1996(?) Serotta

[robn311]

Hi all,
I'm a fairly new cyclist. My only bike is a comfort hybrid that I use for commuting, which is great, but it is really heavy. I'm looking for something sportier and quicker that I can use for fitness rides and some longer rides. My budget is fairly tight, so I'm looking at used bikes on Craigslist at the moment. What do you guys think about this?

http://albany.craigslist.org/bik/2565445419.html

I don't know much about Serotta bikes, but from what I've read they're very high quality custom-built bikes. I am going to look at it this weekend, but assuming it fits and I'm comfortable on it, what do you guys think? He also told me the price is flexible.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Rob

 

[robn311]

One other bike I'm looking at on Craigslist, a Trek 1220zx. I can't find much about this bike, so again, any info you could provide is greatly appreciated. I'm also going to look at this one in the coming days...

http://albany.craigslist.org/bik/2558435821.html

Thanks!

 

[kdelong]

I am not impressed by the Trek 1220. Trek made the 1220 from 1994 to (I believe) 1998. Trek made a lot of cookie cutter bikes back then and the 1220 was at the lower end of them. The price is way out of line high for a bike of this caliber.

Now the Serotta is definitely worth looking at. The price is a little higher than what I want to see a 1996 vintage bike go for but it may be worth it once you see it in person. The photos were not very flattering. he says that it has Shimano 105 components on it which are by far better than the Shimano RSX components on the Trek. The photo of the rear derailleur looked like it was a Shimano 600 which was the precursor of the Shimano Ultegra and is some really good stuff. I have a bike built up with a full group of Shimano 600 and it is on par performance wise with 2010 Shimano 105 with a couple fewer gears. If the fit is there and the price can be massaged a little, go with the Serotta.

 

[robn311]

Thanks for the advice. I took a look at the Trek yesterday. It is extremely lightweight, which is nice, and has a cool paint job. As for riding it, let's just say I was a bit...underwhelmed. The shifting felt a bit clunky to me. If he was willing to drop the price significantly, I'd be more interested, but he doesn't want to go below $350. As for the Serotta, I was supposed to go look at it yesterday morning, but it got pushed back to the late afternoon. By the time I was able to call the seller back, he had already sold it. So sad for me. But you win some and lose some...

Thanks again for the advice, kdelong!