Another Bike question- good used road bike

Since this board seems to have a lot of good technical people who know quite a bit about bikes, got another question.

(and forget my question about suspension on my MT bike- it's a great bike, and I should just recognize it).

My wife and I are getting into running quite a bit, and it has sparked a lot of interest in doing Triathaons.

Of course, we HAVE bikes- my Bianchi Mt bike, and she just got a good hybrid that is perfect for her commute.

But I wonder if it would be worth our while to look into finding a pair of decent road bikes that we can use effectively for triathaons. I know it's very, very unrealistic to think that I need the best of the best to do it, but it does seem like a good road bike is a good investment like a good pair of shoes (which we go through multiples on during training).

So. Any suggestions?

Since I don't really know how the Mrs. is really interested, I do want to concentrate on used bikes. Although, I really have no idea how much a used bike is vs a new one. And a few price ranges would be good- say up to $300, $300-$500, and $500-$1000.

While it was a somewhat tough sell to get her new bike for a mere $320, if I justify the cost vs. the shoes, I think getting something good is possible.

The other question would later be frame size, and if I can put some of the aftermarket parts on the bike so that it fits WELL and we end up in a decent aerodynamic position, but first things first, a road bike.

Thanks.

Inexpensive road bikes have sort of gone the way of the do-do... cheap mtn bikes and hybrids have that market secure... with that in mind, a new one starts around $500 or so... used ones... a bit less... on the plus side, an inexpensive road bike these days is still a pretty damn good bike... much more so than when I bought my first one back in '91...

Bikes for triathalons are surprisingly different than standard road bikes... the geometry of a tri bike is designed to mimic running (uses similar muscle groups) rather than a road bike. As such, they are designed more for speed than comfort.

However... and this is something I get down-right preachy about... fit is EVERYTHING on a road bike. Seriously. Unlike when riding a mtn bike, on a road bike you spend a lot of time in one position with minor variations. Find a good roadie shop and get fitted. If buying a bike from the shop, they'll often do this for free... otherwise you'll need to pay them a few $ for their time. The end result should be a sheet a paper with critical numbers regarding frame size, bottom-bracket to saddle height and saddle-center to bar distance.

Trust me... this investment is worth EVERY freakin' penny... as it's MUCH cheaper than trying out different stems... and even more so than the medical bills if you really get the dimensions wrong and hurt yourself.

There's more to it than can really be gone through here... there are simply too many variables that need to be accounted for in person... your best bet is to find a good roadie shop and explain your wants and needs.

Any shop worth their salt, should fit you to a road bike for free. The reasoning should be that anyone intrested in a road bike and asking to be fitted is a very good candiate for making a purchase. I think I would regard a shop that would have you pay for this service as being a bit snobbish.

Chris Rummel

Well, there are a couple schools of thought on the bike fitting question. If yuo are constantly taking 30 minutes to an hour to fit someone on a bike with the idea that they will buy from you and they then drive across town to save $50 on the bike with out ever giving you the opportunity to match price, at some point you consider charging for bike fitting services. Also, there's different levels of "bike fitting", there's the recreational rider who just has a few questions and the cat 2 racer who wants every single aspect of the bike fit addressed and explained in detail. And no, we don't charge for bike fitting but it has been discussed a lot at the shop.

As for the bike hunt questions, the most important thing is fit and handling. If you are looking at used bikes you may well be able to find the bike with a good fit and one that handles well, has parts that aren't worn out and at a decent price, but the odds are against you. One of the main reasons that used bikes get ignored and sit unridden in the shed is that they don't fit the rider well or are uncomfortable and that's not a good use of your bike budget. You definately need to do some research including riding the bikes and I would suggest having the seller meet you at a local shop of your choosing to have a mechanic look the bike over and give you an estimate on wear items, their condition and cost to replace if necessary. A lot of times a used bike is bought because it seems like a great deal, only to find that it is too big or needs several hundred dollars worth of parts to make it work right. If the seller is willing to consider having a mechanic look at the bike before you commit to buying it, that is a good sign.

New bikes have obvious advantages, they carry the manufacturer's warranty (used bikes do not), they often come with a period of free service from the shop and you will have a much better chance of getting the right fit. There's no need to go with a Tri-specific bike just to be able to ride more competitively in triathlons, an entry level road bike will be fine and much more effecient than a hybrid or mountain bike with slick tires on it.

Flat handlebar road bikes, often called Fitness Bikes, start in the 500 - 600 price range and will be lighter weight and more effecient that hybrids or mountain bikes. Recreational Road Bikes with drop style handlebars will start in the 800 - 1000 price range and will be set up with a riding position that may improve your performance and will have more durable parts on it. Bikes from 1000 - 2000 are Enthusiast Level Bikes Road Bikes and will be lighter weight, faster handling and will again have a step up in durability. You will start to see more carbon fiber in the frames, which will benefit the rider with both better handling and lighter weight. Bikes over 2000 are getting into the competitive category and will generally have all carbon frames and quite a few carbon components on them also. There is certainly no limit to what you can spend on a bike these days. Somewhere in the middle you will find a bike that offers a responsive ride, a comfortable fit and a decent level of components and it will ultimately be a little more than you wanted to spend.

That was long winded, but hopefully helpful.

i don't know what you guys are saying about no cheap used bikes. it may be that i'm a bike ride away from the trek factory, but they are EVERYWHERE for decent prices around here. there's one shop in appleton, WI called 'recyclist' that sells fully serviced used bikes. some of the nicer ones for $300-$400

I didn't see any posts that said there are no cheap used bikes. Maybe I missed something?

yeah... although I learned the hard way that a cheap used bike often ended up costing more than buying a brand new one... especially if you are very picky about parts like I am...

I picked up my Jamis Ventura Elite off Craigslist last year with 125 miles on it for 1/3 off retail. I still need to get it properly fitted to me, as the pain in my left knee after only 21 miles this evening is reminding me. I will agree that a proper fit is probably more important than anything else. My riding buddies have bikes ranging from an all-aluminum Giant entry level "enthusiast" bike to full carbon Trek Madones and Orebas. The guy with the Giant can keep up with the guys on the 5 pound lighter and stiffer carbon bikes - point being it's much more important to just ride the darned thing than to spend 5k on a fancy bike that will collect dust.

I bought my Giant used from a friend. We bought my wife's Cannondale used via ebay. My wife's bike is 3 years old, had less than 500 miles and was 50% off retail, including shipping expense. We had both professionally fitted and I bought a new saddle after logging quite a few miles.

Having said that, I love my local independent bike shop and have bought clothing, a saddle, my Speedplay pedals, tune ups, etc from them.

EDIT: I meant my Scott! I had Giant on the brain after looking at the $14k(!) Giant ECM posted!

Craigslist is going to be your friend and also a double edged sword. I've bought some good jersies off it for real cheap and have seen some real good bike deals but on the other hand, I posted an ad wanting to buy a road bike for cheap and people were emailing me and offering me 20-25 yr old steel frame bikes for way too much money.

Thanks for all of the tips. Lots of good ideas.

I guess, another angle is what kind of parts should I look for to AVOID? For a little while I considered to get my old Raleigh from home, but from a few websites, realized that it's not a great idea- old, heavy, and probably too large to fit me. So I kind of started being worried about what is really not worth bothering about.

Since I need to stop by my local shop, I'll ask them- they are a really good group- their goal is to keep people riding, not 100% selling bikes. So the idea to meet a seller there to have them check it over is a great idea.

I'll stop by there for some ideas that they know are available locally.

E-

Hmm... not sure if there is really anything to "avoid" per se... bearing in mind I ride a '97 Colnago with a hodge-podge of early/mid '90's Campy and Mavic components... and despite being titanimum, the bike weighs a ton (by modern road bike standards)... But I don't race on the road and the bike is comfortable for the long solo rides I like to do.

Going to your LBS for advice is probably the best move you can make right now.

One other thing to consider - my LBS sells used stuff on consignment and occasionally used stuff they've taken in trade, they didn't have anything for me when I bought but perhaps your LBS does the same. Likely more $$ than a straight private purchase but you get the LBS service and mechanical checkout to go along with the purchase.