Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal?

Jan 17, 18 9:16

Post #1 of 19 (1561 views)

Ran my first 2 tri's last year on a MTB and I'm looking to run a few more tri's this upcoming year, so I've decided to get a more appropriate bike. I've been stalking CL for a couple months now and haven't really found a bike worth purchasing. I've looked/ridden a couple bikes, but all had issues that were deal breakers for me.
I found this a couple days ago...https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...pset/6459204686.html
It's a 2017 Motobecane w/ Tiagra Groupset 3x10 for $350. Seller claims he bought it one year ago and has only ridden it indoors on rollers. In my limited experience, this is the best deal i've come across in my $300-$400 budget for my first road bike.
Looking for opinions on whether I should pursue this or whether the early spring months will generally bring better/comparable deals for used bikes. Thanks in advance.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:01

Post #2 of 19 (1489 views)

how tall are you?

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:04

Post #3 of 19 (1477 views)

5'9"

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:07

Post #4 of 19 (1463 views)

a quick browse through your craigslist shows that there's nothing really super interesting in that price range that's "better" than the motobecane. are you a member of any local facebook groups that are "selling" oriented? each region/city seems to have these so i'm assuming there's one in your neck of the woods. would also be worth looking into that. your listing is nice enough, but i'd guess if you upped your budget to about $500 you could find something that's more of a "name brand" with improved components.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:10

Post #5 of 19 (1451 views)

No personal experience with that frameset, but, assuming the bike fits you, it seems like a pretty decent deal for the specifications, age, and apparent condition.

I can't imagine you couldn't get at least $250 for that bike after a season of riding so it's a pretty low risk proposition to try it.

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:10

Post #6 of 19 (1448 views)

Unfortunately, my budget can't be stretched any further. Thanks for the facebook group idea....I'll check that out.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [gary p] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:13

Post #7 of 19 (1434 views)

Right...that's a good point...I forgot that I'll be able to sell it after I'm ready to move on from it, so like you said, pretty low risk. Thanks.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:13

Post #8 of 19 (1433 views)

What kind of mtb do you have? If you have a nice mtb and your budget for a new bike is $300 to $400, you may be better off investing in a rigid fork and slicks for the mtb. You could even add clips to it.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [ttusomeone] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:23

Post #9 of 19 (1405 views)

ttusomeone wrote:

What kind of mtb do you have? If you have a nice mtb and your budget for a new bike is $300 to $400, you may be better off investing in a rigid fork and slicks for the mtb. You could even add clips to it.

My mtb is a 8yr old walmart Schwinn. It's falling apart. Needless to say, the bike was my worst sport last year. :) Thanks for the suggestion, though!

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:25

Post #10 of 19 (1398 views)

Someone selling a bike in the middle of the winter may need some quick cash, go kick the tires with $250 and you may take it. These are not bad bikes riding wise, just a little heavy, but handle decent and tiagra shifts surprisingly well.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:28

Post #11 of 19 (1382 views)

Yeah then even a few hundred dollar road bike is going to be better than that. :) Good luck on the search. As someone else suggested, if you're on Facebook checkout Online Swap Meet. You'll likely to find a good deal on there.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [ktm520] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:34

Post #12 of 19 (1369 views)

ktm520 wrote:

Someone selling a bike in the middle of the winter may need some quick cash, go kick the tires with $250 and you may take it. These are not bad bikes riding wise, just a little heavy, but handle decent and tiagra shifts surprisingly well.

Thanks...yeah, I think any road bike will be better than the jalopy i was riding last year. :)

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:40

Post #13 of 19 (1356 views)

cnh57811 wrote:

Right...that's a good point...I forgot that I'll be able to sell it after I'm ready to move on from it, so like you said, pretty low risk. Thanks.

Honestly, with a little salesmanship, you might be able to get the full $350 back. The details in that ad, cut and (poorly) pasted from the BikesDirect webpage, are atrocious. On the "name brand" bikes, you don't usually find Tiagra derailleurs and shifters below the $1000 MSRP price point.

Looking at the geometry online, I'd say that, unless you have a body morphology out towards either end of the bell curve, it's pretty likely that at 5'9" you'll be able to find an acceptable fit on that 54cm frame. At worst, you might find you need a different stem to optimize the reach.

"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [gary p] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:55

Post #14 of 19 (1314 views)

gary p wrote:

cnh57811 wrote:

Right...that's a good point...I forgot that I'll be able to sell it after I'm ready to move on from it, so like you said, pretty low risk. Thanks.

Honestly, with a little salesmanship, you might be able to get the full $350 back. The details in that ad, cut and (poorly) pasted from the BikesDirect webpage, are atrocious. On the "name brand" bikes, you don't usually find Tiagra derailleurs and shifters below the $1000 MSRP price point.

Looking at the geometry online, I'd say that, unless you have a body morphology out towards either end of the bell curve, it's pretty likely that at 5'9" you'll be able to find an acceptable fit on that 54cm frame. At worst, you might find you need a different stem to optimize the reach.

Yeah, reading through his c&p'd description is terrible. Thanks for the comments...I think I might pursue this bike purchase. Overall, the comments I'm getting about this deal here and other places are generally positive. Appreciate the help!

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 10:57

Post #15 of 19 (1308 views)

I just had a friend sell his 2005-06? Cervelo P2 SL for $350.00. Mint condition. I would keep looking.

It's a Good life if you don't Weaken!
My Mom 1922-2004

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [IAGLIYDW] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 11:05

Post #16 of 19 (1292 views)

IAGLIYDW wrote:

I just had a friend sell his 2005-06? Cervelo P2 SL for $350.00. Mint condition. I would keep looking.

Like I said, I'm new to bikes, but if all else is equal, does a 12-13 year old premium-brand bike really hold the same value of a one-year old 'online-only brand' bike? Honestly asking...

Last edited by: cnh57811: Jan 17, 18 11:12

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 13:34

Post #17 of 19 (1144 views)

My opinion is, if you can only afford 1 bike, you'd probably be much better off with a road bike rather than a TT bike. A bit more versatile. I sold my 2011 Trek 2.1 with Shimano 105 this past spring for $400 here in California which I paid about 900$ for new. The used bike market here is probably much different than where you are at, given the glut of bikes available. But it's the dead of winter where you are, go in offer $300 up front would be my approach. I hate when Im trying to sell stuff and guys only show up with half the cash and expect me to sell thru pushy tactics. Save your pennies over the next 6-12 months and do a few part upgrades if you are happy with the bike.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [cnh57811] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 15:09

Post #18 of 19 (1086 views)

like a lot of people have replied so far, seems like a fair deal with low risk. My first road bike had Tiagra and it worked really well.

Re: Never bought a used bike before...Is this a decent deal? [bigredrude] [ In reply to ]

Jan 17, 18 16:21

Post #19 of 19 (1011 views)

Thanks all. Seller came down to $300, so I'm going to look at it over the weekend. If the fit seems right, I'll probably make the purchase. Appreciate all the input.

Our Partners

transition-DOT-area-AT-slowtwitch-DOT-com

Advertise with us

©1999-2024 Slowtwitch, Inc., and Slowtwitch.com
Reproduction of material from any Slowtwitch.com page
without written permission is strictly prohibited.