Would you buy a used bike with 8,000 mi. on it?

Bill Henry wrote:

There are very good bikes around from 20 or 30 years ago that have a lot more on themthan that. It depends more on the quality of the frame and condition of the components.


You may be comparing apples to oranges. There weren't many super-light
aluminum frames around 20-30 years ago. Today, some lightweight alu
racing frames are intended as disposables. Get a few seasons out of
them and replace. Some have very short warranty periods on the frames,
which should be an indication of expected life.

I'd be interested in knowing why the racer is selling this bike after
just 8,000 miles.

Art Harris

A number of good points have already been made. I 'll just summarize my
ideas.
Fit, first and formost is this the right size for you. If yes then you
have some thinking to do, if not the problem is solved
Orbea, this is an excellant company with a good record. You will be
getting a very good frame. I don't know what you mean by "ultra light"
but unless there was a crash I see no reason why the frame won't have
many more years of use.


"Racing" bike. Some have commented that racers are not set up for
recreational riding. I think that depends on the rider and preferences.
My own bikes are almost pure racers and as a recreation rider I have no
problems with the geometry, thin tires (23's), or gearing. I do a lot
of climbing and am comfortable running a 39/26 as my smallest gear.
However, if you are going to do alot of 8%+ climbing then a triple
might be in order.
8000 miles is really not much. I ride almost that much per year as a
recreational rider and certainly do not get a new bike every year. In
fact every ten years is more like it!

BTW, I just passed on a ten year old Litespeed w/ the original Campy
Chorus Gruppo to my son. I invested ~$300 in getting the bike fit and
new pedals. I expect her will get at least another several years before
neding to major parts replacements.

"Bill Henry" wrote in message
...
Plin wrote:

A guy in my neighborhood has a nice bike (an aluminum frame
Orbea) he
wants to get rid of. He's a racer and has logged on about 8k
miles on
it. The bike's only two years old.

Ask him how many chains he has got through. If it's less than four,
then the bike has probably been poorly maintained, or not maintained
at all. it will certainly need the back cassette replaced, and maybe
the front cogs as well.

Jeremy Parker

Thanks for all of the excellent advice, everyone.

All things considered, I think I'll offer up to $800 for this bike. If
he doesn't go for it, I'll get a new bike.
One good point was that a bike of this caliber would probably inspire
me to ride faster and more often, which is good. After all, it would be
silly to cruise along at 12 mph on it Who knows, I might start doing
club rides and centuries if I get more into biking.

It's never been crashed and the geometry is fine. It's a mid-level
Orbea, so the geometry isn't as aggressive as the upper models.

Orbea frames have a lifetime warranty (albeit non-transferable), so
apparently they're built to last.

Jeremy Parker wrote:

Ask him how many chains he has got through. If it's less than four,
then the bike has probably been poorly maintained, or not maintained
at all. it will certainly need the back cassette replaced, and maybe
the front cogs as well.


Just wondering why you say this. Are you suggesting that chains are
only good for less than 2000 miles? That certainly has not been my
experience with road bikes. Wouldn't a bike that was very well
maintained get longer and not shorter chain life (and other parts as
well)?

"Plin" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks for all of the excellent advice, everyone.

All things considered, I think I'll offer up to $800 for this bike. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In line with what an earlier poster said: If you lease it from him, rather
than buying it, that should keep the lifetime warranty going.

BTW, if you're going to start by offering him less than $800, you'd better
hope that he doesn't follow this newsgroup.

Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Plin" wrote in message
oups.com...

Thanks for all of the excellent advice, everyone.

All things considered, I think I'll offer up to $800 for this bike. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In line with what an earlier poster said: If you lease it from him, rather
than buying it, that should keep the lifetime warranty going.

BTW, if you're going to start by offering him less than $800, you'd better
hope that he doesn't follow this newsgroup.



He does.

On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 18:29:46 -0400, Joe Canuck
wrote:

Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Plin" wrote in message
oups.com...

Thanks for all of the excellent advice, everyone.

All things considered, I think I'll offer up to $800 for this bike. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In line with what an earlier poster said: If you lease it from him, rather
than buying it, that should keep the lifetime warranty going.

BTW, if you're going to start by offering him less than $800, you'd better
hope that he doesn't follow this newsgroup.



He does.

So then, what's the skinny? Why so few miles in 2 years for a pro rider?
Two primary bikes? How often did you crash out? Why are you selling a bike
with only 8k miles on it?

jj

On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 19:32:37 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 18:29:46 -0400, Joe Canuck
wrote:

Leo Lichtman wrote:

"Plin" wrote in message
oups.com...

Thanks for all of the excellent advice, everyone.

All things considered, I think I'll offer up to $800 for this bike. (clip)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In line with what an earlier poster said: If you lease it from him, rather
than buying it, that should keep the lifetime warranty going.

BTW, if you're going to start by offering him less than $800, you'd better
hope that he doesn't follow this newsgroup.



He does.

So then, what's the skinny? Why so few miles in 2 years for a pro rider?
Two primary bikes? How often did you crash out? Why are you selling a bike
with only 8k miles on it?

jj

The OP said the guy was a racer, no mention about being a pro. Anyway,
a pro has people to maintain a number of bikes, not just one. Odds
are, that the seller owns more than one bike. We will have to wait and
see if the real story gets posted.


Life is Good!
Jeff