trying out new bikes

I need advice on buying a new bike. My current bike is too small, and my preferred riding position is more stretched out than it used to be.
I got a very good bike fit. The bikes that fit were a 51 cm Cannondale Synapse and a 50 cm Trek Lexa. I will be test riding their carbon bikes in a few weeks.

- I plan to keep this bike for 8 - 10 years. Is it worth it to get a new bike or should I shop for a used bike?

- Is the carbon bike worth it? I currently ride about 13 -14 mph. I'm too slow for the groups that ride longer distances. On the other hand, if I could find people that I'm comfortable with, I really love longer rides (40 - 60 miles or more). I also find that if I don't have company, I don't ride nearly as much.

Thanks.

Personally, if I were planing to keep the bike 8-10 years I would invest the money in a new bike. For one thing, most bike shops will give you some sort of warranty on a new bike and sometimes a free 6 month adjustment tune up. I definitely think that carbon is worth its price. I can't say the carbon bike added a lot of speed to my rate although it did improve it some but the ride is definitely worth it over the miles.

As for riding in groups and riding alone, I think you have to figure it out for your self. I rode solo for years and found that I had a hard time really motivating myself. Yes I was getting in the miles but I was on a plateau. I started doing tours as a way to Plus it is a long term investment in your health,safety and sanity. learn to ride with a group and for the socialization. For the past three or four years I have been riding at least one a week with a group, mostly for distance, but it gives me the incentive to push myself on the days I ride solo.

+1 on the new bike, if you're planning to keep it for that long.

As for groups, can you find a recreational club in your area that's not full of the racer dudes. The club I belong to has all different levels of riding, from ambling along to 100 mile hammerfests. So I do 40-50 miles or so with people, but a slowish pace. Or look at Meetup, which may also offer something like that. I rode last week on a stay-together 60km ride at an average speed of around 20km/h. It was lovely.

Thanks for your input! Boudicca, your group sounds lovely.

I've decided to spend some time looking for a used carbon bike. I decided it was the best compromise -- get the bike that I want at a price that I can live with.

Thanks a lot.

For a bike that small, you may be waiting awhile for a used bike. If you're okay with that. I ride bikes just a tad smaller and find that road bikes are particularly difficult to come by. I just sold a WSD trek with carbon fork for about $50.00 more than the blue book value for "excellent" and more than $100.00 for "good" within about 36 hours on CL. They are hard to come by, so people rush to buy them. That was a 47 cm but you are looking at something similar that's only a bit bigger and, in my experience of buying and selling bikes on CL, I can pick up a bike for cheapish, put about 2 hours of labor in cleaning it up, replacing a chain and tires, etc. and flip it for $50-$100.00 more than I paid in about a week. They are just that hard to come by that people will spend the money and want to be the first to see it. The last two times, people drove here from out of town (STL which is 2 hours away) to look at and buy a bike.

I will say this, most of what goes into "speed" is the motor (you). I am not saying a carbon frame won't help. It probably will a bit. However, the motor is the most important thing. I now have a steel frame Surly. I did better on speed and mileage on this bike over the past week than my old road bike on the trail because the geometry is more comfortable for me and I just like the feel of it. If you like carbon bikes and you like your geometry , you will probably do better on a carbon bike just because it feels comfy. That's fine but my point is that you could do that on a less-expensive non-carbon bike or one with a carbon fork for less if you liked the geometry and had a good fit. Carbon will not miraculously improve your speed. A good fit will allow you to be fitter and that will.

And yeah, depending on the area, clubs may be easier/harder to come by. I find in this area that I prefer to ride alone or with my BF because the only groups we have are either really relaxed and quite slow or very fast and competitive. I'm somewhere between the 17mph riders and the 13mph riders (about 15-16 depending on the day) and I don't really "fit" in either ride well. However, where I used to live, the club rides seemed most suited to about 15 mph, long-haul riders that weren't competitive but just happy to be out on bikes. It just depends.

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Originally Posted by colorisnt

For a bike that small, you may be waiting awhile for a used bike. If you're okay with that. I ride bikes just a tad smaller and find that road bikes are particularly difficult to come by. I just sold a WSD trek with carbon fork for about $50.00 more than the blue book value for "excellent" and more than $100.00 for "good" within about 36 hours on CL.

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There's a "Blue Book" for used bikes? Is it public? If so, please post a link!

Re. finding used smaller bikes, I've both bought and sold 'em on Ebay, Craigslist, and here, so it can be done. But you do have to be patient. I was the only bidder on the 2006 47cm Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD (full carbon, Ultegra) I found on Ebay for $700. However, the auction ended on Christmas Eve (this was in 2012), so I don't think too many others were looking at that time. I don't know what the "Blue Book" value is, but I was happy with the deal I got -- and the bike. One wheel needed truing, and there were some paint chips (which I've since touched up with nail polish), but overall it was in very good condition. I even like the stock saddle, much to my surprise!

www.bicyclebluebook.com

You can search for the particular make/model/year and it will give you the value of the bike depending on the condition it is in. Great for both selling and buying (I used the information to negotiate a great price on the bike I just bought from somebody on Craigslist). As far as finding used small bikes, you may be surprised by what shows up on CL etc. so I'd recommend checking every day or two once you have some ideas of bikes you'd like. That's what I did and something great turned up quite quickly, for a good price too.

Yep Bicycle Blue Book FTW!

It's pretty helpful. Your LBS also may be helpful if you are a loyal customer and they don't do a lot of used volume. Mine does not, so trade ins with road bikes are hit and miss. They gave me a much better deal on my MTB because that's what they are most likely to sell quickly for a "better" price. Their comp was slightly higher than BBB but not by much.

And I agree that you have to be fairly patient but you can find them. It's just a chore haha. Some people look at it as an adventure (I do when I get a wild hair to search) but it's not always fun if you have a deadline. And, honestly, your bike does not make you that much faster. A good fit can but a carbon frame will only do so much. I was always taught by everyone I started really riding with that it was the motor and fit not the material and weight that was going to make a huge difference (assuming that most road bikes are fairly light, of course). If you want carbon, totally go for it, just realize that there may be other issues at play and if you don't know much about fit, CL bikes or ebay bikes may not be the best place to start. Getting fitted on your current mount may be better. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by Jolt

www.bicyclebluebook.com

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Thanks so much, Jolt! I had no idea this existed. I don't have any current plans to buy or sell any bikes, but at some point in the future, I am sure I will. This is a great resource!

is there some sort of CL meta search that would allow you to include multiple regions in a single search query, or a way to browse a single category in multiple regions at once? i haven't used CL, but that awful layout doesn't really seem to allow for casual, non-specific browsing at all, unless i'm missing something :/

Yes! Check out www.searchtempest.com...and good luck!

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Originally Posted by rain

I need advice on buying a new bike. My current bike is too small, and my preferred riding position is more stretched out than it used to be.
I got a very good bike fit. The bikes that fit were a 51 cm Cannondale Synapse and a 50 cm Trek Lexa. I will be test riding their carbon bikes in a few weeks.

- I plan to keep this bike for 8 - 10 years. Is it worth it to get a new bike or should I shop for a used bike?

- Is the carbon bike worth it? I currently ride about 13 -14 mph. I'm too slow for the groups that ride longer distances. On the other hand, if I could find people that I'm comfortable with, I really love longer rides (40 - 60 miles or more). I also find that if I don't have company, I don't ride nearly as much.

Thanks.

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Where in Maryland are you? I average 14 mph, give or take a few mph on any given ride. The Oxon Hill Club in southern Maryland offers longer rides at that speed. I think you might find some Baltimore Bicycling Club rides that work for you, too, though I'm not as familiar with their schedule.

Have you tried a steel bike? You can get a really nice and light steel that makes riding on and off road much nicer, in my opinion.
I much prefer steel to carbon.