flyinggecko

Hi all,
Long time viewer but first time poster here. I'm been riding a Trek 7.2FX for several years now and recently decided I want to try out a road bike. I don't want to spend too much money to start and I was thinking that the Trek 1.5 could be a good place to start. I came across a used 2008 Trek 1.5 on Craigslist. I went and looked at it and it looks decent. It does have some scratches here and there and typical sort of wear and tear you'd probably expect. The owner said it has less than 1000 miles on it. How much would be reasonable to offer for such a bike? He is asking $600. Any general opinions on buying a four year old bike vs a new 2012/2013?

ZippyThePinhead

$600 for used Sora & Tiagra, when you could get the same thing new for $50 more doesn't seem like such a hot deal to me. Or if you can go $200 higher, you can get 105 components.

Plus, I'm not a big fan of the wheels that came on the 1.5 in 2008.

seymour1910

Alway haggle on CL purchases. Some people don't seem to understand things depreciate. Some of the CL prices are just crazy. I would offer no more than $400. Can you post a link to the bike?

flyinggecko

Here is the bike:
https://madison.craigslist.org/bik/3414740679.html
I thought $600 sounded like too much, which is why I was curious what others thought it would be worth.

I hadn't really considered these Motobecane bikes you posted the links too. I'll have to look into this more.

seymour1910

I don't know anything about Motobecane frames so I will let others speak on that. This Bike looks good to me, needs new tape and more than likely a tune up. If you do your own wrenching then that helps but you will still put money into it. Do you ride clipless pedals? If so you will need to budget for those as this bike doesn't have any. Did you just look at the bike or did you get to ride it?

flyinggecko

I did ride it briefly but I can't say much being such a novice. It seemed fine. Shifted smoothly, brakes fine, etc.

For comparison, here is another one that I was considering but haven't looked at in person yet:
https://madison.craigslist.org/bik/3371627397.html

It is a year older, but that year the bike came with 105 components and the crankset/pedals have been upgraded to ultegra. Generally looks be be in better condition as well. Any thoughts on the $650 asking price for that?

seymour1910

Looks good, go check it out, if you like it, offer him $500 cash for it. I doubt he will let you walk away with the cash.

clarkbre

The second bike looks like a better deal. One thing to consider is the extras someone is willing to throw in with the bike. I would add up what each of those items costs new and deduct it from the asking price. Then, you have what the bike is actually costing. Kind of hard to explain. HEre's a breakdown of a recent buy for me:

$240 Giant Innova hybrid with accessories.
Accessories:
-$25 Rack
-$40 Rear trunk bag
-$10 3 way allen tool
-$30 Frame bike pump
-$20 floor pump
-$5 water bottle cage

So, after paying $240 total, for me to go out and buy all those accessories would cost me $130 so it was like buying the bike itself for $110.

Just my thoughts.

On the Motobecanes....it's a crap shoot. You can buy high end or low end just like any other brand. I have a base model and really like. I too wanted to get a road bike on the cheap so I paid $50 for the Motobecane sans wheels, tires, and cassette. I bought a nice set of wheels and tires (will transfer to my next road bike), tuned it all up and it rides nice. They are good bikes for the recreational rider but it's hard to know exactly what you're getting without a test ride. For me, part of the enjoyment is the tinkering and adjusting the bike to get it dialed in

My $.02.

seymour1910

Good advice clarkbre...I agree that the second bike looks best...OP...go tomorrow to see it and try to work out a deal that fit's your budget.

MinnMan

The second bike looks like a deal, though the claim of 100 miles is doubtful.

flyinggecko

I ended up going to look at the bike today and decided to make the purchase. I do believe the 100 mile claim is accurate. It looks like brand new!

I ended up paying $650, but the seller included in the price the Selle smp evolution saddle, the Thule trunk rack, Gyro helmet, and a pair of Shimano R099 cycling shoes. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks all for the advice and suggestions!

seymour1910

Congrats on the new bike, I hope you enjoy it. I think with all the extras you got a good deal. Get out there and ride it like you stole it.

Dan333SP

That's a great deal, a trunk rack, a brand new SMP saddle, and good shoes that fit are hard to come by and would be at least $100 each if you were buying new. Are the shifters on that bike 105? Looks like a great ride, and you're lucky he has GP4000 tires on there rather than the crappy worn out cheapo tires I see on most used bikes around here.

Dunbar

Good deal with the included accessories if the shoes fit. You could probably ebay the SMP and get $100-150.

clarkbre

Way to go! That will serve you many thousands of miles of good cycling! Let us know how it goes.

lsberrios1 

Which bike is it? I cant see the post, it has been removed! Post some pics

southern rider

Hey Come back here!!! post some pics! are the shifters 105?

flyinggecko

Everything including the shifters are 105. And then the crankset and pedals were upgraded to Ultegra. I'll post some pictures this evening!

flyinggecko

As promised here are a couple of pictures. Again, it's a 2007 Trek 1500 in essentially brand new condition. I went for my first ride this morning and could no be happier with the purchase!

hunterr41

I was offered $300 for my Trek 1.5 in May 2012. It had more miles but new tires and good operating condition. Offer was from LBS on trade.