Do I Buy It Or Not?

[ErinRD]

I'm converting from Mountain biking to road biking, and know very little about road bikes. I wanted to try to find a used road bike, in good condition to make sure road biking is something I LOVE before putting a higher investment into it. I found the following bike on Craig's List:

Like new 48cm Orbea Women's Dama road bike. Carbon fork and rear triangle. Mavic Krysrium Elite wheelset. Shimano 105 compact gearing. Wireless cyclecomputer. http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/1221622985.html

The man selling it said his daughter only put 80miles on the bike, he believes its an '06 model but is not sure the exact Orbea Dama model it is. He is selling it for $875, is this a good price for this bike? Is this bike worth my time?

[ASammy1]

Look up that model and year on bikepedia. They should tell you what it's worth.

[MartianDestiny]

I'm guessing it's an 06 Mitis Dama from Orbea's website (paint scheme matches what they still have in stock, but not color)

According to bikepedia MSRP was $1900, so I think his asking price is reasonable especially given the claimed condition.

The key questions: Does it fit? Are you sure?
How bad is the toe overlap on it? (I ask because me and Orbeas don't get along for this reason) If there is an overlap issue is it something that bothers you? (all my road bikes have some toe overlap; it's a question of what you are willing to deal with).
Also does it have 700c or 650b wheels? or do you care?

If it fits and you like the way it rides then it's certainly a nice bike.

[lph]

I'm a beginner roadie, and bought a used bike. I was told that Shimano 105 was a good value component set, and I think those wheels are pretty decent for a starter bike. But you want the frame to fit you most of all.

[Cataboo]

it's kind of expensive for a 105 level used bike with mostly an aluminum frame - but an entire carbon fiber rear triangle does count for something... I've only had carbon fiber seats stays, and those do help a lot. Orbeas tends to be a bit more expensive... And it is a good wheelset.

If it fits well, maybe see if you can talk him down a little bit.

[ErinRD]

MartianDestiny - Thanks for the info. I'm very new to road biking so I'm not even sure what toe overlap is and if it would bother me. Also.. not sure about 700c or 650b wheels and what that means.. so not sure if I should care or not?? Can you explain that a bit, I'm curious to know what that all means.

I'm planning on going to see the bike and give it a test-ride to see if it fits me well.

[MartianDestiny]

Sure Erin!

650b and 700c are two different wheel sizes for road bikes.

700c is the standard size.
650b is sometimes used on smaller bikes to make them more proportional (solves some of the issues with toe overlap and frame geometry). They are smaller in radius (hub to rim). Some smaller folks love them, some prefer the standard size (numerous reasons on both sides).

Try this thread for an idea of the benefits of each type: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=30622&highlight=wheel+size

Toe overlap refers to your toes overlapping the front tire when your foot is in the front of the pedal stroke (typically 3 o'clock) such that if you turn your tire you are in danger of rubbing your foot with it.

If you are aware of the possibility then generally you can avoid it (you don't turn road bike wheels that much very often anyway). But it can cause low speed turning issues if you aren't careful, or a nasty crash if you happen to turn your wheel into your foot at a decent speed.

Some people learn to live with varying degrees of this and never have a problem (me), others choose to pick bikes very carefully to avoid it entirely.

[Biciclista]

Erin, if you have little feet, you don't have to worry about Toe overlap on most bikes. Larger footed people, er, like me, DO.

[MartianDestiny]

Erin, if you have little feet, you don't have to worry about Toe overlap on most bikes. Larger footed people, er, like me, DO.

That depends. I wear a kid's 4 shoe and both of my road bikes will rub at 3 o'clock if I'm not careful.

That's the price I pay for keeping my 700ces AND my 175mm cranks :o

[ErinRD]

Wow I have never had toe overlap before! That sounds really dangerous. I have size 8feet, so they're about average size. Thanks for pointing this out, I will be sure to look for toe overlap when I go to test the bike on sunday!

[uforgot]

I have toe overlap on my Surly and I really think it's no big deal. Doesn't bother me to have it, so keep an open mind about it. It isn't necessarily a deal breaker unless it really bugs you.

[Skierchickie]

I can't address the model of bike or the price, but I do have toe overlap on my road bike ('08 Jamis Xenith Pro). I've never had it on any bike before. I thought long and hard about that before I bought the bike, as it was perfect in every other way. My size 9 (or 9.5, or 10, depending on the shoes) clompers, combined with a compact geometry frame. It hasn't really been a problem - but I have learned to think about it. U-turns and 90 degree turns starting up from a stop are the only times it comes into play. When it happens, I suddenly have this feeling that I could crash at any second, but I haven't, and as long as I think about it (which isn't difficult once your foot hits your front wheel once or twice), I remember to be aware of my foot position on those tight turns. It's just a shorter wheelbase than I'm used to. While I've got about 2k miles on it so far, I've probably only done about 5 U-turns and 10 90 degree turns from stops. Anyway, I'm still in love with the bike, and while I'd prefer NOT to have toe overlap, I seem to be able to live with it. I won't be trying any criteriums on this bike, because of that, but I don't want to do criteriums anyway.

I live in a rural area, and don't deal with city riding at all (well, city riding is mostly a straight line for a few blocks around here). If I lived in a big city and needed to deal with lots of sharp turns and traffic all the time, I'm not sure whether it would work for me or not. I suspect a person would get used to it.

Fit - I think fit should be priority #1, and then everything else. I guess you don't know yet if you actually have toe overlap anyway? To check it out, just do a slow-speed turn with your outside foot at 3 o'clock - if it makes you nervous, just coast it without pedalling and see if you make contact. If not, it's a non-issue anyway.

Have fun! :)