My wife and I want to get into biking. I last rode probably ~10years ago but rode a lot as a kid. I’ve been looking for a bike that works for my big frame (6’4”, 280lbs) but haven’t had much luck. This Trek Madone 5.2 was thrown out today at my work. I brought it to a local bike shop and the owner said it could be repaired for less than $200 and would fit my needs if all I plan to do is ride it around the neighborhood.
I was hoping for a very basic bike, and now I’m worried I’ll be making a huge leap to an advanced bike. Am I making a mistake? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
by GIZMO8Z
8 Comments
$200 for a carbon road bike is fantastic. Fix it up, ride it a bit. If it doesn’t feel right you can easily sell it for more.
Just because it was a fancier bike at the time doesn’t mean you have to ride it in any special way. Put the pedals, saddle and bars that work for you and ride it however you want. Nice score.
A carbon road bike that was found in the garbage? Yeah no I wouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole. If this isn’t stolen then it was thrown out for a reason. Carbon is very delicate material and once it’s cracked it’s done. If you really want to risk it with it at least give a very thorough check for cracks and dents in the frame.
Have a bike tech take a looksie
That’s great! Hard to find used bikes at your height and that is a good one. Well worth the fix-up.
Good bike, absolute steal in terms of value.
One word of caution, the Madone has a recommended weight limit of 275lbs. There is of course some margin of error I’m sure trek builds in to their calculations but just so you’re aware.
Hey man. I work in a bike shop. And, no, I’m not some high schooler that is paid to sweep the floor. I’m a grown man who has been in the bike world for a long time. At the shop, we often throw carbon bike frames away that look fine, but are not safe to ride.
Assessing a carbon fiber frame for safety is not as simple as just looking at it. You cannot reliably determine the safety of a carbon bike with visual inspection. That is a fact. So, often, you’ll find bikes we are discarding that look to be in great riding condition, but in fact contain safety critical damage to the frame or fork.
Because of this, when we need to bomb a frame, we’ll always destroy it. For example, we’ll clamp the drop out in a vice and just brake it off, for both the frame and fork. We do this specifically so people like you don’t pull a frame out of our dumpster and ride it, because those dumpster frames could kill you.
Now, this bike shop owner, does he have an Ultra Sound machine or an X-Ray machine? Because if not, he *cannot* reliably determine if this bike is safe or not. That is just how it goes. If you really wanted to determine if the frame is safe to ride, you’ll need to send it to a carbon fiber repair guy and have them scan it. Many exist, you likely have one close buy, and a lot of them will do free scans. Repairs range anywhere from $200 to $1000.
It could be the case this bike was damaged in a crash or something, and the previous owner opted to trash it in favor of a new bike vs getting this one repaired. It is very common. I have seen a ton of broken carbon fiber bikes. I would never ride one I found in the trash, *never*. And, I would never recommend someone else do so.
Ride safe buddy. This bike has great components on it that are totally salvageable. Just, please be careful. There is a *very real* possibility this frame is a death trap.
Where do you live that people are throwing out carbon road bikes with Ultegra components?
That’s some find. Was about to say that a 62cm is a big-boy frame but at 6ft4in you fit the bill. Enjoy your new ride!