noobpone

Hi all, I'm a big guy 6'4 245 lbs. I recently wanted to start road biking, current I ride a Trek 3500 hardtail from 2004/2005 and do 15-25 miles most days. I don't have a lot of money to spend(going back to school) so I'm deciding to buy used instead of new. What are your opinions on an older bike with better componnents versus a relatively newer bike with lesser components.

RIght now specifically a 1994 Spec. Allez Comp(steel) full Campagnolo VS 2005 CAAD7 R700 with 105 shifters, front derailer and ultegra crank and rear derailer. The Specialized is $450 and the Dale is $750 or are they comprable for the price difference?

Also would any of these last longer due to the weight stress I would put on the bike from use? I currently have had my aluminum mtb for 6 years and has lasted great even biking in rain and snow in ny.

chewybrian 

It's hard to say if the values are even without knowing what Campy is on the Allez. You say the older bike has 'better' components, but higher end old components may not function as well as decade-newer mid-level components. The 105/Ultegra mix is solid, so if the Cannnondale is in very good shape, it's probably a fair deal. Also, are you comparing brifters to dt shifters? (big difference in price)

I would not expect frame failure on either bike, despite clyde status, though the steel bike might ride a bit softer. You're much more likely to have wheel meltdown, depending on the wheels' mileage and maintenance history. If money is tight now and in the near future, you might consider the cheaper bike to have cash set aside for wheels.

Good luck either way, and don't stress too much. If it functions well and fits, either bike willl be fine, and pay for itself if you ride enough.

noobpone

Thanks for the responce. The specialized does have downtube shifters, while (obviously) the 2004 does not. Also the Cannondale is lightly used.


I am leaning toward the Cannondale.

CPFITNESS

If 750 is within your budget you should consider a new bike from bikes direct. It would give you best of all worlds. There are full ultegra offerings for around 1000 and 105 offerings for around 700 I believe.

chewybrian 

I would lean to the Cannondale as well. The Bikesdirect option is fair to consider, but don't assume "full" ultegra, 105, etc. They have a couple full groups, like the Serpens with all Ultegra for $1300. Even those tend to have cheaper wheels. But most of their bikes have bling brifters and derailleurs, then drop down on cassettes and chains, and fill in with off-brand parts for: brakes, bottom brackets, cranks, etc. And, you're hanging those parts on a cheaper frame, but probably still very functional.

BD tells you exactly what you are getting, so it's up to you to check all the specs. My gut says $750 at BD and $750 for that Cannondale would come out pretty close on all-around value, when you break down all the parts, wheels, frame...

noobpone

Awesome, never heard of bikes direct and have been searching "used bikes" on google for weeks. Oh, and the Specialized Allex Comp his brifters not dt shifters. The guy who is selling it just responded to an email of mine.

Anyway $750 is the MAX I'm willing to spend. That's why I'm considering used. If I had $1200 I'd just get a '10 Trek 2.1

socalrider

I would get the caad 7 due to more current components and those large tubed Cannondal frames are super stiff and should last for a long time.. Make sure to check frame over for dings or dents..

chasm54

As others have said "full campag" sounds nice but which campag?

Personally I'm a sentimentalist and like steel. But there's no reason to suppose that either frame will fail because of your weight, you're not that heavy and frames don't fail much. As for age, a steel frame that is looked after can last a lifetime, so '04, '94, '84 - I wouldn't worry if the condition is OK.

Like chewybrian, if both frames are in good condition I'd seriously consider the cheaper bike with a view to having some spare cash for a wheelset if required?

Wogster

I was wondering about this myself, the Specialized came with Campy Veloce and sold for around $1000 when new. Hard to tell with a 15 year old bike though whether anything has been updated or replaced in that time. I think it's probably worth probably somewhere between $350 and $450, depending on condition, with original paint in good condition, original decals, no rust, clean and ready to ride, $450 isn't far out of range. Some local markets may be a little higher and some a little lower.

The C'dale came with a Shimano road mix, some 105 and a couple of Ultegra pieces, and also sold for $1000 when new. For a 5 year old AL frame bike, with a mix of mid level components, that originally also sold for around $1000, I would think that $750 is on the high side price wise. I think $450 - $550 would be more accurate. A lot of people find that AL frames, for recreational road use, tends to ride too harshly. AL doesn't like to flex, in order to limit this, they tend to build the frames quite stiff. On a MTB this is okay because the suspension and lower pressure tires can compensate quite a bit for it. Road bikes don't have suspensions and tire pressures tend to be much higher, so every imperfection in the road is transmitted to the rider. Steel frames tend to be more springy, a feature they share with Titanium frames, so a lot of road vibration is absorbed by the frame, giving a softer ride. This is why they experimented with CF forks and stays, to try and soften up the ride of AL, it created a lot of technical issues. some of which were corrected, some not.

The rest of this is for the Original Poster.

The big thing though is actual condition, bicycles don't have built in odometers, so you need to know what was on it from the factory and what has been replaced. For example if the original chain is on it and hasn't stretched to replacement then you pretty much know that there is less then 3000 miles on it. If the brake pads are original, then there is probably less then 1500 miles on it. Is the fork original, if it's not, then the question becomes why. Check that the top tube and down tube are straight, use a yard or metre stick on edge, also check that the stem, headtube and fork are straight. If any of these are not straight, then the bike has probably been in a header. Also you want to check the track on the rear wheel, you get a piece of string, tie onto one of the seat stays at the dropout, run it up to the head tube and around to the other dropout, mark the middle of the head tube and the same point on the second dropout. The two sides should be the same length, if not the stays are out of alignment. Check that the rear wheel is exactly centred on the frame and that both wheels are within a few mm of true in both directions.

Another way to check frame alignment, if you can ride no hands, but can't on a specific bike then it's probably bent, the only way to fix a bent AL frame is to replace it, the alloys used in AL frames are heat treated to harden them after they are put together, any bending after that heat treatment, will probably crack the frame. While steel frames can be straightened, I would still pass on a bent frame, it really needs someone with a frame alignment jig, like a frame builder, to do it properly, that can get expensive.

Now look at the wheels, they will need to be tensioned and trued by a proper wheel builder, especially if they have less then 32 spokes. If so far, so good, then you need to ride each bike and see which one speaks to you.

noobpone

I see what you mean. I'm on CL all the time looking for a good deal. Every bike store I go to says I NEED better components than frame. I just found some older cannondale road bike for 500 bucks.

Bascially in making my final decision it comes down to one thing now. As I'm an ex Div. I college swimmer, I'm in good shape and would be riding this bike pretty hard and fast in and around cental park, nyc. While I would take good care of it, I would be abusing(riding hard) this bike and riding around 100-150 miles a week. So would older components keep up with the many hills of the park or bear mountain nj. I don't want to pay the money then have to replace them in a year or two.

chasm54

Older components are not inherently more fragile than newer components. Probably the reverse, as the rush to reduce weight has sometimes reduced lifespan too. The issue is condition, and how much wear is on them. As for the shops telling you you need better components than frame, I disagree. You can replace/upgrade components piece by piece, as they wear out or you can afford better. There's no point, in my view, putting great components on a crappy frame. You know what they say, you can't polish a turd.

And riding a bike hard for 150 miles per week isn't abusing it, that's what it's for.

noobpone

OK, thanks for the imput so far guys. I'm testing out the cannondale tomorrow as the guy dropped the price to $600. From what he tells me the bike is very gently used. Now I just need to see if it fits me. Does anyone have an opinion on this. I'm 6'4 with a swimmers frame, 34" inseam(measured by putting a book inbetween my legs and measuring with a tape measure to the floor). I've been getting a lost of different responces on what to get frame size wise. It's a 60" frame, which I think should fit me well, but a good buddy of mine who races thinks I should be looking at 62" bikes and the shopkeepers think I need a 58" and one a "60. How can I tell if the bike fits me tomorrow. It's the best deal I've seen on Craigslist in months and would hate to pass up a good offer like this.

socalrider

The 60cm should fit just fine.. I normally ride 59-60cm bikes.. I am 6'3 with 34 inch inseam..