Newbie buying a used bike looking for opinions
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 3
Bikes: 89 Schwinn World Sport
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Newbie buying a used bike looking for opinions
Hi Everyone. I am just starting out and have the opportunity to buy 1 of 2 really great bikes. They are at the same price point, so it really comes down to bike feel and quality I guess.
1st bike is a 2008 Opera. The owner says he thinks it has about 3000 miles on it. It has full Campy Record 10 Gruppo and the cassette has just been replaced with a Campagnolo Veloce Ultra Drive 10 speed cassette. The Frame has quite a few rubbed off paint areas from the rack the current owner has. The wear pattern and location are pretty compelling to believe this. This bike rides like the wind to be honest. Going up hill I found that it was going faster than I could pedal sometimes before I even realized it.
2nd bike is a 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. It has full Dura Ace and is basically in show room shape. Never been ridden in the rain, looks like it hasn't even been sneezed on. I haven't had the opportunity to ride this bike, and if I do go ride it I miss out on the Opera.
I hear a lot about Trek from the guys I work with, but I've never heard of Opera. I am just looking for some honest opinions on the quality/longevity of these 2 bikes when compared with each other. Thanks in advance!
1st bike is a 2008 Opera. The owner says he thinks it has about 3000 miles on it. It has full Campy Record 10 Gruppo and the cassette has just been replaced with a Campagnolo Veloce Ultra Drive 10 speed cassette. The Frame has quite a few rubbed off paint areas from the rack the current owner has. The wear pattern and location are pretty compelling to believe this. This bike rides like the wind to be honest. Going up hill I found that it was going faster than I could pedal sometimes before I even realized it.
2nd bike is a 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. It has full Dura Ace and is basically in show room shape. Never been ridden in the rain, looks like it hasn't even been sneezed on. I haven't had the opportunity to ride this bike, and if I do go ride it I miss out on the Opera.
I hear a lot about Trek from the guys I work with, but I've never heard of Opera. I am just looking for some honest opinions on the quality/longevity of these 2 bikes when compared with each other. Thanks in advance!
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 28,682
Bikes: 1990 Romic Reynolds 531 custom build, Merlin Works CR Ti custom build, super light Workswell 066 custom build
Likes: 0
Liked 58 Times
in
36 Posts
Wait, wait! Is that Rod Serling I hear in the background accompanied by the Twilight Zone music? Give me a break. I know you were going uphill, but which way was the bike going?
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 445
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Hi Everyone. I am just starting out and have the opportunity to buy 1 of 2 really great bikes. They are at the same price point, so it really comes down to bike feel and quality I guess.
1st bike is a 2008 Opera. The owner says he thinks it has about 3000 miles on it. It has full Campy Record 10 Gruppo and the cassette has just been replaced with a Campagnolo Veloce Ultra Drive 10 speed cassette. The Frame has quite a few rubbed off paint areas from the rack the current owner has. The wear pattern and location are pretty compelling to believe this. This bike rides like the wind to be honest. Going up hill I found that it was going faster than I could pedal sometimes before I even realized it.
2nd bike is a 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. It has full Dura Ace and is basically in show room shape. Never been ridden in the rain, looks like it hasn't even been sneezed on. I haven't had the opportunity to ride this bike, and if I do go ride it I miss out on the Opera.
I hear a lot about Trek from the guys I work with, but I've never heard of Opera. I am just looking for some honest opinions on the quality/longevity of these 2 bikes when compared with each other. Thanks in advance!
1st bike is a 2008 Opera. The owner says he thinks it has about 3000 miles on it. It has full Campy Record 10 Gruppo and the cassette has just been replaced with a Campagnolo Veloce Ultra Drive 10 speed cassette. The Frame has quite a few rubbed off paint areas from the rack the current owner has. The wear pattern and location are pretty compelling to believe this. This bike rides like the wind to be honest. Going up hill I found that it was going faster than I could pedal sometimes before I even realized it.
2nd bike is a 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. It has full Dura Ace and is basically in show room shape. Never been ridden in the rain, looks like it hasn't even been sneezed on. I haven't had the opportunity to ride this bike, and if I do go ride it I miss out on the Opera.
I hear a lot about Trek from the guys I work with, but I've never heard of Opera. I am just looking for some honest opinions on the quality/longevity of these 2 bikes when compared with each other. Thanks in advance!
#6
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 3
Bikes: 89 Schwinn World Sport
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Also of interest (to me at least) is that I have ridden several other bikes (Cannondale Synapse, Specialized Tarmac, GT, Trek 2.1) and none of them felt like the Opera. It felt really fast to me, but thats just my own anecdotal comment.
Last edited by clegault; 08-12-13 at 01:22 PM. Reason: I left off some info I meant to include
#7
You Get What You Give
LOL Sorry, I realize that it was poorly written. In the interest of full disclosure my current bike is an 89 Schwinn World Sport. I have to pedal really hard to get that thing up hills, so riding the Opera was like taking the ankle weights off before a run. What I meant was that it was moving so quickly and easily through the gears on the way up the hill that I wasn't keeping up.
Also of interest (to me at least) is that I have ridden several other bikes (Cannondale Synapse, Specialized Tarmac, GT, Trek 2.1) and none of them felt like the Opera. It felt really fast to me, but thats just my own anecdotal comment.
Also of interest (to me at least) is that I have ridden several other bikes (Cannondale Synapse, Specialized Tarmac, GT, Trek 2.1) and none of them felt like the Opera. It felt really fast to me, but thats just my own anecdotal comment.
You just answered your question... Buy the bike that stands out above the others...
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Snow Hill NC
Posts: 872
Bikes: Trek Madone 2.1
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If you likey the bikey, get the it... Don't buy a bike you like less...3000 if well maintained isn't bad...Don't limit your search though... i did and regretted it a bit... ended up with a nice CAAD8...Lot's of deals to be had out there... specially at this time when the 2014 are fixin to come out....Do yourself a favor and ride the Madone...it's a nice machine...
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 28,682
Bikes: 1990 Romic Reynolds 531 custom build, Merlin Works CR Ti custom build, super light Workswell 066 custom build
Likes: 0
Liked 58 Times
in
36 Posts
Surprisingly no one has commented on what Opera is yet. Opera is a brand started by PINARELLO in the late 1990s. With that pedigree it can't be awful. I'm no fan of Pinarello, mainly due to their overpricing and poor value for the money, but they are supposed to be very good bikes. Whether this is supposed to be a lower level 2nd label, an experimental brand, or what, I don't know, but the there is a well regarded company standing behind it.
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 445
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Surprisingly no one has commented on what Opera is yet. Opera is a brand started by PINARELLO in the late 1990s. With that pedigree it can't be awful. I'm no fan of Pinarello, mainly due to their overpricing and poor value for the money, but they are supposed to be very good bikes. Whether this is supposed to be a lower level 2nd label, an experimental brand, or what, I don't know, but the there is a well regarded company standing behind it.
#11
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 3
Bikes: 89 Schwinn World Sport
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Never heard of Opera or do I really care for it. Between those two (assuming fit is not an issue), it seems like the trek is a no brainer based on condition alone. It's your money though so spend it how ever you like. I'm riding a 1998 Serotta that probably weighs over 20lbs and I'm still keeping with he fast groups. Placebo effect plays a large part in a new bike.