Which road bike should I choose?

[nomisg]

Well I have been looking at road bikes for about a month now, and want to spend under $500 (Australian). Due to my budget I am looking for 2nd hand bikes.

So far I have 4 options.

1. Merida Extreme 907, all ultegra parts, 52cm frame
2. Gitane mach 1400 , mainly sora parts, large frame to suit 6 foot person
3. Trek mach 1400, RSX parts, 58cm frame
4. Giant OCR2, Tiagra and some ultegra parts, large frame


Questions are, what is the best option? What would you go with and why?

I understand the Merida is a realy good value buy, but is the frame to small for me? I'm 6'2

What shoudl I look out for when I go to have a look at second hand bike, are there any tips to finding out if it is a crap bike which has been undermaintained.

[ShanDog]

In regards to frame size, the main piece of advice you'll get is that you have to go to the bike store and try out the bike. From my experience it really is hard to choose a bike frame without physically testing the fit.

[europa]

One question of second hand bikes, I've discussed it in a couple of other threads (and don't have time to redo it now )

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=893

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=578

Richard

[nomisg]

In regards to frame size, the main piece of advice you'll get is that you have to go to the bike store and try out the bike. From my experience it really is hard to choose a bike frame without physically testing the fit.

Problem is I'm probably going to buy on ebay, but if from a dealer or private seller I will certainly take for a spin first.

I just did a online calculator, and its seams that I'm basically looking for a frame over 56. E.g. the best fit for me in the Giant range is a XL frame. Which I think I will find hard to find.

Which means good bye merida

Gender M
Inseam 90 cm
Trunk 67 cm
Forearm 36 cm
Arm 81 cm
Thigh 77 cm
Lower Leg 67 cm
Sternal Notch 164 cm
Total Body Height 188 cm

[nomisg]

One question of second hand bikes, I've discussed it in a couple of other threads (and don't have time to redo it now )

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=893

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?t=578

Richard

Some great posts, seams like you have it nailed in respect to choosing the right second hand bike.

So I'm getting there, I have better idea of what size frame I may need and what I need to look out for. Now I just need to choose one

[europa]

Forget online calculators and stuff for frame sizes. The way a frame size is measured varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and from style of bike to style of bike.

You are best served sitting on a few bikes and to be honest, I wouldn't buy a second hand bike I can't see. People do lie on flebay, people don't necessarily know what they are talking about - hell, you can't even trust them to measure the down tube and come up with a realistic answer. Then there are the issues of amateur packaging.

At 6'2" you can more or less assume you'll be buying the biggest bike in any range. If you are reasonably sure about the bikes you'll be buying, wander into a shop (during a quiet period), explain to the salesman what you are trying to do and ask to be able to sit on a few bikes to assess size. I won't hurt to mention that you'll need to buy a full kit of gear for the bike when you finally get it.

How about this for a flebay strategy. Look only at bikes you can physically get to. Contact the seller and ask to see the bike before the auction ends - that way you can assess it properly and bid accordingly. When you find your dream bike, sign up for one of the sniper programs in an attempt to make sure you don't miss it.

Richard

[mikesbytes]

Option 1 is out, the frame is way too small. Other 3 frames appear to be ok size so for the remaining 3 its personal preference. OCR2 has better parts than the Gitane, I don't know RSX so can't comment.

What condition are they in? What year are they? How much are they?