Boondocksaints

Hello guys,

I am a new member to this forum - nice to meet y'all

I was offered a used custom titanium bike for $475 and it sounds like a great deal on paper, but looks pretty dinged up from the pics he sent. Below are the specs/description and pics. What do any of you guys think? Should I take this deal?



Touring bike handlebar set up. Custom built with high-end Shimano components on a Bianchi manufactured titanium frame. Recent new parts: front deraileur, brakes, cables, chain and rear sprocket set.

Shimano 105 components. Shimano Deore XT rear deraileur, Shimano Super SLR brakes, SRAM Rocket shifters, FSA stem, Ergon PC2 ergonomic pedals.

Frame: 57cm Standover height: 81cm Weight: 21.5 pounds Rims: Mavic CXP22 Crank: 18cm
Tires: Specialized Armadillo 700x25c, very good.

tegnamo

The pics are so tiny...can you fix that?

Boondocksaints

Sorry fixed.

HerrKaLeun

sounds like you didn't see it in person and rode it? Is it a credible person you know, or a Craigslist ad?
Reason I'm asking is, if it is CL and those are the "good and staged pictures to sell the bike" it may be in even worse shape. Or it is someone who doesn't care about the bike, which also is a red flag.

With a used bike (or car or anything) you not only buy the bike, but also the service history and the treatment by the former owner.

Without you testing it, no one here can give good advice. You could find out what that bike cost new. also find out what a similar new bike would cost you. Did he give you the weight?
You can check the blue book

Boondocksaints

Yes I'm going to test ride it when I meet. This is an ad. I have no idea what year or model frame it is. I just know it's a Bianchi Titanium frame, so kind of hard to find the blue book value. The rest of the bike is custom.

But that site is very useful. Thanks!

tegnamo

Look for cracks at the welds I guess? And figure out what model it actually is and do the google search to uncover anything weird about it!

HerrKaLeun

You should ask about the year or anything else upfront. Don't show up without proper research or you are at a disadvantage negotiating price and/or evaluating if it is worth. Knowledge is power.

If you know how much it takes to fix a bent wheel, a broken derailleur or anything else, you can negotiate that out if it appears broken.

You could price out what the components would cost you new, or what a similar new bike would cost you. If a new version of that cost $4K, $475 is a good price. but if the new version would only be $1.5K, it is overpriced. Again, knowledge is power.

indyfabz

While I don't know if Bianchi made a special head badge for its ti frames, that head badge would make me pause because it's atypical. Maybe ask around in the Classic & Vintage forum.

Boondocksaints

Thank you. Good advice. I think I'll go ahead and post on that vintage forum.

corrado33

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't look like a Bianchi head tube badge. On every result for bianchi titanium I see titanium frames with their normal (bird) head tube badge.

I'd be weary.

Seattle Forrest

180 mm crank arms are uncommonly long. The trend has been for people to use shorter cranks than they need, not longer. Everything else aside, a bike is only a good deal if it fits.

indyfabz is maybe onto something with the badge, too.

I would be leaning against it.

ridelikeaturtle

First, I don't know that's a Bianchi. It might not even be a titanium frame.
Second, is that rack screwed directly into the rear seat stays?
Third, the mix of components seems to be whatever somebody found in the parts bin, mtb drivetrain and road brakes...

I'd run away.

jefnvk

Many bikes have threaded eyes there specifically for that purpose.

SkyDog75

I'm skeptical it's a Bianchi. I've never seen a Bianchi head badge like that, nor can I find a badge like that on any of the titanium Bianchis I can find online.

Not that that means it's a bad frame or anything... Just look at it with a healthy dose of skepticism, without taking the owner's word as absolute fact.

Boondocksaints

Damn looks like a resounding no here haha. Thanks for the advice guys.

jefnvk

Do you have a link to the original ad?

EDIT: NM, found it https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/6072768928.html

Maelochs

You didn't really show any dings in the frame ... and the frame is what you are buying. An aging Deore/XT group ... meh. it's a Ti frame that makes the difference. And it is the frame which likely cannot be fixed if there is anything wrong with it.

It's about my size and would make an awesome commuting bike New saddle and bars, or maybe just lay that adjustable stem all the way forward and down ... but i would Never buy it if i couldn't see it, shake it, rattle it, and ride it.

shelbyfv

That thing has been rode hard and put away wet from the look of the components. The goofy cockpit set up points to someone who doesn't know much about bikes, so a previous owner may have told him it was a Bianchi. As someone else said, you would pretty much be buying a frame, so not a killer deal. Some Bianchi ti bikes were made by Litespeed, plenty of those still around.

CliffordK

One of those was posted on the Wacky Craigslist thread a while ago.
Here is the link to the thread, but unfortunately the photos are missing.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...y-ads-486.html

I think the conclusion was it was a Bontrager frame, although perhaps

Send a note to Joeyseven, he may have eventually bought it.

$475 isn't a bad deal. It would make a great winter commuter.

corrado33

See I had the opposite thought. Notice the direction the QR skewers are placed. They're perfect. So unless the current owner never removed the wheel, I'd say the current owner knows at least a bit about bikes. I'd guess the owner who set it up like that was an older person looking for a more relaxed ride, then by the text in the ad, I'd say it was sold to a kid who thought a titanium frame was cool. Now it's being sold again, with probably little to no riding between.

superdex

it's a bontrager in titanium color

Boondocksaints

Actually, the seller got back to me. Looks like it might be legit. Here's what he said to me.

"The titanium frame was made by Bianchi in 2007. It's serial number is E0402657. The bike was assembled in 2008. I changed out some Shimano 105 components in 2013. I matched the components to the originals which are from the Shimano series one step down from their top professional level in 2013. The tires are from 2015."

Hardrock23

Not sure what it is but I didn't find anywhere that Bontrager or Bianchi used that headbadge. The original owner could've added that. I couldn't find it online anywhere either.

It doesn't match the titanium bianchis I saw, or Bontragers. I did find it has some similarities with the bikes custom made by Titan Products. It also looks a bit like the new Kona, but of course it isn't.

If you like it, and it fits...get it. Doesn't matter much what it is if you really like it...except maybe when it comes to the price paid.

Maelochs

Ask the guy to through in the 105 parts as well.

TenSpeedV2

I would pass on this potential headache. Is this the bike you want or are you drawn to the fact that you might be getting a "titanium" bike for under 500?