Beginner here. I do about 12 miles a day on my trek 7300 and wanted something sportier. Bought this today for $300. Ended up being really uncomfortable to ride geometry-wise. It also very much needs new tires. Should I return it or is it a nice enough bike to sink more money into? Any knowledge about the bike or its parts is appreciated!
by WalkerMack
9 Comments
What size is the bike and how tall are you?
It might be the wrong size
Even if that’s the right size frame for you (probably fine if that is actually your seat height) changing the bar and stem to something shorter reach will probably do a lot for you.
nope you did fine on price.
that will be extremely stiff.
what will help you a great deal is a much shorter stem..
These certainly have a following and I see a frame sold for $298 on eBay recently.
short answer yes: carbon frame which seems sized well for your height and full campagnolo group set. those alone are worth the sell price. however the handlebars are way forward. someone else suggested it already and they’re right: get a much shorter stem. it’s uncomfortable for you because you’re reaching way too far forward. my guess is last owner was too tall for this frame and tried to gain space. you tell the size of the frame by measuring the head tube in cm. that looks to be about 56 cm which is just fine for someone 5’9”.
That stem is a mile long 😹
If the standover height feels good and the top tube is not too far from your crotch when your feet are flat on the ground, it is probably roughly your size. The price is not bad.
Like everybody else is saying the stem is way too long. I would encourage you not to get another quill stem but to get a quill stem to threadless stem converter, it will let you use modern stems which are much cheaper and easier to install and swap and find what works. You can also get an adjustable stem that will let you play with the angle up and that will let you tweak the reach to the bars and see if that is your discomfort issue. I would start with these two things. You can get a cheaper version of both of them for less than $50 total
I say this very kindly: the bike is a bizzare choice for you. This bike is kind of a bike-nerd bike. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. It’s the type of bike that’s great to tinker on, but you have to know what you are doing. It also rides pretty aggressively (i.e., not comfortable). I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner at all. Also, you don’t need a carbon frame if you aren’t a serious racer.
Seeing that you’re coming from a Trek 7300, I would recommend instead you get a used Trek FX (zippy flat-bar hybrid) or Trek Domane AL (aluminum drop-bar bike), if you want to stay in the Trek family. Those bikes can be had for $300 to $500 used and shouldn’t need more than a quick DIY tune up at that price point.