Sval

Hi everyone i have been reading the forums for a long time but first time poster, i wanted to aska question...

I love cycling, i do mostly long routes (no races yet) and Oly Tris and some 70.3s. Right now i have a felt z85 which has been great for me, but after a couple of years i want a more agresive bike to better my times and become more competitive as i ride more and more.

I fell in love with Pinarello but wanted to make sure of something, my LBS has a Pinarello Razha (105) and a FTTeam (Ultegra, 6700 i belive).

I told this guy that the rahza frame was a step LOWER than the Razha, because the FP TEAM is a 30HM Carbon vs the Razha 24HM, from what i am reading this has to be a PF TEAM 2012 model since its the only one with Ultegra and a 30 hm carbon.

The prices for both bikes are:
Rahza $2,500
FP Team $2,850

I will get a sizing and a fitting to see which bike is best for me, but do you think its worth it buying a 2 year old model? will the life of the bike be shorter?

And this is asuming they agree its a 2012 because the seller said it was 2013, i have a meeting with the owner on monday to talk to him about both bikes, getting the prefitting, sizing and making a desition.

What do you guys think?

Sorry for the long post.Thanks for anyadvice you could give me!! Im a little lost and these guys are the only dealer here in Mexico.

Zero7

There's no inherent mechanical / longevity issue with a couple year old model, unless a particular model is know for a problem. Make sure you're getting a great deal tho.

Cheers

wheelreason

Dude, you are in Mexico, you have to go with La Rahza.

Sval

Hahaha, im asuming thats because there are a lot of hills down here and La Raza! has compact gears? Haha

Do you think either if them are better than the other? the sales guy was very pushy towards the 2012 FP Team, arguing that it was a btter fit for my geometry (he didnt event measure my height!) but im thinking thats because its a leftover, since i dont trust him anymore I going to speak to the fit guy /owner on monday but i want to be as informed as i can when i go tomorrow.

Sval

It does sound better!

Sval

Hi! I went to the store today and they showed me a bike i loved!! i discarded the FP Team since it wont work as well for climbing...

They showed a Merida Scultura 905 (Ultegra + 11 speed compact 50/34), it fits really well, and its cheaper!! so it leaves some money for other goodies maybe!! Its $2,160

What do you guys think? HAs anyone had experience with Merida Bikes?

Thank you very much!

kleng

I like the 905 in Team Lampre colors

Road - Race - Scultura Cf 905 - Merida Bikes Australia

Merida is a great value for money brand, very much like Giant, with excellent component packaging and great prices. They have been around for about 30 years, so quality of the frameset is very high.

Here is a review of the 905, Test Lab: Merida Scultura 905 Team Lampre Edition | Bicycling Australia