Hello I'm looking into road bikes at max 1k range (including tax) and relatively new 2020+, I'm 5'1.75 (so 5'2) I know this is kinda hard to find a really good bike at this price. I want to do a half ironman around June – (50 mile bike). Tell me if any other context is needed or if you have any bike suggestions for me, if my requirements are u ressonable or anything of the sort.
Some new bikes i'm looking into are the:
Liv avail 3 2025 (1k with tax)- tried it at my local bike shop and was nice
Some used bikes: (pictures attached- tell me if the price seems to match & if the bike itself seems valid)
Orbra onix- seems like a good one. Mileage is less than 300. However i'm not sure about the year? I havent found orbea selling onix's that year so i feel like that's wrong
Orbea m30- i think beacuse it's "old" im apprehensive on it but seems like a good bike
Specialized diverge sport a1- new! I just havent heard of the shimano sora
Random option- there's a bike shop near my hometown that makes custom bikes, my dad said he got a good road bike worth 1k there for around 750 but we dont really know much about bikes so i'm not really sure if I should go for this option what if they just gave us a bunch of ranfom oarts they didnt want. They were really nice dealers but this is what scares me the most about buying.
I would say i am more apprehensive about the used bikes because 1) they're used 2) the fact i'm buying them online (not as local) is a bit scarier. But i know it's an option a lot of people take. What platforms do u guys use to buy bikes & whats ur experience with them – so far have tried fbmp, offerup, buycycle. Fbmp was an absokute flop because no one responded, offerup was a bit better and buycycle i've only asked about the orbea and havent gotten a response.
also what are the best drivetrains (105, tiagra, ultrarega, claris, sora) could you rank them for me? I woukd realy apprecaite any advice on what brakes are the best, the best material for the framrs, good cranksets, etc. i dont know what a lot of these things mean but i am curious to know. Also curious on the frame size for my height just to make sure a 48-50cm/xs would be ideal for me correct? And do i need to buy shoes (clip ons) if i want to race a half ironman? Also i think i will need a garmin edge so something around 1k woukd be killing my bank…. But that can be sorted out later.
by someoneexistingg