Carbon Unit

A friend of a friend offered to sell me a used Trek. All that I know about it so far is that it is carbon, has an Ultegra 9 speed triple and appears to have a threaded headset with a quill stem. Should I be concerned with the fork, headset and stem?

The price will be in the $600-$700 range.

Here is a photo

It will come with a saddle

rebel1916

I might be a buyer around 5 bills or so...but if he's your boy, it oughta be less than that.

Carbon Unit

You think it is a little over priced for what it is? I haven't really shopped for a used bike in quite a while so I have no idea what a reasonable price is.

TrojanHorse

How old is it?

Is he going to warranty it for you?

Quill stem = old (IMO)

But hey - it's your money. I'm not afraid of old stuff but I don't want to over pay for it either.

a1penguin

It looks like it has been well cared for. Well, it's not dirty and all scratched up. Does it have any upgrades? If the tires are quite new, then that's worth $50 or more. Often times used Craigslist bikes have been sitting around and the tires get dried out and need replacing along with the inner tubes. Find out what year and model it is. Then look on ebay at the completed listings to see what bikes actually sold for. You might take a look on Craigslist in your area to see what similar bikes are out there and what they cost. You can always offer less $$. If it really fits your wife well, it might be worth the extra $100. I really like the color scheme on that bike!

K.Katso

Seems a bit overpriced. I sold an Aluminum-framed, all-105 2008 Orbea last year for $500 on Craigslist.

You should be able to find a better deal than that.

v70cat

What happened to the seat?

jimc101

Would take a close look at the wheels, I had a front one of those, and over time the spokes got a lot of corrosion on them. I eventually scrapped it due to rim wear, but the spokes weren't looking too healthy when I did. Have a slighly newer version with silver spokes now, and have not had the corrosion issues.

Carbon Unit

I found out after I posted the photo that the bike is a 98 and has been in storage since 2005. The bike is all carbon but will have a 1" steer tube so changing out the fork if necessary would be more difficult.

There appears to be no upgrades to the bike. I am thinking of offering $500 but maybe I want to spend a little more and get a bike that is a little more up to date.

Carbon Unit

The seller said that she took it off for some reason but will put it back on the she sells it.

SlimRider

I would never buy a used carbon framed bicycle from a friend of a friend...

rebel1916

Yeah, I think it's overpriced. Which isn't to say that their mightn't be some one with a stiffy for late 90's Lance who wouldn't pay the asking price. But I certainly wouldn't. I think you could get a better bike at the same price or even cheaper for actual riding purposes. That bike is kinda cool for what it is though.

achoo

You got a CF bike, and all you had to give up was your wife?

DropDeadFred

For 500 you could buy a 2011 trek lexa...I just sold my girls for that much and it might have had 500 miles on it

v70cat

That is because you like steel, be real.

Carbon Unit

Instead of a used Trek, I bought my wife a used Calfee Bamboo frame and am going to build it up. When I can get some photos I will post them.

Carbon Unit

OK, here is a photo of the Calfee Bamboo frame that I bought for my wife.

tanguy frame

sweet!

alexaschwanden

awesome.

rjones28 

Nice.