Originally Posted by
Scotty0424
Hi. Looking for some opinions from you experienced folk. I'll be buying a new road bike in spring and am already obsessing with the variety of choices, frame materials, components etc etc. I see a lot of used bikes on places such as eBay, Pro's Closet and the like. Some are 10 years old or more but are made of carbon fiber, have components like Dura Ace or Ultegra. And they're selling for fairly low prices, say $1200. For the same price I see brand new bikes, with aluminum frames, carbon forks and Sora or Tiagra components. My question: Would a person be better off going with a new bike such as these or with a used bike with a superior build and components. That $1200, by the way, plus or minus a bit, is all I want to spend, and I want to stay as light as I can.. Thanks already for your insight.
My general advice is that if you have to ask, you shouldn’t go used. I buy and build a lot of used bikes frames and used components now but it took me a lot of year to be confident enough to do that. I’d suggest buying new for the first few bikes you own until you get a good knowledge of what makes a good bike. mcours2006’s advice is very good.
Originally Posted by
mcours2006
Personally I wouldn't buy a ten-year old bike for $1200. For someone who's new to the sport I'd go to the LBS and spend the $1200 on a decent aluminum that's going to fit me. You might be looking at a 4700 Tiagra or r3000 Sora equipped bike, but that's still very decent. Plus you will have a warranty with it.
The lure of having something 'high end' for a fraction of the cost is tempting for sure, but as someone else on this forum once said, the purpose of your first bike is to find out what you want for you second.
I’d agree that $1200 for 10 year old carbon is too much. But $1200 for a 10 year old titanium bike would be a bargain. I paid $800 for a nearly 20 year old Dean frame and $900 for a 10 year old Moots YBB. I consider both to be amount the best purchases I’ve ever made. If I were into steel...which I’m not...there are steel bikes or even frames that are worth that much.
I do agree that you should go for a new bike if you are new to cycling.