Your opinion Please!

[limewave]

Which bike do you think is the better option (I ride 4 days a week, 60-90 minutes at a time, maybe a 2hr ride one day). Perhaps a metric century once or twice a year.

bike 1:
Brand new 2010 Specialized Allez Comp with Shimano 105 components. Aluminum frame with carbon fork and seat post. $1300 (tax included in that price)

or

bike 2:
2007 Specialized Roubaix full carbon frame. Only has 230 miles on it. Shimano 105 components. $1500.

This is pretty much a hypothetical question as I can't really afford a bike, but just in case I happen to come into money in the next two weeks, I want to be prepared.

[Biciclista]

did you ride them? which one felt better?

you like to be fast and light. I'd walk away from the aluminum...

[limewave]

That's what I'm thinking too! I emailed the guy to see if I could test ride the carbon frame next week. And I have a meeting this week about a new freelance project . . . so maybe there will be $$ afterall????

[sundial]

My experience has been that the Roubaix is more of a "plush bike" and the Allez has more of a racer style aggressive geometry. I had a Roubaix and I can say that by the end of a long ride my hands, wrists, and neck did not fatigue nearly as much as when I rode a bike with not as relaxed geometry.

[Cataboo]

How sure are you about the carbon bike only having 230 miles on it? You could ask to take the carbon bike to a bike shop to get them to look over/check out the frame. Carbon's great - but the problem with used carbon is you don't know how much it was abused. Assuming that was the roubaix comp, it was about $2200 in 2007.

Aluminum is probably going to be as light as carbon - but it's a harsher ride. My hands went numb and I was fairly uncomfortable on aluminum even with a carbon fork, but that might just be me being sensitive.

Maybe try to talk the roubaix down to match the $1300 or further for the new aluminum bike, point out you can get a new bike with a warranty with similar level but updated componentry and a known frame history. I think $1500 is a bit high for it being a 105 level bike and used.

If you need to show him comparative prices of what roubaix's sell for on ebay:
This 2006 all ultegra model sold for $998 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2006-specialized...item27b8fa664a

This 2008 105 level sold for $1276 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Specialized-Roub...item230e87bfba

This brand new 105 level 2007 sold for $1100 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Specialized-Roub...item1e61e29786

2010 105 level sold for $1400:
http://cgi.ebay.com/specialized-roub...item1c19af623f

2008 105 level that the bidding never got beyond $455, but didn't sell because it was under the reserve:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Specialized-Roub...item3a63bf72ab

There's a lot of roubaix's that bidding gets to about $1000 or so and then don't sell because it's under the reserve price.

[limewave]

Thanks Cataboo! And this is why I ask the experts

[tulip]

What are you riding now? Does it meet your needs? I would suggest sticking with what you have for a while. That's alot of money to spend if you don't really need a new bike.

(I may have mentioned that I'm reveling in my new frugality, and it's very powerful in the rest of my life. If I can pass some of my success on, I am happy to do it).