I’m after a new road bike and not sure what to get really. I do triathlon, so have a TT bike, but use a roadie a fair bit (mine was stolen). I ride shop rides and will also use it for some crits and bike races. Nothing too serious and I only have $2k to spend. There seem to be a few bikes in my price bracket that are 7, 8 years old that were top of the range back in their day or would I be better off going for something new? Some examples:
I would recommend getting a new bike or buying a used bike that’s 1-2 years old. There’s plenty of bikes in the 1500-2500 dollar range that will win you virtually any race you could want to compete in. The Giant TCR advanced is a good example of a bike that will out perform 99% of riders.
Just look around for bikes with carbon frames, and 11 speed shimano 105. You’d be surprised at how many new bikes like this are available.
My #1 requirement for a road bike these days is tire clearance for a 25 mm Conti mounted on a wide internal rim. Bonus if it can handle a 28 mm Conti on a wide internal rim.
I rode a 2010 CAAD10 for many years. Served me very well and won races on it. Moved to a 2018 R5 last year and while going to 11 speed was nice, and carbon is nice and snappy, the thing I love the most is being able to run wider tires under 80 psi. We have some crap roads out here and it’s a game changer.
I would be a bit reticent about the Focus. Nothing wrong with the bike. The 10sp di2 isn’t compatible with other di2, so I suspect replacement parts will be difficult to get if you need them.