eyezlee

Hi all. What is a reasonable amount to pay for a left over 2009 Madone 5.2 Pro? Anything not to like? I'm 6'2" and about 210 if it matters.

Quick little review and my thoughts and feelings.

I went to the LBS looking at a 2010 4.5 rode it, liked the ride. When I got back the guy goes this is going to seem like the ultimate upsell but we have a left over 2009 5.2 in your size that I want you to ride.

First off I love the black and gray color scheme. This will be my first "real" road bike so my calibration for comparison might be way off. To me the 5.2 was just much more solid feeling than the 4.5 and I didn't feel the road as much as the 4.5. Its really fast on the smooth flats.

I'm a bit concerned about the gearing, my cardio is not quite up to pulling big gears on steeps yet so a couple of times on my test ride I found myself small ring up front and big ring in the back and wished I had one more back there so I could keep spinning. Maybe I just need to ride more.

So what's a good deal for this leftover 2009?

Thanks all.

hammond9705

I wouldn't expect a great deal this time of year. They'll probably have no trouble selling it in the next few months.

nitropowered

If that bike is still left over in the fall, then you could get a good super deal, but don't expect too much right now

67vdubya

I'M GETTING A 2009 LEFTOVER 4.5 madone for $1600.00 i'd love to get a 5 series but man 1600 is a deal for me.

waterrockets 

Based on your experience I don't think a full-on race bike is the answer. Don't buy a bike geared for race fitness. You'll either suffer and regret it or bastardize it into something it's not. Buy the right bike for your skills, fitness, and interest, and work from there.

If you're thinking you are going to quickly advance to a more aggressive fit and gearing, then don't spend a lot on this bike -- look for value and get one you won't feel bad selling in 18 months. One hint: Trek isn't the value leader -- their brand costs more because they're popular.

Something like a Fuji or a Giant is more of a value leader, and they each have relaxed or aggressive bikes available as well.

waterrockets 

Based on your experience I don't think a full-on race bike is the answer. Don't buy a bike geared for race fitness. You'll either suffer and regret it or bastardize it into something it's not. Buy the right bike for your skills, fitness, and interest, and work from there.

If you're thinking you are going to quickly advance to a more aggressive fit and gearing, then don't spend a lot on this bike -- look for value and get one you won't feel bad selling in 18 months. One hint: Trek isn't the value leader -- their brand costs more because they're popular.

Something like a Fuji or a Giant is more of a value leader, and they each have relaxed or aggressive bikes available as well.

kayakdiver

Heard ya the first time

Both times this is good advice.

gettingold

$1,600 for a 4.5 is a nice deal. Grab it and enjoy it. Doesn't sound like you need a 5.2. Compare the 4.5 with a lesser bike (instead of the 5.2) and you won't be thinking that you feel the road too much anymore. Also, it has a compact crank which will give you the extra climbing gears.

Phil85207

Good advice, here.

Jinker

+1 on getting a bike with a compact double (50/34) up front.

A traditional double (52/39) demands a certain level of fitness / lighter body weight to get up steeper hills. A compact double is good enough for most people who at least ride regularly.

A triple would give you around another 10% lower gearing, but they really don't shift as well as doubles, there's more chain rub when cross-chained, and more duplication in the gears, so you don't get as much extra gear selection as you'd expect.

waterrockets 

truth.

I have a Cat 3 teammate who's accumulating upgrade points on a compact double 105 from 2004. It's not holding him back at all.

waterrockets 

truth.

I have a Cat 3 teammate who's accumulating upgrade points on a compact double 105 from 2004. It's not holding him back at all.

intence

What's wrong with Trek, they make bicycles of extremely high quality, the bottom bracket area on their frames are some of the strongest around
(someone had to say something)

intence

Waterrockets is right, how much more gearing were you looking for? There's always the option of getting a compact crankset, and a wider cassette (depending on your fitness level, a wide cassette such as a 12-27 or 11-28 combined with a compact crank should let you spin up hills relatively easier).

If you're getting a good deal on the Trek, it might not be a bad idea, although they offer less value, their resale tends to be a bit higher than other bikes, simply because everyone knows Trek. On the other hand, any bike is going to lose a lot of its value as soon as its no longer brand new (and Trek doesn't honor warranty claims for subsequent owners .... right waterrockets?). Check out a few bikes, you could probably be happy spending far less, and can then sell that bike and upgrade when you're ready. Giant, Felt, and Fuji all offer quite a bit of value, as long as you're getting a reputable brand don't worry so much about who makes the bike (with the exception of the 5-series Madone which I believe is US made, the other frames including the 4-series madone I believe, are coming out of one of a small handful of asian factories). Worry about fit and comforth, focus on buying a bike you'll ride the most, you can always sell it and upgrade when you're ready.

eyezlee

Thanks for all the great advice. Right now the LBS is at $3K for the 2009 5.2 which *seems* like a good deal money wise. (You guys tell me) My desire in this purchase is to buy something that will last a long time and allow me to ride short, long and maybe multi-day events. I've done the upgrade-itis thing for a long time in many different hobbies. I'd like to start at a nice point where I can just hop on and ride without thinking about upgrades.

Should I decide to do this deal, I can have the 53/39 changed out and a 50/34 swapped in and have the stem flipped during my fitting. This maybe called bastardization, but it sounds like customization to me.

wrr1020

I wouldn't say Trek doesn't offer value for the money, when i shopped around for my bike i decided to go with a Trek 2.1 simply because component wise compared to other brands it was right on par if not a better value. I was mainly comparing it to a Felt F75 which is $100 more for the Felt with practically the same components, which are Shimano 105. Not to mention my lbs knocked about $200 or so off msrp. Maybe on Madones and other brand bikes in the same class there not as good value wise but for entry level i think there evenly matched with other brands.

waterrockets 

That looks like it's about 16% off some internet prices. For a last-year-model, it doesn't seem like too screamer of a deal. Not bad though.

Yeah, you'll have to swap the crank, and maybe the shop will do that for you at no cost for a similar/slightly lower-end crank.

It may be just the difference with the high-end bikes. Online, the Pilot 2.1 is $1370 MSRP. They put Tiagra brakes on it, so it's not full 105. Fuji has a Roubaix ACR 3.0 with the same substitution for a little bit more, but on a damned good aluminum racing frame. Drop to their slightly more recreational "Newest" frame (probably a great comparison to the 2.1) and you're looking at $1100 for full Tiagra.

It does seem the differences are more broad for higher-end stuff though.

eyezlee

OK. I went ahead and did the deal. They changed the crank and matched like for like with Ultegra SL for zero. To me its even better with the compact on there. Thanks for the replies and advice. I hope to hang out learn a lot and contribute when I can.

Now I need pedals.... I just put some Forte campus pedals on that I've had for a while. Feels like swearing in church with those heavy bits on there.

67vdubya

awesome post a pic of your new ride! congrats ! i get my 4.5 this weekend....

rangerdavid

compact double with 11-28 cassette. also consider what WR said above about buying a bike with relaxed geometry. doesn't mean you wont go fast, you'll just be more comfortable doing so, and more comfortable on longer rides.

ultraman6970

Looks like this link could help somebody...

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/n...723397353.html

If you have 2 grands....

fmcooper

Sounds like you got a decent deal. When I got my 5.2 Pro (late June 2009) they were doing a deal for $3249. I would have thought they would have gone deeper discount wise by now but still not bad. Great bike, though I'm not a huge fan of the paired spokes on the Race Lite wheels. Truing them is a PITA, and they get out of true pretty easily. I just installed a Ultegra 6700 RD so I could use an 11-28 rear cassette, gives me more of a granny gear than the stock 11-25 and gives me more flexibility when switching wheels between bikes.

youcoming

If it was me and I liked the feel and look of the 5.2 I would ask if they would swap out the standard for the double. The shop I deal with does it all the time. This may help in making you decision.