Should I consider this dented Mark V?
 

Howdy, I'm a poor college student looking for a bike. I am on the very brink of buying a Jamie Roy from IRO, for like $640 with a brake, then I notice they have a dented Mark V that happens to be what I believe exactly my size for about $370 without brake. - http://www.irocycle.com/scratchdent.html

I believe that dent is pretty much cosmetic, unless I get into a bad crash or something?

I kind of had my heart set on the Jamie Roy but for my financial situation that is almost too great a deal to pass up, I guess in the end I just wanted something good to ride around, whatever it might be (but very strongly inclined towards an IRO.) I suppose I'm trying to decide if it is worth it to pay a bit more for an undamaged bike.

Also through all my searching and reading it sounds like 56cm is right for me, do you all think so? Sizing calculator at Wrench Science says I need about 57-58cm top tube if it's a 100mm stem, and I am 5'8" with just about 31" inseam.

Sorry for the noobness, thanks in advance.

If it will fit you, buy it. That dent's not going to be an issue IMHO.

That looks like a good deal to me. That very small dent is not a structural problem, it's just a question of how much it bothers you to know it is there.

I would be more concerned about the frame fit. 56 sounds about right to me given your height and inseam, but only you can tell for sure what works for you. Perhaps you can test ride some other bikes with comparable sizing and see if it will work for you.

I should take a trip to the shop and try some bikes out with similar dimensions. The dent doesn't really bother me that much.

Remember that Mark V's tend to run a little bigger than usual; the 56cm Mark V is slightly bigger than another 56cm bike. As for the dent, remember that you'll hopefully have the bike for a long time, and that dent might bother you every time you look at the bike. Just something to think about.

I'm almost your exact same height and inseam and I went with the 53cm Mark V although it was a close toss up for me. In the end I decided that I wanted a smaller frame for more tossability while riding on the street. I also went with a longer 110mm stem and I have my seatpost jacked up a fair way, so I'd say that for someone that is our size either the 53 or the 56 would work great. I'd go w/ the dented model and spend the extra bucks on the deluxe wheel upgrade/ having Tony put a brake on the bike for you.

You can't go wrong with an IRO, mine has been a fantastic bike. Don't forget to post up pics of the new steed!

If it fits, do it.

Thats a steal, and a very small looking ding.

The dent shouldn't be an issue. Though I haven't dealt with him myself, Tony at Iro gets rave reviews on products and service around here. Judging from that, my guess would be that he wouldn't even sell it if he thought it was structurally unsound.

plus you'll almost definitely have the only IRO in Grand Forks, North Dakota. You can enjoy it on the 178.12 miles of paved streets.

http://www.grandforksgov.com/gfgov/h...s/Demographics

I am very bored at work.

Whah?

From the IRO website:

Size = 56cm

S/T c-c = 52cm
T/T Length = 55.5cm

Etc.

Sounds like it's the other way 'round to me.

Haha we most certainly have streets, unfortunately the winter brought some wicked potholes and other roughness. We even have a small downtown area! There are bike paths (I only use if it makes my route shorter) but a lot of them are underwater right now. I would be out of here a long time ago but I'm still finishing college. Not terrible place to be, just gets old after five years.

Fun thing is I can do a ride pretty much all the way around the city in like 3 or 4 hours no problem.

First of all, there is always a top tube protector so you don't need to look at it if you don't want to.

Second, I bought my Bianchi off ebay and it had basically the same small dent in the top tube, but i got it for ridiculously cheap so I thought it was a good deal, and well it was. However, now that its stripped and straight chrome the dent is more noticeable, people always ask what happened but I really don't think its much of a problem, no real damage to the ride.

I'd do it up.

Sounds like a good deal. I don't know that I'd buy that from a private party, but if its coming directly from IRO I think the only thing you have to worry about (other than size) is how much the dent bugs you, as has already been said. IRO has great customer service, thats a great price, and I don't think they'd sell you something that was gonna break real soon. Get it, and if it doesn't fit, I'll buy it off you.

Alright y'all I appreciate your input, after thinking about it I am going to go ahead and order it while it is still available (if it is available at all still) and let you know how it turns out.

Good choice. Let us know how it works out for you.

Made the order over the phone (with Tony I'm pretty sure), definitely awesome and very professional. And now the wait. I'll do some pics when it gets here.

Quick side question (and I can ask them too) in what state of assembly do they ship their bikes? I don't really have any special bike type tools with me here, but I could put on wheels and stuff like that, otherwise I'll need a trip to my not-really-fixed-friendly LBS.

its says 'sold' now. did you get it?

-nevermind-

You've gotta put on the front wheel, handlebars, seat/seatpost and pedals.

Hehe yep.

Thanks, cool I can handle that.

They ship their frames fully built up w/ the chain set to the righ length and the bottom bracket/ cranks/ headset installed. The rear wheel on mine was installed as well. You'll need to install the seat and seatpost, as well as the stem and bars and front wheel. That's about it, Tony does a fantastic job packing the bikes so they are least likely to get damaged in shipping.

Yeah, plus it can't hurt to go around and check everything else for tightness. Plus its also not a bad idea to take it in for a tune up to your LBS after a little while, just in case.

true enough.

Yeah that is a good idea.

Funny I almost didn't notice it was a Pro before I ordered it, even better!

It is possible I am mistaken. Unlike my looks, my memory may not be perfect.

The frame sizing is the only thing that bugs me about IRO. Sucks to be tall and in the market for an inexpensive frame.

i rode around on a mark v for about a year with an identical looking dent under the down tube. never had any probs with it