Hey community, I’m a 42 year old amateur long distance runner who is looking to expand my cross training, soI’m getting into triathlons now. I have a 2009 Trek mountain bike that I’ve ridden casually, but I want to get a road bike for this endeavor. I’m on a budget as I’m in the midst of a career change, but my schedule is perfect for increased training, so this is the ideal time to start this journey. Unfortunately, I know next-to-nothing about bikes, and the economy of bikes is pretty eye-opening.
Let me get to the point. A local bike shop has a **2005 Trek Madone SL 5.2 OCLV** [Link to Trek Madone](https://www.ebay.com/itm/145587693720?hash=item21e5b3e898:g:SdoAAOSwo-1lu-Hm&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJsxUQXCi4yunRU%2FX71XCesnLZn0jIEVeP0vKvQmE0bwxJCbKsY1gMBDkdx%2BFsXNN93l2%2Fc4ExaU12jEdNMlCf3cOPe6E3ExEijHwbGkcbJxtBf07Fh5yEwH6hHXpMFUM3PT9BdLmlAyguDscIOU7U%2Bv%2F2C6NtHlaIBnHGFAGpbgxrlmlTXidCJ2Y%2B%2BV9M4FUNUZ3NRYGrn%2Fm7UgFyiKhQiDYNfhhd1sf56JjXFefIe3gaGqjDit3BwQ8R6k42kFbQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5an_JOxYw) that seems pretty good for $650. However, the Trek online store has a **2019 Domane AL 3** [Link to Trek Domane](https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/red-barn-refresh-bikes/pre-owned-road-bikes/domane-al-3–2019-60cm/p/46292/?colorCode=red) for $750. Otherwise, I am looking around other local bike shops and online listings, but I feel a little bit better about buying directly from a dealer or bike shop. My 2009 Trek honestly still rides great for my purposes, and I’ve only ever done minimal maintenance, so I can imagine a higher end 2005 might still be pretty great.
My goals are to do a couple triathlons this year, one sprint/olympic and then a 70.3 over the summer. I’m hopeful that the training will give me a good base of swimming and cycling so that I can continue those as long-term endeavors. My financial situation will be much improved 1 year from now and I will be in really great financial shape 2-3 years from now, so I’m hopeful that I can buy a bike now that will last me through training and racing in 2024 and then simply regular exercise in 2025 and 2026, as I doubt I’ll have the time for dedicated training and racing.
This is a lot, so if you’ve read this far and have any thoughts, I would love to hear them. Thank you so much!
by can-i-be-real