Good price for a used red triban 3?

Solitary

I have found a used red triban 3 on sale near my location and the bike has been used for just over a year. Details on its use are vague and I don't really know how often the person rode it for. The seller said the rear wheel had a puncture a few days ago and she's getting it replaced. She's asked for £200 for the bike but I'm getting the vibes that the price may be a little too high. We've arranged to meet so I can try it out. What do you guys think?

I'm basing this off the triban 3's that are sold on eBay and how much they get sold for. I feel as if compared to that, for the price I'm going to pay I could possibly do better. I'm just getting into cycling so I'm not very knowledgeable on this whole topic. Any help would be massively appreciated

sloppyschleckonds

Hmm, whats it worth?

topdude

If it has been looked after {not left out in the rain or ridden with no oil on the chain} then £200 is not much to pay for a reasonable road bike. You need to check it over and make sure it is the right size for you. Do you know anyone to come along and give a second opinion ?

kingofthetailwind

I sold mine for £250 in December. It had about 3.500 miles on it. But it had new chainrings, chain, cassette, and new wheels that came off the Felt Z95 I had just bought. It sold within ten minutes of listing it, so obviously could have gone for a bit more,

£200 sounds about right to me.

It's on sale for £250 at Decathlon at the minute. I think the biggest size left is 51 though.

apreading

Yeah, the Triban Red is a bit of an oddity. Because the shop sold them too cheap originally (at £300) and have since lowered the spec considerably (most notably the loss of the carbon forks and shimano shifters). Decathlon still sell the Red but only in small sizes. So you can see mint condition ones reach the original price, or at least close to it.

If you can wait, you may get lucky and find a mint condition one for £200 (I did just a month ago, it literally hasnt been ridden!) but more commonly the really good ones are £250 and the more used ones around £200. I wouldnt expect to pay much less than £200 unless it has cosmetic damage or something that needs attention, although again I am sure they come up from time to time.

imposter2.0

Solitary wrote:

She's asked for £200 for the bike but I'm getting the vibes that the price may be a little too high. We've arranged to meet so I can try it out. What do you guys think?

In a private sale, it's worth what the buyer agrees to pay - or what the seller agrees to sell it for. No more, no less.

drlodge

If its in good nick, £200 isn't bad at all. Think about what else you could get for £200 - probably not alot. Those Red Triban 3s are great value.

chris_bass

I'd wrry about how it has been maintained if they have to take it to get repaired just for a puncture, probably means its not been looked after that great.

drlodge

Chris Bass wrote:

I'd wrry about how it has been maintained if they have to take it to get repaired just for a puncture, probably means its not been looked after that great.

Or possibly its hardly been used at all, and therefore almost brand new. All depends on its condition.

Solitary

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately the seller sold the bike to her roommates boyfriend for more than £200 before we even met up which is a massive shame but what can you do?
I've been looking for a triban 3 for a while so the extra info you guys have given is going to prove quite useful for my next encounter with one. Another question if you don't mind: I have looked on the internet for a good road bike under £300 and the triban 3 is advocated constantly. However, realistically the chances of finding another one will be slim for a while. What I want to know is what is the next best road bike after the triban for that price range. I'm talking in terms of used though so I don't want to spend more than £200 on it.

apreading

Carrera TDF should be do-able on that budget - styling is love or hate on that though. There are a few other Carrera options at similar money.

If you can stretch the budget slightly you might get a Specialized Allez.

There would be more options if you are happy to look at something older but that depends on how comfortable you are on assessing condition and/or doing bike maintenance etc.

I am sure there are other options but these seem the most obvious ones.

Solitary

I'll look out for those as well then, thanks

Solitary

I found a used Carrera TDF for £220. I was wondering if a) that's a good deal and b) how it compares to the Triban 3a?
I don't want to make a bad investment but having searched for a decent ish road bike for over a month my patience is wearing severely thin. I just want to be out on the road already. I need an answer by tomorrow morning as I've arranged to meet the person at 1

apreading

Seems on the high side, unless it has upgrades on it and is in very good condition. Looking on ebay, most that sell seem to go for £160-£200 range. If it is absolutely mint then that price isnt a disaster but you could certainly get it for less with little effort.

The Triban 3 Red is better primarily because of the carbon forks, other spec is slightly better I think too. Thats why the 3Red is so sought after and commands higher second hand prices. I would say the Carrera TDF is closer to the current Triban 3 white.

Solitary

Yeah, I noticed that on ebay as well. Despite this, I think I'm probably going to go for it. Having looked for such a long time I realised my pickyness to save money was making me lose time. Yes I could get it for about 30-40 pounds cheaper but I'd have to wait a while for an offer to appear near my area. The quicker I get a bike the quicker I'll get into cycling and get fitter, I think the extra money is worth that...unless you think the offer is garbage and I absolutely shouldn't go for it

apreading

Provided it is in mint condition then I can understand your logic and it does make sense. If its old, well ridden or poorly maintained then you should leave it - otherwise you could be spending as much as a new one once you have fixed it or replaced worn out parts.

Solitary

Went through and bought the bike. It was more or less in mint condition except for a slight amount of use on the wheels. The guys were quite helpful and gave some advice on maintenance. When riding it home I realised the ride was quite bumpy, is this due to the forks not being carbon or am I cycling over jagged bits of tarmac that was damaging the bike? What are the rules for a road bike on what you can cycle over and can't. I know you absolutely don't go near potholes but what else is there?

apreading

Depending on what you are used to, road bikes on skinny tyres may seem harsh to you (they do to me!).

Carbon forks are not so much to help with the big potholes but to reduce the constant 'buzz' from riding on rough surfaces. Changing the bars or even using different bar tape can also contribute to this, I think - may be worth looking at different bar tape in the future.

Tyres will possibly have the biggest impact on this though - if you can fit wider tyres (depends on frame/brake clearance) then you can run slightly lower pressure and this makes can make a huge difference. I ride on 28mm or 25mm tyres but many bikes come with 23mm. Depending on your weight, you may even be able to lower the pressure in the tyres you already have to make things smoother. check the calculator here: http://www.dorkypantsr.us/bike-tire-pre ... lator.html Dont run them too low though, or you risk pinch flats.

Serious Cat

Ive seen some sellers here on BR really tear the ar$e out of it when selling a triban 3 with some asking for more than they cost new :roll: . If the bike for sale was a first series type 3 with the carbon fork and asking price was £200 then id race to get it before somebody else did. Those triban 3 bikes were an amazing bargain and decathlon priced them way too low at £299.