Trek Madone 4.7 2010- do not know if to buy or not

[Dankowen]

Hello all!!

I'm new to this forum and to the biking community in general. I want to start competing in triathlons and am looking for a bike to get started with. I found someone who is selling his road bike second hand- it's a 2010 Trek Madone 4.7. He is selling it for about 1/3 of the price he paid for it at the store last year. The only problem, I viewed some size charts on the net and saw that my frame size should be 52 cm or up(my height is 5ft 6.5 in and leg length is 30.5in). The bike on dispute is 50cm, which is just a bit shorter than I need. I wanted to ask you guys how big a problem would that be for me, considering I will be doing quite a lot of biking, hopefully? Should I look for a different bike?

Thanks!!

Dan

 

[old-n-slow]

You should go to a store and get a "pre fit" where they take basic measurements and can tell you what size frame you should be looking at. Then you'll know if you are a 52cm or maybe even larger.

I'm 5'10" and was told i'm a perfect 56cm, which is what I purchased.

1/3 for a 2010 Madone 4.7 is a great deal if it fits.

My son started to ride/race on a 2004 Specialized Allez which at the time was $1200 new. He was competitive in sprint Tri's and won some outright. He eventually purchased a Cervelo P2 that he uses for Tri's. He still continued to race the Allez in Crits and road races and still did well. He just sold it so he can purchased a better road bike.

My point is you don't need an expensive bike to compete. But you do need one that fits your body.

Get a Pre Fit and if you're not a 50cm.. pass on it.

 

[Dankowen]

Alright, thanks for the good advice, will do!
Dan

 

[davereo]

Ride the used bike. 50 to 52 CM is not a deal breaker if the price is right. You can raise the saddle to get the proper hieght for pedaling. You can also extend the reach by swapping the stem. For instance if the bike has a 100MM stem you can change it to 120MM and get the same reach as a 52 CM. For 1/3 the price it is well worth looking into.
The adjustments I have suggested will only cost about 30.00 on the high side to do.

 

[old-n-slow]

Originally Posted by davereo .

Ride the used bike. 50 to 52 CM is not a deal breaker if the price is right.

That's assuming he's a 52cm. Get a Pre Fit and then you'll know how much of a reach a 50cm is.

 

[davereo]

Originally Posted by old-n-slow .

That's assuming he's a 52cm. Get a Pre Fit and then you'll know how much of a reach a 50cm is.

He will find out if the bike fits by trying it out.

Of course he can go to the LBS and get a prefit. Not all 50 CM bikes are the same. Just like not all 5'10" people are the same.

 

[old-n-slow]

Since he's "I'm new to this forum and to the biking community in general", he might know know if it fits or not.

It's not a bargain if he can't get the maximum benefit from it.

 

[Dankowen]

Thanks guys for the good advice. I am thinking about getting a pre-fit to know if that bike suites me.

 

[swampy1970]

2cm isn't a deal breaker - especially for a 1/3 of the price. Things like setback seatposts, longer stems and handlebars with more "reach"

Figure that you can ride the bike for a while and if you don't like it you can sell it for over 1/2 it's original price and make a profit...