Author Topic: is this road bike a good deal?  (Read 5360 times)

Fuzz

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is this road bike a good deal?
« on: April 02, 2013, 09:03:49 PM »
Hey forum! Hoping to harness the power of the MMM crew to evaluate a used bike.

http://classifieds.jacksonholeradio.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=32222&query=retrieval

For a $600 bike used, I'd hope to get a lot of bike. I'm not sure if I want something that performance oriented, though.  I kind of beat on bikes, which is why I got the single speed mountain bike for my daily 1 mile commute. But my gf likes to go on 40 mile rides through the nearby national park. Some day I may even aim for a century or a multi-day ride. Just curious if you the MMM community thought it was worth the dough.

(I think 58cm is probably okay for me. I have a 31 inch inseam. I had a 59cm that was too big. I guess whether it fits sort of depends on how adjustable things are). I can't tell if the components are upgrades. MSRP is $925.

Is this durable? I'd be happy buying a cheaper bike, but I'm not sure whether that's realistic. Most used bikes seem to clump around 2 price points: $150 for 25 year old steel road bike (my last bike) or $500+ for something performance oriented (my next bike??).

Thanks,


superheropunk

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 08:44:11 AM »
My 2 cents: I don't think it is discounted enough.

halcyonmind

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 09:15:20 AM »
It is a decent bike, depending on how abused the bike has been.  This is likely a 2006 (given paint and component set; see http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2006&Brand=Jamis&Model=Ventura+Comp&Type=bike#.UVxEwJPvukE).  It comes with pedals, which is helpful-- though only if you are using or are planning to use Shimano SPD for your clipless system.  Wheels are not stock, but they are equivalent replacements.  Jamis has a good reputation overall.

For signs of abuse, always look across the spectrum of severity: scraping on the brake levers (sign the bike has been dumped on pavement... even low speed crashes will leave scars), signs of derailleur bending (look particularly at the small wheels in the chainline on the rear derailleur), and cracks (even micro ones) in any carbon components.  Scraping is minor but good to know; cracks in carbon (at this price point) mean you should walk away.

TheDude

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 09:24:26 AM »
I wouldn't call it a particular good deal, although its not a particular bad deal either. MSRP on it was $975 and it seems like people on ebay are asking about 750. There are some bikes like Motobacane that you could get with Tiagra cheaper but more top tier manufactures would probably be more expensive like 800-1000. I think if it fits and you could talk him down to $550 it would be an ok buy.

One thing to remember about road bikes is that the bottom price is not as low as mountain/hybrid bikes. In a bike shop the cheapest road bike is probably $750 where as the cheapest mountain would be $300

MtnGal

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 10:48:29 AM »
I think you could get it a bit less. And I'd check the fit as well. I have a slightly longer inseam and ride a shorter road bike. Most bike shops will at least give you an inseam fit measurement for free.

Russ

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 12:13:40 PM »
My 2 cents: I don't think it is discounted enough.

+1

On one hand, if I were selling the bike I'd try and get about this much. But as a buyer, I'd look for something around $450 for a bike in this range of niceness in good condition (ideally, but would probably end up paying a little more for convenience). It's either up to you to negotiate it down or find a seller who undervalues their bike.

Don't discount the old steel bikes too much. They run the range from absolute dumps to well-maintained racing machines. One of my friends picked a nicer one up for $250 or so and it rides like a dream. You can probably find one for $250-300 if you keep looking.

dizzean

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 12:52:39 PM »
If it fits and you will ride it, I think it's worth probably $500 or $550 but even at $600 assuming it's in good condition it might be worth it!

Tiagra is a really good group set!

Fuzz

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 06:28:28 PM »
Thanks everybody! I figure craigslist-like advertising is always an invitation to bargain and this information will help me negotiate. I'll definitely check the fit.

I appreciate it.

capital

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Re: is this road bike a good deal?
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2013, 08:48:41 AM »
Hey forum! Hoping to harness the power of the MMM crew to evaluate a used bike.

http://classifieds.jacksonholeradio.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi?session_key=&search_and_display_db_button=on&db_id=32222&query=retrieval

For a $600 bike used, I'd hope to get a lot of bike. I'm not sure if I want something that performance oriented, though.  I kind of beat on bikes, which is why I got the single speed mountain bike for my daily 1 mile commute. But my gf likes to go on 40 mile rides through the nearby national park. Some day I may even aim for a century or a multi-day ride. Just curious if you the MMM community thought it was worth the dough.

(I think 58cm is probably okay for me. I have a 31 inch inseam. I had a 59cm that was too big. I guess whether it fits sort of depends on how adjustable things are). I can't tell if the components are upgrades. MSRP is $925.

Is this durable? I'd be happy buying a cheaper bike, but I'm not sure whether that's realistic. Most used bikes seem to clump around 2 price points: $150 for 25 year old steel road bike (my last bike) or $500+ for something performance oriented (my next bike??).

Thanks,
Do you want a racing-oriented road bike? It's harder to install racks, wide tires, fenders, and other things that make bikes more useful for day-to-day life on one.