Tnesper

I am looking at purchasing my first road bike. I have decided that I would like to have something slightly above the very basic level of bike, but nothing too advanced and spendy. I'm really hoping to find a good used bike, so that I can have something a little nicer, 1-3 years old, without having to eat the depreciation of a new bike, while being able to get something a little higher quality for a lower price. Numerous bike shops in town are willing to look at the bike before I purchase it and let me know what kind of condition it is in, while trying to sell me maintenance work.

The bike I'm looking at right now can be seen at the link below. My brother, who is a triathlete, has been giving me some advice and is a big fan of the components and thinks this bike looks like a great deal, so long as the frame is equal to the quality of the components and the bike is in good condition. However, he doesn't know much about this frame and I can't seem to find anything on the internet about it. Do any of you have any thoughts on this frame, or whether or not this is a good bike at all? The seller said that he is the only owner and has had the bike for two years, but didn't get to "spend much time on it."

https://denver.craigslist.org/bik/3817404218.html

CrankAndYank

Motobecane. Yawn. Decent components, but you can find decent new rides w/ lifetime warranties in that price range. There must be lots better in the used market.

CrankAndYank

Can't find the frame size in the ad. Am I missing something?

Tnesper

The size is a 61cm. I had to e-mail him to ask. It seems a little hard to tell if that price is too high. It looks like that bike retailed for around $2,000 when it was new. But https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/..._08_carbon.htm has it new for about the price he is asking for. Depends on which angle you view the price. CrankandYank, for a starter bike would you say it was a good deal if I talked him down on price? I know I can find decent new rides in that range, but won't they be tiagra or sora components if they are worth anything? I viewed this as a good option to get beter components, if it is in good condition.

KevinF

A 61cm frame? I hope you're tall.

I'm ~6'1" and ride a 58cm frame.

Tnesper

I forgot to mention that. I am 6'3"

TrojanHorse

That might be too big for you, or it might not. You might want to go test ride a few 58s to see what they're like first, and then test this guy's bike out.

It's not terribly easy to find 61cm bikes though.

Anyway, if you go to the bikes direct website you'll see that the seller isn't discounting that bike a whole lot at all. For some reason, people don't think bikes depreciate once their delicate posterior has graced the seat.

dtrain

That's a deal around $850-$900. Otherwise just order from BikesDirect yourself. Those are not 6700/5700 parts - but the older 10-speed stuff. Those Mavics are an older model as well (but nicer than the Ritcheys that were stock).

Tnesper

The final offer he is willing to take is $800 on it. Although I know the extras aren't worth a ton used, the alternative is buying them new.


The bike shop said it needs a tune-up and a new chain, total cost of about $100. They inspected the bike for about 5 minutes and then made that decision. So my first question is, can you evaluate a bike's needs that quickly?


So what do you guys think, for my first road bike? I thought it rode well, but did feel like it needed a tune up. It was only moderately comfortable, but I also wasn't in bicycle shorts. At this point I'm kinda between this, or taking a couple extra months to save up some extra money and go new with something like a Madone 2.1. But after pedals and other extras, I would think I'd be cashing in at almost double the cost of this thing.


Any final thoughts?

CrankAndYank

My humble thoughts? When it comes to road cycling, $800 is really noise. If you like the bike, it seems like a good deal. I'd just sharpie-out the Motobecane logos meself.

As far as adequate inspection, yeah, in 5 mins an experienced mechanic can pretty much make the call. The exception being that that is not adequate time (IMO) to thoroughly check a CF frame. A CF should be thoroughly examined by a qualified person prior to purchase. That little crack on the bottom of a BB bracket or on the head tube joint that wasn't found b/c the mechanic was in a hurry is not a good thing...

Not sure what a tune-up is. Prob just means doing all the little stuff you should be able to do yourself. Buy a chain and swap it yourself. And for God's sake, flip that blasted stem.

dtrain

I'd probably buy at $800 if the fit was pretty good. Still feels a touch high for a used 'knock-off' brand, but it's not a real common size to find used.

ClydesMoose

At $1250, no way. At $800, if you like it, and it fits, probably.

Sdjclevland

I just bought my first road bike and was thinking the same as you. I looked on Craigslist and all I could find we're really expensive bikes that were still expensive used I got lucky and found a 2012 caad 10 105 for less that 1200 otd. But yeah like you saying, I spent another 300 easy just buying other crap I need so it depends what you wann spend. I can say I love the bike and am happy I bought new.