Second hand high quality road bike

duracelrainey

Hi Guys, I'm a seriously keen road cyclist and have been riding hard for about 6 years. I've always gone Specialized, and the last bike I had was an S-Works Tarmac which I adored. This was however stolen in Bristol a month back, and as such I'm in desperate need of a new bike!

I have around £1500 to spend, and do not want to go new. I'd like to buy a second hand road bike, something of high quality that has gone down in price after being used a bit. Has to be carbon!

What would people recommend?

ayjaycee

You didn't say what standard spec you was after (ie. groupset etc.) which might help. I am not anti-carbon (I ride a carbon bike!) but I would ask why you insist on it? For a bit more than £1500, you might be able to pick up an S-Works Allez. If you insist on carbon, an older tarmac might also be an option. I suggest those because you profess to love your old Tarmac so much and, on that basis, you might as well go for the same (or similar) again. Somebody else will be along in a minute to tell you that Specialized aren't worth it but, frankly, they will be talking ballox.

duracelrainey

Hi Ayjaycee, sorry, I realised I didnt state groupsets etc.

Ok so did a bit of research and I think that I should be going for around the Ultegra mark or above (correct me if I'm wrong). My knowledge on bikes is terrible, I just love riding them but never really put much thought into it. I do love the Tarmac, but kind of wanted to go for a bit more finesse? Seomthing classier like an Italian bike.

Carbon because I want the lightness and stiffness it brings.

Wheel set; well I had Mavic Ksyrium Elite 2016's on my Tarmac, and thought they were great, so something around that level too.

Thanks for your help!

arlowood

duracelrainey wrote:

Hi Ayjaycee, sorry, I realised I didnt state groupsets etc.

Ok so did a bit of research and I think that I should be going for around the Ultegra mark or above (correct me if I'm wrong). My knowledge on bikes is terrible, I just love riding them but never really put much thought into it. I do love the Tarmac, but kind of wanted to go for a bit more finesse? Seomthing classier like an Italian bike.

Carbon because I want the lightness and stiffness it brings.

Wheel set; well I had Mavic Ksyrium Elite 2016's on my Tarmac, and thought they were great, so something around that level too.

Thanks for your help!

Look through the classifieds on here. Plenty of excellent quality bikes to be had around your budget. One example from the first page is this S Works Allez

viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=13065160

I know it's not carbon but for your budget a great quality alloy frameset may not be heavier and less stiff than a mid-range carbon offering. Has 11-speed Ultegra. Just reduced to £1350 but seller may be open to offers

duracelrainey

Thanks Arlowood! Checking it out. Feel extremely lost in the field of bikes as I really dont have a clue what the best brands are or models, so trying to somehow put a table together of all the manufacturers and models.

One question, what would you say are the 5 top brands to look at for road bikes?

zoomer42

This ain't my bike and i have no idea if it would fit you, but this would definitely be worth checking out

https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/cany ... 1172535258

imposter2.0

duracelrainey wrote:

I do love the Tarmac, but kind of wanted to go for a bit more finesse? Seomthing classier like an Italian bike.

Is this a 'label' thing? Cos that's pretty much all it amounts to these days...

ayjaycee

Everything that Arlo says makes sense and just because a bike is Italian, it doesn't mean it's 'classy'. If that S-Works Allez fitted, I personally would seriously consider putting in an offer in your position. As to the top 5 bike brands, asking a question like that is more likely to turn this thread into an extended argument on the subject than giving you any answers.

zoomer42

If you did consider going new, the Specialized store in Bristol has a grey Tarmac for going £1,100.

Its a decent looking bike. Not the highest spec obviously, but you have some money left over to maybe change the wheelset etc.

duracelrainey

Ok cool, yeh I suppose I've potentially got a bit sidetracked by labels, but then that highlights my lack of knowledge on bikes for sure!

Thanks for the comments guys.

mallorcajeff

Plenty of ultegra di2 bikes around for that price. I bought a scott foil team issue, mavic cosmic wheels and ultegra di2 virtuallly new for £950. I only wanted the frame so stripped everything off it and sold it and built it up with sram red and my choice of everything. No need to spend more if you buy right.