Bianchi Giro or Trek Madone 2.1
 

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice. I'm new to cycling and have been looking for a used bike. It's come down to two that fit me and are in my price range.

- 2003 Bianchi Giro, Mavic Ksyrium Elite S wheels, Kenda Kaliente L3R tires, Shimano 105 components, carbon fiber fork, Easton Ultra Lite aluminum frame with carbon seat stays, Easton EC90 carbon seat post, Selle Italia SLR carbon seat.

or

- 2013 Trek Madone 2.1, aluminum frame, carbon fork, Shimano 105 gear set, Bontrager saddle, tires and handlebar. (I assume this is all stock, bike is like new.)

Both are within my budget, the Bianchi is 10 years older, but appears to be in pristine shape. It's slightly more expensive, but possibly a better bike than the Trek?

Opinions, recommendations please?

Thank you.

I'll speak to what I can. First they're both 105 and IMO that's good. The Mavic wheels are excellent. I used them for at least 6 yrs before I went to Mavic UST. Bulletproof and fairly light for clinchers. Bicycle Czar has the Bianchi listed for $1175 new. I've also seen that Trek listed for $1285 in 2015. I am not a Trek guy because of what they did to Greg LeMond but that's about my politics not the bikes. Why that Bianchi wuld cost more that the Trek is beyond me. Last June I bought a CAAD 12 w/105 new for $1350. IMO it's a better bike than either. Whatever you get, make sure it fits.

I have a 2014 Madone 2.1 (white with blue accents). Although it spends most of the time inside on a trainer, it's decent as a budget road bike. I like the geometry and handling, but there is a fair amount of road chatter. I can't imagine the Bianchi is any better in that regard though. The 105 5700 groupset Madone is also still fairly contemporary (basically Tiagra), while the Bianchi will be more dated in every regard (geometry, components, even has a quill stem).

The Madone + a decent wheelset (OE wheels are marginal) and nice tires is the way I would go.

Thanks for the replies. I'm happy to hear decent feedback on the Madone. It's white with red accents, like new. I'm in my 40's and this will be my first bike since I was a teenager. So... I'm hoping that it's a good entry point bike for me to start riding. Thanks very much for your time and opinions.

All I want to add to this discussion is unless you are very lucky, the saddle on any bike you purchase will be replaced at some time and tires are considered consumable items but the wheels are obviously not. You may or may not be able to live with the pedals either. With bicycling, it's the accessories that will kill your budget.

A used bike at $1000.00 might be a good buy, another make/model at $100 might be a awful deal.

It might not be the most enjoyable bike for your use case. The Madone 2.1 is not a racing machine, but it's not a comfort oriented bike either. With no spacers, and a 7 degree stem flipped down, I have 8cm of saddle to bar drop on a correctly sized frame. As mentioned, it's also not the most comfortable bike vibration wise (and can't fit larger 28c tires to add more cushion).

I just say this because the best bike is the one you'll ride, and this may not be the best way to go for someone in their 40s getting into cycling after 20+ years off the bike. A ridged hybrid bike (e.g. Giant Escape) might be a better option until you get your mileage up, and are certain you want a road bike.

Given similar condition and fit, 10 years newer is good. That said, the Giro was a pretty decent bike at the time, there was a very attractive blue color. 9 speed components, reliable and economical though higher level spares are getting difficult to find. Hard to figure why it would be priced the same as the newer bike. Maybe there is room for substantial negotiation?

when you try to buy a bike like your doing , you are most like going to want to change much of the parts , even if you like the test ride , once you put hours in the saddle you might start find things to change , i have been through almost 6 saddles and never kept a saddle on a bike i bought unless i was flipping it .
its always best to just buy a frame that matches the geometry that fits you , you could buy the bikes and get lucky , but if you plan on spending real hours on it you might need to get your bike fit first , so you can buy the correct frame , the bikes you are looking at are bikes nothing really special , if you like one get it maybe just do some research into the features of the bikes and compare frame stiffness , and geometry , i think that will be your biggest factor , some bikes are just not stiff enough and really cost you so much energy if you are trying to do some real sexy miles on the machine you need to make sure its not bogging you down with outdated tech philosophy , look home much bikes have changed , just the tech alone are getting rider more performance boots than ever before , some newer alu bikes are miles ahead of old carbon or steel !!!

Well said....

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I went ahead and bought the Madone. I've been trying to find a bike for a several weeks and it's been challenging. Bike shops are low on inventory and those that I find that are nice on FB or CL get snapped up quickly. I'm missed a few other bikes simply because I didn't act quickly enough... Anyway... The Madone ended up being a 2015 model and in new condition. It's the correct size for me and feels like it fits me well. I took it into my local bike shop, purchased a new helmet, and they checked the bike out for me, made a saddle height adjustment for me and installed a handlebar cell phone mount and water bottle cage. I'm excited to get rolling.

Well, I’m back with a with another bike to consider. :) I’ve had a few days to ride the 2015 Aluminium framed Madone 2.1 and today I had the chance to ride a 2017 Diamondback Century 4 Carbon in the same 54c size as my Trek, with 105 group set, hydraulic disc brakes, full carbon frame and fork, Carlisle GP5000 TL 32’s. The bike did feel smoother and was a little more comfortable to ride, the price was fair so I bought it as well. I assume much of this came from its saddle design and the 32 tires compared to the 23’s on the Trek. Anyway... I plan on riding them both for a while to get a better understanding of the differences and how they impact my riding. In the end, I plan on selling my least favorite one. But if I had to choose now, I’d say the Diamondback feels like a higher quality smoother, quieter machine compared to the particular model of Madone that I have. What I want to know from the experts here is what is your opinion of the Diamondback? I stopped at a local dealer today and asked them if they carried Diamondback and he said... “no, that’s a cheap department store brand” and that I should try Dicks Sporting Goods... that comment has caused me to question my judgement on this bike. Opinions please? Thanks for your time.

Dealer was a little pretentious to dismiss Diamondback as a big box brand. They did use to sell bikes to Dick's, but they are in the same league as all the other name brands quality wise. For your needs I would take the Diamondback Century all day; it's not even close. I only bought the Madone 2.1 because it was cheap ($350) before the bike market blew up.

I purchase my 2011 road bike used. It’s equipped with 6700 Ultegra 10 speed.
I needed a derailleur and eBay was my only source.
If you buy a 2003, are you comfy shopping for used parts?

Barry