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Old 08-18-08, 04:33 PM
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Pinyon
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If you are going to buy a used bike, then I would go with Ebay or Craigslist. I just can't see paying the LBS markup on a used bike like that. The frame warranty is void on used bikes anyway. Why spend more?

I also liked the OCR series of bikes. It was close between the OCR1 and the Specialized Allez Elite for me this last spring. I ended up getting the Specialized, mostly because that bike shop has a stellar reputation.

Be careful getting an old aluminum-framed 12-speed bike. That era of wheel rims come out of true something terrible (clydes almost always have to replace them with tougher rims), and the back end only accepts 126 mm wide hubs and freewheels (no cassettes, or modern 130 mm wide hub parts). So you are stuck having to shop for "vintage" or compliant parts in the future. This is especially true for just about anything that you need to replace on the drivetrain, besides the front cogs and chain. As things wear out over time, it can get expensive very quickly. I have an old Trek from that era, and still love it, but the parts just became too expensive for me to use it for everyday riding anymore.

Good luck test riding those bikes! Pick out what feels good.

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