[bike] found something on craigslist, does it look like a good option?

[clay]

looks like a decent bike for my needs based on earlier discussions: http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1,1159807

http://harrisonburg.craigslist.org/bik/2408354723.html (I've emailed, and the seller responded quickly that it's still available)

1. Based on what I'm seeing, it looks like a decent road bike. But I don't have any experience with Felt bikes. What say ye?

2. Does the price strike you as fair, a bit optimistic (from seller's perspective), or a steal (from buyer's perspective)? I'd probably try and get it for closer to $500 as it seems like (from his verbage) that he's willing to come down on price. Not to mention that if i were to purchase a used bike, I'd probably want to get my local shop to make adjustments and just give it a once-over, which is bound to cost a couple of bucks.

3. Obviously, I will do a test ride if the consensus here seems like it's worth a look (it's located about a half mile away), and I may try to swing by my local bike shop to see if they would do a pre-purchase inspection for me.

I did stop by the local bike shop to look at some of their offerings. The two that seem to be closest to my needs and price range are the Trek 1.2 at $880 and the Trek 1.5 at $1050. The 1.2 seems adequate for my needs, and the salesman recommended that as well. I'm maybe willing to spend $880 for a bike, but if I can get the used one in question for closer to $500, I'd be much more ready to shell out the cash. I did some looking on ebay, and there don't seem to be that many 1.2's or 1.5's up for sale. Not sure if that's good or bad.

thoughts?

[jdc]

Felt makes quality stuff, and Ultegra is a few steps up the food chain component wise.

Are you 100% sure that a 56 cm frame is your size?

Is there a good bike shop you can just browse and have the sales guy at least say "you could fit a 56 cm frame easy"

I think 56 cm is too small...

[Buzz]

Decent components, but it is an aluminum frame, three year old, slightly crashed aluminum frame. 500 real miles, or 500 stated miles? Triathlon trainer and campus rider, really riding less than 20 miles a month? Check the math. If it's in seriously great shape the $500 is reasonable, but aluminum will eventually go dead on you, and the frame will lose responsiveness. Caveat emptor. Taking it for that pre-purchase inspection is good idea, and perhaps demo a known to be responsive bike from the bike shop during the same outing so you have a fresh comparison. Good luck.

///

[davester]

Looks like a decent bike, but I'm very prejudiced against aluminum bikes. I don't see the point. They are overly stiff and uncomfortable and aluminum simply wears out over time. There is no advantage over high quality steel and significant disadvantages. I understand that they mitigate the stiffness by putting in carbon forks and other parts, but then you've got a delicate prone to failure piece in the most hazardous location (the fork blades). I just don't understand why so many makers use aluminum.

[Black]

I could swear we established in the previous thread that you're 5'10" with longer legs/shorter torso. If so, a 56 is going to be too big for you.

[mattkime]

the bike is a good deal but you want to be certain about fit. its like shoes - the wrong size for a nickel still isn't a good deal. i bought new to get fit and i'm glad i did.

[Black]

OOPS-- those were mattkime's proportions . . .

[Black]

Anyways . . . Aluminum has no soul. Also-- it has a way of failing unpredictably, so there's no way to know exactly what impact the crash may have had. Cool of the seller to mention it up front . . .
I'd consider the bike in question to be a "tri-bike.' The stiffness of Aluminum is advantageous for short runs where speed is important but it's not the bike you want to spend the better part of a day on.

[clay]

thanks for the input, folks. Might be good to just skip this one, due to all of the unknowns.

Now, in reviewing specs for the Trek 1.2, that frame is aluminum as well. I assume the same caveats apply there as well. So, if I need to look for something with a steel frame, any recommendations?

Trek has the 520 touring bike:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/touring/520

The Surly Long Haul Trucker is one that some friends used on a cross-country trip and really liked:
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

The Surly doesn't list pricing, but I assume $1,000+. The trek retails for just under $1,500. Do i really need to spend that much for a decent bike? My $750-ish budget is quickly feeling inadequate.

[Black]

Slim pickens in your local Craigslist . . . what are nearby towns to expand your search to?
I consider paying new stuff prices to be a failure . . .