I am just starting to look for a starter bike. The bike would be used on the weekends and I hope to build up to doing 50 + miles on w/e) I have been watching Craigslist for a few days and found a couple of interesting bikes.

The one bike is a Trek Carbon 2200 - My searching indicates it is mid 90's, but it is certainly in my budget. Would it be worth getting as a first bike and how much would a LBS charge to replace the front derailleur?

"THIS IS A VERY NICE TREK CARBON ROAD BICYCLE. THIS IS A VERY GOOD RIDING BIKE BUT IT DOES NEED A NEW FRONT DERAILLEUR. THIS BIKE IS VERY LIGHTWEIGHT AND EASY TO LOAD AND UNLOAD IF YOU NEED TO HAUL IT. THIS BICYCLE CAN BE RIDDEN THE WAY IT IS NOW BUT YOU CANT SHIFT THRU ALL THE GEARS DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT NEEDS A NEW DERAILLEUR. "

I have reached out to the owner to determine the frame size, but have not heard back yet.

Its worth getting if thw price works and it fits. Ypu dont know/mwntion either.

90s carbon- look at it carefully and make sure nothing is chipped or cracking.
Make sure all the components work as they should, except the obvious derailleur.

A new front derailleur is $10-50 depending on what type you need. If the shop sells it and installs it, id plan on $50.
Parts add up fast so have a max budget and decide if the bike plus any repairs or updates exceeds the budget.

The most important thing to consider when buying any bike is — is it the correct size. If it doesn't fit you won't like it and may not ride it very much.
If you're not sure what size bike you need stop by a local bike shop and sk for help determining your correct size. While you're there why not look at their offerings in entry level road bikes? You may be pleasantly surprised.

That is a good point, though I don't think it's that big a deal...assuming OP is at least a little mechanically inclined and has a decent torque wrench.

Thank you for the advice! Still waiting for seller to respond.

I found a bike on craigslist that I really liked and was completely in my budget. It is a windsor knight, originally from Bikes Direct. The seller is a bike mechanic from a lbs and when over the whole bike and even spent some time with me demonstrating shifting and other features. It seems people either lover or hate BD, but after a couple of test rides, I couldn't be happier with my purchase. Most of the named brands checked out were out of my budget, wrong size and all were old and needed some repairs. This one is ride ready.

Thanks for the advice.

Okay ... you have six more posts until you can post pics ... so send us more details about the bike. By the time you have done that answered a couple questions we will actually be able t see the thing.

Thanks Maelochs, Ill post a pic when I can. The bike is a 2012 Windsor Knight with Ultegra 6700 shifters and derailleurs, 105 chain and cassette, a TruVative triple crank and BB, and Vuelta wheels, Knight Windsor 6061 Aluminum frame, carbon fork. I’ll post pictures, but it was hard to find something with similar specs in my price range. It was nice that the seller could help me set it up too. I would have had to take another bike to a LBS.

I had a chance to try it this yesterday and went for my first real ride. I ended up going about 15 miles, I was really just experimenting with shifting and control. Very comfortable ride. I will probably do the same route again this weekend, but I'll try to work on technique, skill and increase my speed a bit (averaged 13mph) . Cycling is new to me,I probably haven't been on a bike in 15 + years. I have been training a bit on a stationary bike with videos and I plan to continue.

I am sure I will want to upgrade some components as I learn more about cycling.