Thinking of buying this pup... good deal?

[pmineault]

Hey everyone,

I was looking for a good bike to use for touring in Europe this summer and stumbled onto this one right here:

http://lespac.com/search/detail.php...&prixfrom=De...&prixto=%C0...&offre=t&etatb=t

I'm not a big expert on bikes but that's about my 'budget sweet spot', and it sounds good. For the non-French speakers in here, it reads:

"cyclotourism bike paid 1200 $, used for 1000kms. (Montreal - ALma and a little more). Rear derailleur XT et front derailleur Sora. The cassette (?) has a big gear of 34. 27 speeds. Plateau 52-42-30. Wheel 36 spikes. Jante (?) double. Spring-loaded seat. Very robust clip pedal. It's a large (I'm 5-11)"

600$ canadian dollars, which is ~550 US$ or ~300euros. Good deal? Any advice?

 

[rkokish]

Hey everyone,

I was looking for a good bike to use for touring in Europe this summer and stumbled onto this one right here:

http://lespac.com/search/detail.php?cp=181&region=&gr=8&majalerte=&a=4279996&o=%2Fsearch%2Findex.php&r=1651&liste_ville=&liste_region=&parindex=0&page=2&total=1259&nbrpages=105&visite_recherche=&categorie_titre=%5BLoisirs+-+V%E9los%5D&orderby=distance&mots=&tr=4&distancemax=0&agemax=0&catgr=c181-8&yf=0&yt=0&prixfrom=De...&prixto=%C0...&offre=t&etatb=t

I'm not a big expert on bikes but that's about my 'budget sweet spot', and it sounds good. For the non-French speakers in here, it reads:

"cyclotourism bike paid 1200 $, used for 1000kms. (Montreal - ALma and a little more). Rear derailleur XT et front derailleur Sora. The cassette (?) has a big gear of 34. 27 speeds. Plateau 52-42-30. Wheel 36 spikes. Jante (?) double. Spring-loaded seat. Very robust clip pedal. It's a large (I'm 5-11)"

600$ canadian dollars, which is ~550 US$ or ~300euros. Good deal? Any advice?

Sounds like a good deal financially, but I'm not sure what "large" means. I suspect a "large" frame may be a tad big for you.

I'm 5'10 and I tour on a 56cm Touring frame, but was told I could also be comfortable on a 54. However, you can't go by height alone. A good shop will consider things like your inseam, knee-to-ankle length, torso length, arm knegth, etc., along with your personal riding style and match this info not only to frame size, but also to optimal stem length and angle, crank length, etc. This kind of personal fitting may not make a perceptable difference on a short test ride but can make all the difference when you are on a multi-day or longer tour.