not a huge amount.

Basically, Everyone selling a low-end bike like hat (not saying "low-end" as a pejorative--I have a Dawes which is almost identical to that bike) is selling an almost identical product. There just isn't much room for high-tech engineering at that price point. All the ~%500 bikes will have Claris and weigh about the same. So ... it comes down to whether this bike is really "almost new."

The guy probably paid $500 for it in 2013. if the bike really sat all but unused ... $250 is a fair price. No way to know how the guy came up with that estimate. A lot would depend on the vibe you get from the seller and the actual condition of the bike at inspection. How much do you want to pay for a bike you Know you can buy Brand New for $500?

Shuffleman

chainwhip

+3

wipekitty

A few 2017 models of the same bike, in new condition, recently sold on ebay for $500. I'm inclined to agree with others that $350 might be a bit high, but if you can get the price down a bit and the bike fits, go for it.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the Shimano 2300 series is just Claris before it was called Claris (which started with the 2400 series.)

Psychocycles

I don't know if I can recommend bikes direct. I've heard of many people complain of very poorly assembled components, such as bottom brackets, headsets, etc. That, and you're not getting the kind of quality and/or backing you'd get with a name brand bike, like Scott or Trek or whatever. Personally, I'd recommend to save up the extra $100 or $200 and get a bike directly from the LBS.