The word light and $2000 won't be very light . The size may help .

Yeah, I get that. But that's my budget. I may have to go used. I'm about a 52-53.

I would just go used carbon fiber. Get a good frame that fits. You can upgrade components as they wear.

If I understand right with carbon fiber, though, it's really hard to tell what kind of structural damage it might have, right?

I have bought a bunch of used carbon bikes. It’s buyer be ware for sure, but....

I buy bikes from people I have been either able to meet physically or can research them well enough to feel comfortable.

When buying I try my best to use PayPal and pay the fees just in case I don’t get shipped what was promised.

I inspect and do a coin tap on areas where I see paint chips. This isn’t fool proof but works for gross defects. You basically tap areas with the edge of a quarter that you believe are good then tap the area you are concerned about. If they sound the same then you should be good. If it is a dull sound it is likely damaged. Choose and area that is a similarly sized tube (acoustics will differ between tube diameters).

I have asked if I can take to a shop. If someone refuses then I pass. If no issue then sometimes I will and sometimes I won’t.

ST classified forums are good. I have bought Craig’s List and Facebook marketplace as well.

I look at pros closet allot and pink bike, but have never bought. If I was conservative I would probably go with pros closet.

You can check the value of the used bike on bicycle blue book. It will help with a private transaction. Everyone wants to think there bike is worth what they paid for it. BBB helps let them down easy.

Good luck!

No idea what the lightest would be but the Cannondale CAAD that you can afford would be a good bench mark to start comparing with.

If I was going to spend a lot of time in hills I'd think about a disc but you'd probably get the rim equivalent lighter.

In practice I get the feeling a lot of people are searching for their ideal bike then finding it isn't in stock. So might be easier just to see what you can get and choose from that.

A lot of good info here. Thanks!!

From what I'm seeing so far too, that does seem like a good place to start.

happy with rim brakes I'm assuming? swift carbons cheapest ultravox with 105 at 7.94kg for $2299 from what I can see, could look at other smaller brands, lots of UK brands have cheaper bikes in that kinda price range that aren't too heavy, just depends what it would cost you to import. I'd normally say canyon or giant but yet again their US options are really limited compared to UK (or what canyon used to be in the UK when they still shipped here...). try looking at places like pros closet maybe?

It does seem that the UK has a lot better selection than here in the States for some reason! And thanks, yeah, I'm seeing some pretty good prospects on Pros Closet.

Emonda ALR. The frame is the same weight as the old Emonda SL frame (very light) and come in lots of part builds.

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I have opinions.

Echo that! CAAD is my first thought. Fine lightweight frame suitable for all road riding. Very, very reluctant to but used carbon anything unless it's from someone I know.

I have bought a couple of used Giant frames in the past for good prices - they tend to overbuild their frames and it's hard to damage them. Bought a stevens cx frame that cracked under the top tube after a season - was a relatively easy fix but the frame was simply underbuilt and cracked along a seam.

There is actually one on Pros Closet right now for $1700 that I'm looking at

https://www.theproscloset.com/...oad-bike-2019-52cm-1

Argon 18 Gallium CS Ultegra on merlin cycles is just over $2000, and seems to be pretty light (a different ultegra/duraace mix was 7.3kg claimed weight)... if that's any help. I should add however that I ride a 7.8kg specialized tarmac (without pedals or bottle cages) and it climbs better than anything I've ever experienced, simply due to how reactive the frame is and nice it is to ride. It makes hills seem like fun, as you feel everything that you put in you 100% get back. If you can get a tarmac SL6 second hand you're on to a winner in my opinion.

Giant Advanced 2 KOM goes for $2050 new and is a great carbon bike. Has Shimano 105 and weighs about 16.5 lbs. Definitely a great deal (if you can find one).

Just to throw a spanner in the works, but as I understand it:

-lightweight aluminium isn't necessarily more robust than carbon, especially when frames are a similar weight. Caad is light because walls are thin.
-aluminium has a shelf life and can become brittle.
-carbon can be repaired, aluminium can't.

You could argue the case for aluminium being more robust only applies to the frames that weigh more. Bikes like the caad pushed the weight boundaries as a cheaper alternative to carbon. Having had a Caad12 it didn't feel like it would've taken a hit anymore than carbon frames I've owned.

A giant TCR advanced would be light and robust. Not the most exciting but a solid workhorse that does everything well.

I wouldn't rule out a used carbon frame (maybe not one from a lower cat amateur racer mind), but I also wouldn't automatically assume a lightweight aluminium is safer.

I've got a specialized Allez I am going to post on ebay soon. It's a 54. Has 10s Ultegra on it.

I used it sparingly as I mostly rode my tri bike.

PM me if you are interested. I'm going to list it for under 1k. It's light and snappy. Probably a good fit for you. I have wheels to add if interested (aero).

The CAAD is a great choice. Most of the extra weight you have by going with a cheaper bike will come from the reduced cost of the components and their added weight. The frameset difference will be relatively small, particularly if you go with something as proven as the CAAD.

On the list of things that determines which frameset you choose, how well you think it will stand up to being hit in some weird way should be relatively low on the list. Pick a nice, reasonably lightweight frame, and then focus on the components. You can always incrementally make it lighter by slowly improving the components.

What's the intended use of this bike?

If I were you, an used rim-brake 1st gen Scott Foil. A tad stiff, but a really light bike. This one here, without pedals but with a really heavy crank (~890 g) and a pair of wheels, is 15 lb 2 oz (6.9 kg) and a tad over $2k at theproscloset. You could probably buy something comparable for $1,500 from a private seller. Add Ultegra carbon pedals (260 g) and swap for a lighter crank, and that adds only 50 g at most. You could go lighter with tubular, but unless you are road racing, it's just not worth it.

An aluminum frame is typically 200-300g heavier than equivalent carbon.

Aluminum frames don't become brittle or fatigue.

As long as the frame comes from a reputable manufacturer it's very rare for a frame to fail, which would be at the welds or a high stress point where the tubing is too thin.

Any damage from crashing should be obvious.

Damage from crashing on carbon can be very hard to detect, as well as manufacturing defects and many extra failure modes such as debonding of inserts are common.

Yes, you cant really repair aluminum whereas most carbon tubes can be repaired.

I played around with this a few years ago, though I tried to get a uci illegal bike (6.8 kg) for the lowest possible price.

Off brand or used frame set. Make sure you know it’s light, so either a quoted weight by the seller or known quantity (ie caad, etc). Don’t forget a fork can get heavy, so don’t ignore it. Rim brakes.

SRAM has traditionally had the lightest group sets, so whatever can be found in budget (probably a mix of rival and force).

Aluminum handlebars and stem. Stems vary greatly in weight for seemingly no reason, so be choosey. Single bolt seat post, probably. Whatever saddle is comfortable (don’t save weight on your ass).

Knockoff hubs (ie bikehubstore), single butted wheel smith spokes, kinlin rims. Carbon rims could be lighter but hard to find cheap and reliable enough for a budget bike. Latex tubes. The thinnest tires you can ride without flatting.

In non COVID days it would be easy to get under 15 lbs without spending 2k, but prices were different in 2020.

I've bought several bikes off of eBay with no issues. Buy from a seller with 100% feedback who is obviously a rider/racer and who fastidiously documents the condition of the bike.

I got a BMC SLR02 Team Machine full carbon with Ultegra Di2 (and a lot of lightweight upgrades: ENVE seatpost, Arione carbon saddle, Dura Ace cassette, etc.) for under $1,800. Guy raced it for two seasons and was upgrading.

Also, remember that there are lots of places besides the frame to save weight cost effectively:

-Latex tubes and high quality tires (ex. GP5000)
-20g carbon bottle cages (amazon/ebay) and alloy bolts
-100g stems (UNO, $25 on eBay) save 50g+ over stock
-Giro Empire laceups are 100g/pair lighter than most BOA shoes.
-Lightweight jerseys (ex. Castelli climber's jersey) can easily be 50-75g less than a standard jersey.

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I have a 2002 CAAD5 I bought second hand in 2010 as my zwift bike now. Has been named lazerus by the bike club as thing just won't die. Been in a couple of bunch crashes, a couple of significant mechanical failures. But frame is still fine.

I swapped to a Carbon synapse a couple of years ago, and on that, despite being a 'big guy' (6'4" and 86-89kg) then I am either first or second up all the hills for the group saturday centuries.

I know bike frame weight will make more of a difference for you, but honestly, the wheels and the right chainset will make the climbing much more enjoyable. I went to a mid compact on the synapse and that revolutionised my climbing. My FTP is 310-320 depending on the season, so not that high but I have a really flat fatigue curve. And the ability to climb seated and spin up almost all the climbs is fantastic.

And you don't need to spend big money on the wheels either. Even some old zipp 101s (alloy) would be fantastic and should be cheap to pick up.

I agree with most of what people wrote here.
I would look for used "frankenbikes" on the net. But you have to be infomred on what's good, and works well together.
For example very good used frames like Cannondale SS EVO or Scott Addict for starters.
https://www.ebay.com/...f:g:xWIAAOSwAu5f2HEO
SRam 10S Force or Red will be lightest group. Rotor or Hollowgram crankset.
A used Sram group + wheels on asian generic frame is also an option.

For example: I built a 6.8 kg "donkey" bike last fall for my daughter ( size 48 though) . Brand new Jamis Icon Elite frameset on Ebay for US$349. A used Sram Red group for CAN$400. I had a Rotor 3D crankset in the parts bin (that helps :-) !). 5 year old carbon tubular wheels and voilà !!

Louis :-)