New to road biking, looking for advice
 

Hey guys, I'm brand new and just starting. Found this on craigslist. Is it worth picking up?

Giant OCR 2 Road Bike in Mint Condition Great Christmas Gift, 54cm! $475

Its used but probably doesnt have much more then a hundred or so miles on it!

Was just about a grand new!
Bicycle Type Road/sport
Weight Unspecified
Sizes Xsmall, small, medium, large. xlarge
Colors Brushed/Blue
Item ID 24186




Frame & Fork
Frame Construction TIG-welded
Frame Tubing Material ALUXX aluminum
Fork Brand & Model FormulaOne
Fork Material Carbon/alloy steerer, aero crown
Rear Shock Not applicable




Components
Component Group Road Mix
Brakeset Tektro R730 brakes, Shimano Sora levers
Shift Levers Shimano Sora
Front Derailleur Shimano Sora
Rear Derailleur Shimano Tiagra
Crankset FSA Vero, 30/39/50 teeth
Pedals Shimano PD-M505
Bottom Bracket BB-7420
BB Shell Width Unspecified
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 11 - 28 teeth
Chain Shimano HG-73
2008

Size Medium for rider between 5'6" and 5'10"

Mint condition, very few models, 2008 model. Check out below link to the details on what I found on bike pedia. This would make an excellent starter road bike!!

Thanks for checking it out!


Seatpost FSA composite
Saddle Selle Royal Viper
Handlebar 6061 AL Anatomic Bend
Handlebar Extensions Not included
Handlebar Stem 3D Forged Aluminum 31.8
Headset 1 1/8" integrated


Wheels
Hubs Xero XSR-4
Rims Xero XSR-4
Tires 700 x 26c Kenda Kontender
Spoke Brand Xero
Spoke Nipples Unspecified

My first "modern" road bike, which I also found on CL, was that same bike. Mine had been upgraded to full 5600 (Shimano 105 group- two "steps" higher than Sora) except brake calipers. I paid $400 for mine. Sora components are near the bottom of what's acceptable in terms of performance, durability and serviceability.

Only you can decide whether or not this would be a good value for you. Personally, I'd pass and try to find something with a 105/tiagra mix, maybe, for roughly the same asking price. Or offer $400 and see what the seller says....

Good luck.

That bike has two, maybe three seasons on it and the claim is it's nearly mint. If it truely was not used much, then that's not a bad price for that bike. A guideline is a three year old bike at half MSRP is usually a good deal. Half MSRP for that bike is $425. If it's your size and it really is mint condition, it probably is worth the extra $50. See if you can negotiate a better price, but I think that's a fairly good deal, especially with the newer 9 speed SORA group instead of the 8 speed SORA. I'd say go for it.

ignore seller's claims about how many/few miles it has been ridden. take it on a test ride of at least a half hour (and walk if the seller refuses, but offer to leave your ID or something), and inspect all the components yourself. some people can do more damage to a bike in a few hundred miles than someone else does in a few thousand miles if they take care of it properly.

good luck. my last two bikes have been CL acquisitions and both were marvelous deals!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm trying to contact the seller to see if he still has it available.