Hello everyone, I've biked merely as a hobby in the past but hoping to get into it more seriously. I was looking at a Domane AL5 Or Endurance Raw 7 as a beginner bike as i'm hoping to make a good purchase that'll last a long time rather than a meh one that will need upgrading quickly. I came across this 2022 SL5, however I'm still learning about bikes and couldn't tell you if this is a good deal. I'd be willing to purchase even if it needs some work done as the frame would be neat to have (I can't see myself buying 2 bikes anytime soon since i'm in undergrad and would rather fix up a nice bike then get a still good one but can't upgrade much further). I was curious if this is a good bike at $1400? He told me has <400km on it.
by Professional_Stop173
5 Comments
The only caveat is I can’t navigate bike anatomy well enough to gauge what is and isn’t a good deal. I know the shimano 105 groupset is ideal for a beginner, the frame fits me and that’s about all I could confidently tell you I know. So perhaps just a new Domane AL5 would be preferrable as I wouldn’t need to worry about what is and isn’t in good condition?
Yeah, that is a pretty good deal, IMO.
Side note, I don’t think beginners should be so focused on 105. It was definitely the starting point of good groupers in 2005. I would argue the Claris, Tiagra and Cues are all very good and would work find for a beginner.
Anyway, good deal, I would buy if it fit me.
Not a bad deal at all…. Carbon bike with 105 from a reputable brand. While a beginner certainly doesn’t *need* 105 it’s a noticble upgrade from anything below it in terms of smoothness of shifting, weight, etc. I’d say it’s the ideal groupset for beginners all the way to advanced riders. But more experienced riders just want the steps up but they certainly don’t need it.
My personal beef is the ad saying “top of the line” when it’s nowhere close to top. Really Solid mid tier road bike to get you a really good bang for your buck. Like entry level high end. But a top end used bike can still go for $6-12k depending what it’s spec’d with, age, and condition.
The carbon bars are a nice little upgrade too.
If you get their date of purchase it still may have a tiny bit of warranty since subsequent owner gets 3 years from date of original purchase on the frame. So if you can get that info it may be nice to have.
If you get it first bring it into a shop and measure chain wear. That’s a gotcha on a lot of new bike owners and especially new owners of used bikes. Replacing a $50 chain on time can save you $300 worth of cassette and chainrings vs riding it till it shifts too awful to ignore and then you’ve worn other components unnecessarily. You can get a gauge tool for like $13. They’ll probably sell you the same tool they use to check.
u/Professional_Stop173 without knowing if it fits you, no one can answer that
It’s a good bike (had one once). I don’t appreciate an SL5 being described as “top of the line.” Get $100 knocked off the price for that line.