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New vs. used roadbike
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 2017-03-19 8:52 AM |
 30 |  Subject: New vs. used roadbikeHi All, I'm wondering what thought process you used when purchasing your bike? I'm just getting my feet wet with my first sprint triathlon coming up in August. In the past I usually cycled as a way to cross-train for running, or just to get to/from work (it's short at only 4km away). I'm in the market for a road bike, not a tri bike, as it will double as a commuter bike. I cannot decide whether or not to by a new bike or a used bike. My current bike is an aluminum Jamis road bike I bought new for $600 maybe 5 years ago. I'm looking to squeak into the carbon fibre market and get say, 5 years out of my next bike. Thoughts? Also, what kind of difference did you notice going from aluminum to carbon fibre? Thanks in advance for any advice! |
| 2017-03-19 1:26 PM in reply to: drew_ab |
 Bronze member | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike When I bought my first road bike I wanted to race my first tri but I was on a budget and my race was 2 weeks away. I didn't know much about bikes at all. I had been riding a hybrid/comfort bike for 7 years and I just knew that one was heavy and slow. I wound up with an entry level road bike. It was fine but after 2 seasons I didn't love it and could see pretty quick all the reasons why it would have been beneficial to spend a little more money for better components. A few years later I was planning on my first HIM and wanted to upgrade so bought a carbon tri bike. I have been very happy with this bike. The carbon is super light but strong. I could elaborate on how it is faster than my roadie was but it's a totally different bike so that is not really relevant. Fast forward another few years and I had a friend interested in starting triathlon who wanted to buy my road bike so I sold it to her. Fall hit and I realized my back and hips could not take riding my tri bike all winter long so I went shopping for a used road bike this time knowing a little bit more about components and fit. I wound up buying a road bike older than my original but a steel frame (the other was aluminum) and better components. The steel frame is noticeably smoother and more comfortable over bumps or railroad tracks. Not sure if any of that helps you but that's the story of my bike evolution |
. | 2017-03-19 2:26 PM in reply to: drew_ab |
Expert 1074  Tyrone, Georgia | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike If you can find a used road bike that fits you well you will definitely get more for your money. If you have someone that has some experience with bikes take them with you, or even better ask the seller if you can take it by a reputable shop. I actually did that a few years ago when I purchased a used Madone and took it the my local Trek dealer, which happened to sell this individual the bike. Think it cost me about $20 for them to look at it but when you are spending upwards of $1000 on a used carbon bike to me it is money well spent. I say this knowing that both web based and LBS's run some pretty awesome deals from time to time on new bikes as well. |
| 2017-03-20 9:06 AM in reply to: dandr614 |
Regular 134 | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike Originally posted by dandr614 If you can find a used road bike that fits you well you will definitely get more for your money. If you have someone that has some experience with bikes take them with you, or even better ask the seller if you can take it by a reputable shop. I actually did that a few years ago when I purchased a used Madone and took it the my local Trek dealer, which happened to sell this individual the bike. Think it cost me about $20 for them to look at it but when you are spending upwards of $1000 on a used carbon bike to me it is money well spent. I say this knowing that both web based and LBS's run some pretty awesome deals from time to time on new bikes as well. x2! Seriously, if you have a friend, take them with you. Fit is the most important thing, regardless of how good the deal is, if the bike doesn't fit, you won't enjoy riding it. With a carbon fiber bike, taking it to a LBS (Local Bike Shop) to be checked over is a great idea, even better if it is the bike shop that first sold that bike, or at least an authorized dealer. |
| 2017-03-20 9:30 PM in reply to: drew_ab |
| 233 Ventura, California | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike
Rocking a 27 yr old Peugeot steel framed road bike and love it. Bought it out of someones garage for a $150. Been through 4 triathlons and 2 gran fondos and over 1,500 miles of training miles in about 1.5 years Taking it to St George for my 1st HIM in just over a month from now. Total weight without water bottles and rider is 22lbs. I have upgraded it fairly extensively over the last year, the only remaining original parts are the frame, forks and brake levers. Still pushing downtube shifters on a upgraded 8 speed cassette. I love it! I will admit I am seriously considering buying a new CF tri bike for next season, or might custom build one which sounds alot more interesting. (to me anyways) Like others have said, just make sure whatever you buy fits you. 1988 Peugeot 'Triathlon' Road Bike:
(88_Peugeot.JPG) Attachments ---------------- 88_Peugeot.JPG (871KB - 33 downloads) |
| 2017-03-21 5:58 PM in reply to: 0 |
Pro 6582  Melbourne FL Gold member | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike Again whatever fits is the best. That said over the past few years due to injuries and such I've been moving away from Tri's. I've come to realize the perfect bike for me would be a gravel/cross/CX bike, I can ride to work with it, still hit the trails/canals along the way, ride side/ped walks with out issue and with a simple change of tires/rims still do group rides. I prefer to be off the road as much as possible around here, Even with the bike lanes cyclists are getting hit/turned into. When I started Tri's 14 years ago I did everything on a 35lb MTB and i took that thing everywhere possible. A gravel/cross/CX bike would be the perfect in between as far as I'm concerned. Of course I'll still have my TB sitting on the trainer for dedicated rides and also races. I thought about selling it but when my son asked me to do a team event this year I couldn't do it! I'm 9 km from work, my ride to the office are never 9 km, I went over there, around this, over that... Edited by Donto 2017-03-21 6:00 PM |
| 2017-03-21 6:58 PM in reply to: drew_ab |
| 30 | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike I appreciate the feedback everyone. So the next question is this - what's the best way of determining what size I need? Are those online calculators accurate? I plugged by height and length of my length (floor to crotch basically) and it said I need a 56 cm frame. At one of my local bike shops where I was looking, the salesman asked my height (5"11) and he immediately said a 55cm would likely be best. Is there a more accurate way of measuring? Or do these seem accurate. |
| 2017-03-22 10:44 AM in reply to: drew_ab |
| 702 Aledo, Texas | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike Spring for a good, professional fit. It should come with a printout of your coordinates. I hate to promote a competitor, but slowtwitch has a good primer on what makes a good versus bad fitting experience. You should check it out. |
| 2017-03-23 3:46 AM in reply to: drew_ab |
| 7 | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike Originally posted by drew_ab I appreciate the feedback everyone. So the next question is this - what's the best way of determining what size I need? Are those online calculators accurate? I plugged by height and length of my length (floor to crotch basically) and it said I need a 56 cm frame. At one of my local bike shops where I was looking, the salesman asked my height (5"11) and he immediately said a 55cm would likely be best. Is there a more accurate way of measuring? Or do these seem accurate. Frame size is the first size to determine, but it's not the most accurate as frames are often available every 2cm. Most important measures will be saddle height, saddle setback, handlebar distance and height, etc... |
| 2017-03-23 11:50 AM in reply to: drew_ab |
Extreme Veteran 717 Chicago, USA | Subject: RE: New vs. used roadbike Originally posted by drew_ab I appreciate the feedback everyone. So the next question is this - what's the best way of determining what size I need? Are those online calculators accurate? I plugged by height and length of my length (floor to crotch basically) and it said I need a 56 cm frame. At one of my local bike shops where I was looking, the salesman asked my height (5"11) and he immediately said a 55cm would likely be best. Is there a more accurate way of measuring? Or do these seem accurate. Lots of good questions. For accurate bike sizing, unfortunately, you can't really use online sizing calculators very effectively, as bicycle sizing from type to type and brand to brand is incredibly inconsistent. Plus, optimal sizing of your desired bike will also highly depend on how aggressive of a body position you like, or can tolerate. The online calculators can you get you to a ballpark approximation, but their results are highly approximate. For used vs new, if you're new in the sport, there are a lot of advantages to going used for a bike. You'll spend a lot less money and you'll get lots more room for error and experimentation and discovering what works best for your particular needs and race distances. Later, when you're more established in the sport and know your preferences better, that might be a better time to get a new bike, because at that point you're far more likely to know exactly what you need and want. Next, unless you are currently on a horrible bike, there is not a lot to be gained by just going to another road bike, even if it is a carbon frame. If you are likely to be racing triathlons, there is a lot to be said for instead buying a used triathlon bike, from carbon composite or from other materials. If you're patient, there are a lot of used tri bikes out there at great prices to choose from. If you want to use the bike for multiple purposes and are wondering about the "tri bike vs road bike" question, there is also another great highly versatile option that gives you the best from a tri bike and the best from a road bike, I did a short write up about this 3rd option (with lots of photos) here: http://darkspeedworks.com/blog-whatbike.htm And then, irrelevant of what kind of bike you decide on, you might consider using your existing bike as your commuter and/or beater bike, and you then you can use your 2nd bike as your training bike, your long ride bike, and your triathlon race bike. That way your prized tri bike won't get damaged or stolen during errands or during your work commute. Hope that helps, Greg @ dsw |
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