Input Requested on Used Bike

[mtsmith439]

Good evening to all.

As some of you know, I am currently shopping around for a new summer bike. On another chain, I received some valuable input on this process - for which I am thankful. I would like to "Go twice to the well" and request more advice, as many of you are far more knowledgeable about bikes than myself. Today I saw the following post on Pinkbike:

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1891905/

This looked like a possibility, so I sent the owner the following message:
***
Good afternoon.

I am interested in your bike.
I live in Victoria, so shipping should be fairly reasonable.

Where did you purchase the bike? Do you still have the original bill of sale?
Is the bike registered with Specialized?
How many KMs are on the bike (approx.)?
Any crashes?
***
The owner responded same day, which I appreciate, with the following:
***
I work at Caps bicycles in Langley and built the bike up there for myself. I can get you a bill of sale if you'd like but there was nothing official through the till. The frame is not registered through specialized, or anyone else.

I unfortunately only ride this bike a handful of times. 300 kms would be exaggerating how much I've ridden this bike. And no not crashes of any sort, no damage of any sort either.

Let me know if you have anymore questions!
***

I still think it looks promising. Nothing in his reply set off my "Spidey Senses". I love the low kms, if accurate. If anything, I think it is priced a tad too high. I'm thinking $2500 range.

Thoughts?

[Bosie]

Hi Mark,
There are a lot more knowledgeable people out there than me on this one, but a couple of things that stand out:

Its a Big frame
Its not a compact and with an 11-23 cassette, hills aint going to be much fun...

Craig

[mtsmith439]

Thanks for the feedback Craig.

Large frame is good. I am 6'4". That has been one of my biggest obstacles. There just isn't that big of a market out there for tall guys that ride nice road bikes.

Good point on the cassette. I didn't catch that. That can be changed though. What would a new cassette run me? I don't think that much.

[wonger]

Hey Mark - that looks like a pretty good package. If it were me, I would negotiate on the price. Anyone who is working in a bike store is not purchasing the bike at retail. No doubt he paid something for it, but can you find a couple of comparables that would give you a sense of whether the pricing is fair or not? I would also make an effort to inspect the bike in person if you can.

As far as a cassette goes, that would run you around $100. Good luck - never a bad idea to get a new bike!

Geoff

[Robgrant]

Hi Mark,

Nice bike; very stealth. With DA you can likely run an 11-28 rear cassette without difficulty. I'd try to make the trip to Aldergrove and ride the bike to see how it fits/ feels/ shifts. As a practical note that there isn't a lot of clearance between the frame and tires (my wife has a smaller SL3). If you normally ride 25's you are fine but not sure there is room for 28's,

Rob

[mtsmith439]

Geoff: Good point on determining fair market value. I plan on cruising around the internet today and finding a few similar bikes.

Rob: Great input on the clearance. I do normally ride 25s, but good to keep in mind.

Rob and Geoff: I would love to check out the bike in person and take it for a test ride but it is the question about time and money. One thought I had was to ask the guy if he (or a friend of his) was planning on coming to the island in the near future, and to bring the bike if he was. He might go for it.

Anyways. Great feedback. Thank you. It's looking pretty positive so far.