Gdex19

Hello,

I am currently deciding between two bikes on fb marketplace. Both within 2 hours, planning on picking one up soon. The first option is a 2011 Specialized Roubaix Comp Rival, which seems to be in good condition, albeit dusty. It would come with pedals and shoes, for 800. The second option is a 2012 GT GTR Team Carbon, also for 800. It would not come with pedals, but it also seems to be in good condition apart from a greasy/dirty drive train. The dura ace components are definitely attractive. I'm not looking to spend more than 150ish on shoes and pedals after buying.

Thanks for your help!

Iride01 

Too much money for old components that are a handful of models out of date. That's my opinion. I'd rather have a new bike with Tiagra 10 speed on it. Even Sora 9 speed would be okay if it got me a new bike.

Unless you know a lot about fixing and adjusting bikes to make everything work and can tell by looking what is and isn't right with those used bikes, you might be in them for more than just the $150ish you wanted to spend on shoes and pedals.

If you do know that stuff, then a used bike that is the correct size for you can be a bargain, but not at those prices.

Ogsarg

When I decided to get a road bike 3-4 years ago, I was in a similar position. Didn't want to spend a huge amount but wanted a decent bike. I ended up with a used 09 Roubaix that I paid $750 for and probably overpaid. It was in good condition though and it allowed me to start riding right away. I put about 6k miles on it before getting a new bike late last year. If I had to do it over again, I think I probably would have gone the lower-end new bike route for a little bit more$$$.

With the new bike, you would likely get better gearing for climbing, the ability to run wider tires, possibly disc brakes, and some assistance getting the bike fit to you, which is important if you're new to road bikes.

If you do go look at the used bikes, I would try and talk them down on the prices even if they're in great condition. 8-9 year old bikes lose a lot of value regardless of condition.

Tacoenthusiast

Just get a cheap new bike, don't spend new bike money plus 4 hours in the car for a used bike that could be in bad condition

The older bikes are basically at the same component level as a new cheap bike, but with the bonus of 9 years of corosion

Maelochs

Drive two hours, find out that the shifters are gritty and the bike looks not to have been maintained well ... wonder how long the headset or bottom bracket will last .... decide against it, drive home. Next day, do it again ... except now you are a little desperate, and the guy comes down a little in price, and you end up buying the bike while still not convinced you should.

You notice an very occasional creak in the BB on hard hills, but you figure you can replace that ... then a shifter breaks. now you are looking at a few hundred to get a ten-year-old bike back to ten-year-old standards, which, as @Tacoenthusiast notes, will be about on par with the new introductory bike group set.

Yes, a really good 8-year-old bike should have a better frame and better wheels .... and you can always drop several hundred for a new group set and get the best of both worlds. Or .... get a decent bike with decent running gear, slap on some new wheels in a couple years, and five years from now if you are riding a lot, buy a really nice bike that really suits your needs and desires.

mango18

I am/was in the same position as the OP. I however (actually my son did) bought a new entry level bike from Amz and having flogged it for a 2 months am very happy to gone this route. Yes the bike needs some tweaking every 2 months /500 miles or so but it is still way cheaper than what you are looking at for a 10 year used bike. I learnt a lot here and from the bike itself and next week I am going to go for a 50 mile ride on it before upgrading to a new or much newer used bike. i see it as a reward and perhaps can make a better buying decision now. This bike is going to go with my son to college and I am free to upgrade.
Cost was $250 bought with CC points and is now like many bikes out of stock unfortunately. However my situation is I was never a biker per se and this bike was instrumental in the changed lifestyle we have all have had to adopt due to covid.

My bike

Canker

Guess I'll go against the grain. I'm more of a mtn biker not a roadie so I'm not an authority here but.......

Road bikes haven't really changed that much and aren't beaten to death usually unlike mtn bikes so I don't see a problem going with either of those.
10 vs 11 speed meh don't care
disc brakes vs rim I'd prefer disc but for a road bike meh not a big deal
You get a better frame and wheelset with those used bikes than you will with a $800 new bike and those are the expensive bits. I don't know if there is flaw with either of those drivetrain setup but if they do wear out a it isn't like it would cost much to put some Tiagra 4700 parts on it. Or you could just upgrade to whatever the current bang for the buck 11 speed setup will be down the road.

I'd want to find out what size tires you can run on those bikes. They are speced with 23mm but I'd want 25s if not 28s. The wheelsets might have the older 10 speed freehub bodies which would mean if you did want to go 11 speed you would have to run a shimano 11-34 cassette since it is the only 11 speed "road" cassette that will fit the older 10 speed freehub bodies. Don't know if they are fairly priced without researching and seeing them.

shelbyfv

Eight year old carbon of unknown provenance is a real pig in a poke. Neither sounds like a good buy.

Maelochs

Always good to see diverging opinions ....
Maybe road bikes haven't changed as radically as MTBs ... but a lot of MTB change is in style as much as function---slack geometry and long suspension designed for more all-around riding, from gentle XC to gnarly North Shore stuff, and bigger wheels---stuff which is to me, of questionable utility. Suspension tech has come along way ... but my 2004 Cannondale Rize 4 isn't that different from anything new, except it is a 26er, doesn't have a clutch derailleur, is a triple not a 1x, and doesn't have a dropper post. That is all stuff I could change (except the wheels) very easily. .... for a price.

Road bikes have made significant gains in the past decade ... as you note, in increased tire clearance, and in frame tech ... frames have improved a lot, to where a decent new bike is as stiff and as comfortable, and probably as light, as a really good bike from a decade ago.
Sorry .... you aren't going against the grain here.

The only benefit to 11-speed is that it is forward-compatible. The new Tiagra apparently doesn't play well with old Tiagra or the new 11-speed stuff. I can't say as I only have 4500 and 4600 .... But likely if the OP buys a ten-year-old bike and wears it out, s/he will be looking for something new and better.
This is true .... however as shelbyfv notes: A new Tiagra group might set the buyer back $225 or so (and that is off EBay, so roll the dice) and on Merlin Cycles, new 7000 105 is $475. If I am going to buy an $800 ten-year-old bike and dump $225 into it immediately (assuming the OP can do the work and has the tools, or it is more like $350 maybe) then I am looking at whole 'nother range of new bikes.

The parts that would worry me? The chain ring Will wear ... and of course the cassette, too .... and the shifters generally cannot be rebuilt. Not many cassettes last 10,000 miles let alone ten years, and while the big ring Might be good after ten years ... again, it makes a Huge difference if the OP can do his won work, knows how to research bolt patterns and figure compatibility .... and is interested in going shopping on EBay for old parts. (I see Walmart will sell a 4700 crank set for $125--might as well get the whole groupset.)

Shifters tend to be the most overpriced individual parts, and to replace them, the OP either needs to buy the parts and pay the bike shop, or learn a Whole lot of mechanic work .... good stuff like wrapping bars, running cable, and adjusting brakes and derailleurs .... but the OP might prefer not to have to.
Tire clearance is a real issue. But ... people rode skinny tires for years, and it wouldn't stop the OP from riding. Most frames should fit 25s.

The wheel/hub compatibility issue is only an issue if the guy wants to upgrade the whole drive train to 11 ... but if he plans to do that, he is looking at a $500 investment, and why not get a newer, better bike if his budget is now $1300 or more?

I think everyone here will agree ... there are some excellent deals to be had on older road bikes. However ... is the OP in a position to wait for such deals, and is s/he able to recognize them?

Awesome if s/he finds a lightly-used older bike with a lot of good miles left in it. A Lot less awesome if after a month the chain starts skipping because the chain and cassette are worn, and then the new chain starts fighting with the shark-toothed chain rings ... suddenly the bike is in the shop, racking up bills, and the whole "bargain" aspect has gone away.

maglia_grigia

Always fascinated by new v second hand dynamic.

Ultimately the world of amateur sport is filled with people who go out and drop a few weeks salary on a bike, golf clubs, skiis, rifles, archery bows, fishing rods etc... then get fed up / bored after a few attempts and the kit sits in a garage gathering dust until they are clearing out.

They key is finding those people to buy from, as opposed to the keen participant who has used their kit solidly for 3 or 4 years and is upgrading to the latest model.

Probably on Facebook Marketplace you are more likely to find a lapsed cyclist with a nearly new bike in need of a clean and some lubrication, than a 150 km / week person who is upgrading.

Canker

That is why I pointed out the 11-34 cassette to avoid the new wheelset.

As for the carbon fiber issue. It isn't like carbon fiber goes bad just because it is a few years old. I'm sitting here beside my carbon road/cross/gravel bike that I bought used a few years back which is a bit newer than the used bikes the OP is looking at. If the frame is clean and not scratch up and chipped it is more than likely fine. The guy I ride with just dropped off his new used gravel/cross bike at my house yesterday to hide it from his wife for a while lol. It is an older aluminum Specilized Crux with rim brake bleh!!!!, more of an issue with a gravel bike. It has Sram 10 speed with a 11-28 cassette both worn but we will throw new new chain on it and I have a good 10 speed 11-36 cassette and maybe a sram mtn rear derailleur I have laying around if the roadie one can't handle the 11-36. None of that stuff would be expensive bought new.

It all comes down price, I don't how much these bikes are worth, and how much the OP knows about bikes and how to work on them if something does go wrong a down the road. Nothing on bikes is particularly hard if you are handy but if you aren't having a LBS fix up your used bikes takes a good bit of the value out of used.

mango18

Upgraded to a new used bike. Found it on craigs list. Lightly used seemed like a good deal. One place I did a sanity check was here https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/
Found my model of bike in there and paid the amount indicated ballpark there. Resulted in a reduction of $200 of the list price and was gratified when the mechanic validated the bike condition. You can see the details here.Post Scroll to the post above the pics and the pic of the bike itself.