Looking to do my first triathlon and need advice if this is a good deal on a 2011 trek madone 4.5 road bike. This bike has a Shimano 105 10-speed groupset, a Bontrager Race Lite fork, an upgraded Royal Gel saddle, and a compact crankset (50/34) and Bontrager SSR wheelset The seller says “No parts were replaced during the most recent tune up (this past summer and only rode it twice after). Just alignment, lube, etc. the tires are in great shape. I just took off the plastic from the emblems. The bike is ready to go. In mint condition”. The seller is asking $500 and I’ve mainly seen these bikes closer to $1000 in bike shops. Is this a good deal for my first road bike?
by Traditional-Poem1142
5 Comments
It’s a fair deal at $500. Carbon frame and 105 Group Set really help at that price for that year. You may want to order some clip-on aero bars for the Tri though as most other bikes will likely be TT bikes or have aero bars on them. They will probably also have 53t chain ring. Just find someone else to sit behind and let do the work maybe 🤔
Seems like a pretty decent price – maybe offer a little less. Is the size right for you?
Definitely a serviceable bike. If you have a little bit of a larger budget you could probably get a decent used TT bike. My area had a few decent ones around 750-1500$.
It’s a pretty good deal, assuming the frame size fits. The 56cm frames are usually for 5’9 to 5’11.
Imo, bikes like these are a great deal for what they offer, a full carbon road bike with 105 for $500 or less is a great investment. The level of quality and performance makes it great as an intro to road cycling. You’ll get tons of life out of it and more than enough to help you reach a point where you want to upgrade.
As a beginner triathlete, it will do great. Lots of aspects of triathlon cycling are a gimmick. Generally you won’t see performance benefits from a high end TT bike unless you have the fitness to work in tandem. Improving your fitness also gives you the most tangible improvements. This bike allows you to compete at a higher level and build your endurance/strength. More than anything, modern road bikes have chipped away at the advantages that TT bikes have. There are aero benefits from TT bikes but those benefits are marginal compared to a modern aero road bike, as an amateur. It’s also more beneficial as an amateur athlete to have a bike that is more versatile than a discipline specific TT bike.
With all that said, look over the bike well. If there are clear signs of worn out drivetrain then you’ll want to negotiate a better price to compensate for maintenance/parts. In the event you buy the bike, TT aero bars will be the one necessary upgrade. You basically can’t race TT without a good set of aero bars. Most the time you can add them to existing bars but can get dedicated ones as well. I’d also recommend looking at better saddles. That saddle is a comfort thing and not performance enhancing.
If the frame is the right size, that’s a decent deal. With recent tuneups it should run well.
Its an ok deal. It’s a 13 year old bike. The group set that’s on it was good at the time now its pretty out dated as in 10 speed from shimano is better. Where I live you could get a 4 or 5 year old bike for that price.