Hi all,
first post here, I'm hoping to get as many 2nd opinions as possible before I spend any of my all too rare funds!!
After 2 years of commuting 10-20 miles a day on a range of 2nd hand bikes I am now in a position to take the plunge and buy a decent road bike. For xmas I just asked for donations to my "bike fund" and it now has £200 in it, and I will make up the difference to a desired spend of no more than £350 (well that was the plan initially). After many hours online yesterday I've come to the conclusion that rather than spend that in my local independant shop on a Viking, or in Halfords on a Carrera, I'd be better looking at a Giant, Specialised or a Trek. Trouble is, I'm not sure if my budget can stretch that far.
I have been browsing Ebay and found a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 for £200, it has an alloy frame and carbon forks, Shimano 2200 gears and shifters and Bontrager stem, handlebars, seatpost and saddle. It also has a rack on the back and front and rear mudguards, all of which I would need to fit anyway.
Would this be a good buy? Obviously it will depend on the condition, it's listed as excellent bar the odd mark which is to be expected, but I would check it out first anyway. On a positive, the seller is local and if I can get it for £200 I would then pay for a major service at a local bike shop, and it has everything I'm going to need for my commute and my charity ride (see link in signature , on a negative, I was really hoping to buy my first ever brand new bike.
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long winded first post but I am feeling ever so out of my depth
first post here, I'm hoping to get as many 2nd opinions as possible before I spend any of my all too rare funds!!
After 2 years of commuting 10-20 miles a day on a range of 2nd hand bikes I am now in a position to take the plunge and buy a decent road bike. For xmas I just asked for donations to my "bike fund" and it now has £200 in it, and I will make up the difference to a desired spend of no more than £350 (well that was the plan initially). After many hours online yesterday I've come to the conclusion that rather than spend that in my local independant shop on a Viking, or in Halfords on a Carrera, I'd be better looking at a Giant, Specialised or a Trek. Trouble is, I'm not sure if my budget can stretch that far.
I have been browsing Ebay and found a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 for £200, it has an alloy frame and carbon forks, Shimano 2200 gears and shifters and Bontrager stem, handlebars, seatpost and saddle. It also has a rack on the back and front and rear mudguards, all of which I would need to fit anyway.
Would this be a good buy? Obviously it will depend on the condition, it's listed as excellent bar the odd mark which is to be expected, but I would check it out first anyway. On a positive, the seller is local and if I can get it for £200 I would then pay for a major service at a local bike shop, and it has everything I'm going to need for my commute and my charity ride (see link in signature , on a negative, I was really hoping to buy my first ever brand new bike.
Thanks in advance, and apologies for the long winded first post but I am feeling ever so out of my depth