I haven’t ridden a bike in probably ~15 years, but I signed up for the TD Five Boro Bike Tour (40 miles). I’ve been doing some prep on an indoor bike, but now I need something for the actual ride.
Originally I was going to rent, but prices around NYC are getting kind of crazy the closer it gets to the event. So I started calling local shops to see if buying something cheap-ish made more sense.
For context, I’m about 6’3”, so finding something that fits has been a bit of a pain.
A local non-profit bike shop said they have a Cannondale CAAD5 Saeco edition in a 58cm that should fit me. They went through it and said everything is working. Price is $100.
I know it’s an older road bike, but that price seems almost too good to pass up. My main goal is just to comfortably finish the 40 miles — not trying to race or anything.
A couple concerns:
1) Is this going to be uncomfortable for someone basically starting from scratch?
2) Am I going to regret not having something more “versatile” (like being able to add a rack, etc.)?
Is a bike like this going to be more hassle than it’s worth as a beginner?
3) Would love to hear what you’d do in my situation or grab the cheap older road bike, or just suck it up and rent something more modern?
by LateCopy
2 Comments
That is a beautiful bike and a screaming deal for NYC, assuming the frame is not dented or cracked. Looks lightly used. The nice thing about this age of bikes is they are fairly simple to work on and there are bike co-ops or similar that will help you get it running well. Worse comes to worse and you don’t like it relist it on FB or Craigslist for $400-600 and there should be takers. While the [cherry red Saecos with top spec components](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bikeporn/comments/1f02rmh/team_saeco_cannondale_caad_3_but_make_it_neoretro/) are the most desirable that is still a good looking bike.
$100?? They’re practically giving it to you