beerob81

I'm in the market for my FIRST road bike. I'm quickly learning the differences in frames, brands, and components and what it means once you get everything meshing well together. My price range started right at 1k but has quickly gone to 1500-2500. Im narrowing the field down on the used options while my local bike shops (good honest people) look to build me something that is a good fit as well.

what I'd like is your opinion between (both '09) Orbea Orca and the Pinarello fp5
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The Orca owner is asking 2700 and ive got him around 2500 possibly 2400 since i have to drive to get it...he said hed do 2100 w/o wheels, which im also considering.
listing description is as follows:
For sale is a 2009 Orbea Orca in a size 57cm. This bike has been absolutely babied and has roughly 1600 miles on it, the frame alone retails for $2999 and is raced by the Basque pro-tour team in races like the TDF. Full Shimano Dura-ace drive-train, (exception of Ultegra FD) ($1100), Mavic Kysirium Premium SLs with Conti GP4000s tries ($1100), FSA SLK compact carbon bars ($250), FSA OS115 stem ($80), FSA k-force light carbon post ($120), Fizik Arione saddle ($100). I will also include the matte carbon Arundel water bottle cages ($55 each), sorry but pedals are not included.

Add everything up and you'll see that this a pro-level race bike and a great deal.

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the pinarello is 2200 completely dura aced out and he may pay for shipping as well since hes about 8hrs away.
listing is as follows: Selling my yellow pinarello road bike because I have gotten into triathlons and have purchased a timetrial bike. Now need to sell this bike to buy carbon wheels and other things for triathlons. The bike is in great working condition. I loved this bike and took very good care of it. It has durace components and chain. I have put carbon E3 ergo handlebars and these things feel great your hand will love you for them. The bike is yellow, white and has a little naked carbon also. The crank, stem and seat post are carbon and are Most brand which is pinarellos house brand. I am 5'8" tall and this bike fits me perfect. Any more questions just emaill me.

Thanks
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Thoughts?

mpath

Do they fit you?

therhodeo

For a first bike I'd go buy a Giant Defy 1 or something similar and ride it till the wheels fall of. $1300 with full 105 on it. Learn what you like and don't like and dial in your fit. Then go out and spend the big bucks on something something you like when you know better what it is that you like.

beerob81

good question...yes they do...I can comfortable ride a 56cm and go up or down the thing about the orca is (from my lbs view) the orcas top rail is a bit longer and might stretch me a bit which could be compensated for with a 0 offset post. i contacted the seller on the pinarello and hes 5'8" but the bike is suited more for a 5:10" person(me) I have long legs and at the local bike shop fit 57cm bikes just as comfortably. so with tweaks and adjustments i should be fine on either bike,..i believe..

NCMTBIKER

whatever fits and feels best is what i'd go with bro...

beerob81

i hear ya, I'm just concerned I may spend 1300 or so and want to upgrade immediately (a month) and be stuck with a bike nobody wants to buy. Same happened when i bought my first motorcycle..bought a 600cc and quickly realized how slow it was once I became more confident in my riding and wanted to jump to a 1000...nobody wants the 600 so i had to ditch it for dirt cheap and take a big loss. I figure somebody elses loss is my gain in this instance because both are upgrading to TT bikes

miyata man

You are not limited to those two bikes. Take the time to find the frame that is going to fit you best. The most honest way to get past your first steps is to buy an old steel ten speed for cheap. I am quite sure that you can find 4 different length stems and a couple sizes of cranks for very cheap as well. You might think you now have a pile of crap that nobody wants. You have a pile of stuff that will allow you to spend the coming weeks riding around with allen wrenches to adjust your position as you grow more experienced. Donate the bike and all of the extra parts and go get your new bike with advance knowledge of some key measurements you need on the bike to be comfortable.

By the point you know all of this you could have a nice saddle and pedals you have been using that will work just as good on the new bike. You may find that you want to keep the old bike for its retro style and durability in inclement weather. There is inevitably a rainy charity ride or sunny winter day in your future.

guadzilla

Why does "2girls1cup" sound vaguely familiar? I am having flashbacks of ******.cs for some reason, but I cannot quite place it.

Edit - wtf? Why is "g-o-a-t-s-e" censored? Ok, I know why but the word itself?

kaimat

Just to get you an idea of what your budget should be, I spent $1500 on my bike (Giant Defy Advanced 3), but I've now spent over $4,000 total (granted I've purchased some top of the line items which may not be necessary--Park Tool repair stand, S-Works Prevail helmet, etc), so the bike alone could likely take up less than half of your total expenses. I'm glad I didn't spend more on a bike right away or I'd have $5,000-$6,000 invested in cycling by now.

Velo Gator

You win most unnecessary pop culture reference in a thread title ever.

miyata man

I ignored the stupid title but after seeing the above comment I am sure that he already has carbon fetish and I wasted my time giving advice.

beerob81

no carbon fetishes here, im totally cool with an aluminum bike...definitely not wanting a steel bike. Im ok with spending a little money to save money in the future. Im definitely not going to buy before i ride and feel what fits me best. I just figured the two were good deals and wanted your opinion...all of which has been noted and is totally valid.

ericm979

Don't move the saddle to correct reach; get a different length stem. Saddle position is relative to the pedals, if you move it forward from the position that is optimum for you, you will be overusing your quads an underutilizing your hamstrings.

This why you should go to a good lbs and get fitted.

iarefred

Any reason why you're against steel? I bought a 5.2 Madone, and when I decided to replace it, I went with steel. My bike weighs in at 20.98 lbs and that's with average components (SRAM Rival etc.). I've spent over $7000 on bike-related purchases in the past two years, and if I had the opportunity to change something, I would have gone to bikesdirect

therhodeo

Thats not the same at all. If you're bike isn't fast enough its not the bikes fault.

therhodeo

You spending too much money on unnecessary toys doesn't equal everyone doing the same.

dspaff088

this.

beerob81

I've been riding my friends older steel bike. It's great and all and I keep up but I'm doing 3x the work to keep up on long rides. Maybe it was a bit misleadeading to say I'm completely new, but I'm definitely new when it cones to saying what I knew about the bikes. A few nights of research and I'm a but more educated. The guy in the orbea came down on his price a bit and met me halfway for the exchange. The bike fits perfect after a friend from the LBS helped me adjust it a bit. The bike flies (comparatively) and climbs like a beast. I'm happy with the purchase and hope to get good use out of it.

eippo1

That's a hell of a deal for the Orbea w/the dura ace (front derailleurs don't count anyway) with those wheels. The wheels new go for 1K alone. I say go for it. Getting a used bike is a great way to get something nice while saving money. Dunno what's up with everyone saying get a crap bike. Nicer bikes tend to hold their value better than the entry level ones if u decide to sell anyway. The Pinarello ain't a bad deal either esp. if those are Ultegra or Dura Ace wheels, but I can't really tell from the pic.

As far as fitting, you know your size and you can tweak the bike to fit you once you get it. I highly recommend getting a fitting to fit the bike to you once you get it.

Debusama

You originally started with a $1000 budget, which is plenty for a beginning rider. I kind of doubt you will notice many of the differences between the 20lb bike with 105 components that you are likely to get for around $1000 as opposed to spending two or three times as much for a used high-end race bike. Even if you are going straight into racing, if you can’t do well in a 4/5 race with a $1000 bike, having Dura-Ace components wouldn’t have helped you much. By the time you’re racing at a level where having a high-end race bike is worth while, those bikes are likely to be a little dated and you’ll end up wanting a new bike with all the latest/greatest anyway

The Defy suggestion good, but most all of the manufactures make similar “fitness” road bikes in the same price range (felt z85, Jamis Ventura etc…) These kinds of bikes are fine for spirited group rides, long weekend rides and entry-level racing. Bike shops will often do some fitting and swap out a stem or seat-post to make it more comfortable for you and do a free tune-up and derailleur adjustments on bikes that came from their shop. If you get really serious about racing, you’ll end up investing in a bike more suited to your specific needs, and your first bike will become a training/back-up bike or you may just be a casual club rider and/or weekend warrior. A $1000 bike is perfectly adequate in either case. I’ve noticed riders showing up to the faster local group and club rides, getting dropped a few times, then showing up with a much more expensive bike and still getting dropped. Mistaking a deficit of fitness and riding skill for inadequate equipment is common. Keep that in mind if you buy an entry-level bike and immediately feel compelled to upgrade.

gazelle5333

I know you said they could fit you to either bike, but that's not the best option in my opinion. Someone who is 5'8" is probably riding a 52 or 54...not a 57. Those are two different sizes by a long shot. Don't buy b/c it looks nice/is a good deal. As someone once said to me, make sure they fit you to the bike and not the bike to you...the fewer adjustments the better

kleinboogie

imo, once you cross the $2K used bike threshold you should verify your fit measurements and the bikes then test ride it. Reason is you can get some nice new bikes for that amount or less. GL

beerob81

the other bike was too small. i went to my LBS first..got fitted to a bike and discussed my options first. explained to them what i was looking at and they helped me out greatly

beerob81

my biggest justification comes from the sheer fact that many of my friends (long time riders) all had buyers remorse when they went with the cheaper bike and quickly noticed that their ability was quickly overshadowed by the bikes ability. Cost became a factor because what they would pay for new components on decent bikes was about just as much as the bike itself...

In the same sense...ive owned brand new cars and used cars..plenty..my former business was a custom car shop. from basic rim installs to full on motor builds I know the benefits to starting out with a basic car (charger r/t which i owned and supercharged 423hp) then i upgraded to a charger srt-8 425 stock...and I bought the SRT used and it was way faster out the gate than the RT supercharged any day and unlike the supercharged car I never had issues with belt slip and timing etc. the SRT was hands down the better deal for less.

I had the extra money to spend on the Orca and I looked at a brand new Specialized Roubaix with ultegra comp. was gonna cost me the same...could have gotten an 11 Fuji with dura ace for 2100$ but I just dont care for the fuji bikes and it was still a 20lbs + bike