Second hand Road Bike advice

[Craig-SR]

Seen locally a second hand Giant Defy 3.5 (2010) for £350 i went to look at it but there are a couple of things it needs (front chainring has a crack and some worn teeth are the biggest upgrade),

Do you think it is worth it? i am looking for a cheap entry road bike and thought this might be a good one to start.

 

[biggs682]

wow £350 and it needs work , surely there must be better finds out there for that kind of money

are you looking for a bike to ride straight away or one that need work doing to it

 

[smokeysmoo]

There are only 3 completed listings on eBay, but they are HERE so you can check the listings for conditions etc, first one I quickly looked at claimed to have only done 15 miles!

Seems a bit steep to me at £350

 

[Craig-SR]

Yes i £350 was a bit much as well but wasnt sure.

I havent had a road bike before but wouldnt be put off getting a cheap one and doing a little work on it.

Thanksfor the quick replys i will keep looking!

 

[Alembicbassman]

I sold brand new Defy 4 for £375, I've seen the OCR (model before Defy) go for £200. Ash Cycles have the Defy models on offer brand new. TBH when you can buy a brand new Triban 3 for £300 I wouldn't consider any used entry level bike. A used Giant/Trek entry level bike with Sora/2300 STI kit usually goes for £200-250. I have bought 3 used bikes with Sora 8 speed STI from £130-£165 for use as winter bikes, a Raleigh, a Peugeot and a Carerra.

 

[Craig-SR]

Im not in a rush so going to keep looking for a cheap second hand one. On the Giant Defy's its better to go for a triple rather than a compact version with me being a novice. is that right?

 

[Alembicbassman]

If you work out the ratios you will get maybe 2 'easier' gears with a triple. If you're shopping 2nd hand you may not get a wide choice, with the hysteria around the Olympics and TDF road bikes are selling well. I like compact double on a road bike, I have a triple on my tourer which weighs 15kg unloaded. On a 10kg bike a compact double 34/50 with 12-25 or 12-27 cassette is fine unless you have lots of steep hills where your live.

 

[smokeysmoo]

On the Giant Defy's its better to go for a triple rather than a compact version with me being a novice. is that right?

Good advice from Alembicbassman above.

I've never felt the need for a triple TBH, but as said, if it's particularly hilly where you live you may prefer one.

Otherwise I'd stick to a compact, (34/50) chainset. You can always change the cassette if you felt the need. I run a standard double, (39/53), but I'll be doing the Cat & Fiddle Challenge again in October so I've bought an 11:28 cassette to take the sting out of the climbs. It's also cheaper than buying a new chainset

 

[defy-one]

Im not in a rush so going to keep looking for a cheap second hand one. On the Giant Defy's its better to go for a triple rather than a compact version with me being a novice. is that right?

Not really. Having the granny ring may make you feel better, but I figure my lowest gear is more than enough to at least keep me moving.

 

[Cubist]

Not really. Having the granny ring may make you feel better, but I figure my lowest gear is more than enough to at least keep me moving.

..... In South Bucks. I may change my mind if I rode in the Pennines for more than half a day.

 

[Craig-SR]

Seen this on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GIANT-DEF...1122011341?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a7809cccd

Would it cost much to change it back to drop handle bars and how much would you say the bike is worth?

 

[smokeysmoo]

Seen this on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GIANT-DEF...1122011341?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a7809cccd

Would it cost much to change it back to drop handle bars and how much would you say the bike is worth?

I can't be arsed reading all the guys advert due to the poor layout, so I don' know if the answer is in there already, if not, ask him if he still has the original bars and shifters.

If not I suspect THESE are the shifters you'll need, plus obviously some bars as well. You might pick the shifters up second hand, of not if can get quite pricey.

 

[biggs682]

Seen this on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GIANT-DEF...1122011341?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a7809cccd

Would it cost much to change it back to drop handle bars and how much would you say the bike is worth?

you will need bars , levers and poss gear pods , cost for those will vary depending on what you use

 

[Craig-SR]

Will probably be costly to change back then. Thanks for the advise

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Unless he still has the parts he removed?