Took my aluminum bike for the longest ride I’ve managed in years - about forty miles - and it took twice as long as it used to on my old carbon composite Giant Defy. It gave me a strong hankering for getting another carbon bike, but the prices these days, compared to when I bought the Giant ten years ago, are outrageous. So I started browsing second-hand bikes.
I’ve read general advice that second-hand carbon is risky because damage is hard to detect, but five minutes on Facebook Marketplace shows there’s a thriving market regardless. Some of these bikes sound or look like they’ve hardly been used at all.
Or: my current bike is a Frankenstein botch-up of a ten year old Performer Storm aluminum frame and bits from other bikes. Would I be as well switching to, say, an aluminum bike like the Giant SCR? Or a second-hand aluminum Giant Defy, which I used to have the carbon version of and loved?
get a second hand mid range bike with 105 on it. Make sure to check for scratches, dings, and paint abrasions as well as areas where paint has been reapplied, or cracked clear coat. Carbon is remarkably durable.
Avoid the bikes with weird aero seat posts and head tube arrays, as they will be a nightmare to find spares for. Same goes for the range of weird pressed-in bottom brackets from 10 years ago: they are often the weak point of such bikes, and perhaps the reason for the sale!
Also make sure you can move the seat post in the frame, before you pay for the bike…
One of the Felt series, or a Specialized Tarmac from 2015 should be good. or a giant Defy, even a TCR! You should be able to find one of them in Taiwan.
don’t get an alloy frame if you can get a carbon. Frame damage from a crash is not so hard to detect, and after 30 years of making them, most reputable brands make bikes that don’t just suddenly evaporate or fold up on you.
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Thanks. What’s ‘105’? A particular type of carbon frame? I’m afraid my enjoyment of cycling doesn’t extend to knowing what a weird aero seat post would be, or even really able to tell different brands of bike component apart.
Is there much difference between a Defy and a TCR? You don’t see that many Defy’s going second hand, but a fair few TCR.
I think it’s fine to buy a secondhand carbon frame as long as there are no signs of a crash. Certainly a lot of people buy bikes with the intention of riding weekly and eventually they just collect dust, so I’ve also seen some deals on FB marketplace.
But doing double the ‘time’ is a lot…unless you were on a mountain bike vs road bike. Are you in the same shape as when you rode that distance/route on the Defy? Or is this Performer 12kgs+ with 32c tires?
I went from a 9.5kg steel road bike (2020) to a 7kg Giant TCR and only gained ~3 mins on a 8 mile, 2000ft climb segment. If I raced it might be significant, but in reality it’s only ~5-6% difference (for that climb).
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The TCR is more race oriented in its geometry and handling. The Defy will have you in a more upright position. which would generally be more comfortable. Also the Defy has a longer wheelbase which will feel more stable at higher speeds and cornering on descents.
I’ve only been cycling for 2.5yrs but it does seem “endurance” bikes have fallen out of favor and things have shifted to pure road racing bikes or gravel bikes. The Defy hasn’t seen a new model in quite a few years.
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A couple of years back I had to clear out a storage unit for someone. Inside was 2 carbon bikes.
I had to pretty much give the stuff away, as carbon bikes are like phones, they become obsolete and one has been involved in an accident before.
The problem is like that ill fated titan sub, when carbon fails it does so without warning and you can’t see the thousands of micro cracks present in the structure. That means any used bike you’re buying may have such defect that will split on you when you least expect it.
They’re also expensive to maintain and fix.
I would go for steel or aluminum anyday.
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105 is the groupset tier, gears shifters etc in the Shimano range. 105 being upper mid level, ultegra is the next step up, followed by dura-ace, each more expensive and a little bit lighter.
105 is really nice stuff and lasts.
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Jesus, there’s been millions and millions of carbon bikes sold globally. They are not one off experimental vehicles designed by cowboy engineers.
Follow urodacus buying advice and the op will be fine.
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I’m simply saying buyers beware. Carbon fiber can exhibit defects that are not visible to the naked eyes when stressed irreversibly.
You can get awesome deals with used bike, just do your due diligence when buying them.
It’s like buying a rtx 3090. There’s a lot of the market because they have all been used to mine with.
The same applies to any bike frame regardless of material. Welds and brazing can fail too.
True, but welds and brazing can be repaired by a competent welder. As to whether or not it’s worth the cost is another thing. But steel has very predictable stress profile and as long as they are not exceeded, they will hold.
Broken carbon frame is trash. They can’t be repaired.
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Same for carbon, and carbon bikes can be repaired.
I noticed that about the Defy. I’d wondered if Giant Revolt might be a worthwhile option. I’m not about the racing, more the exploring, and I’ve seen a couple of YouTube videos by people doing long distances on them. Across Eurasia, that kind of thing. Also, cheaper, far as I can see.
The Revolt certainly looks to be the most versatile and probably more comfortable as it’s even more upright and has a longer wheelbase. The Defy has a maximum 35mm tire clearance, whereas the Revolt is 53mm so taking the bike across different terrain would be easy as long as you had the right tires on it.
Of course with larger tires or gravel tires your speed on paved roads will suffer vs a road bike with 25-28c tires.
edit: the bike shortages are over and sometimes I see via facebook Giant does have days where you can test ride. Maybe more larger Giant shops would have a test bike also.
I’d wondered that myself. I think I’m in the same, if not better, shape than I was when I had the Defy, even though I cycled a lot farther then - largely, I think, because it was lighter and faster and hence I could cover greater distances in more time.
The Performer is a road bike frame, far as I know. Can’t tell you or remember how much it weighs, though I might try weighing the whole thing.
Time: I looked back to when I did a lot of cycling on the Carbon defy, most of a decade ago, and a typical journey along the same route and distance took me about three hours. This time it was a little over four hours. Thinking about it, I think the carbon frame bike made me want to cycle more.
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Good point! I’d been thinking of visiting one of their larger stores anyway.
The only other thing to consider is if you need to carry stuff and want fenders/mudguards on the bike - if you want to do distance/exploring type riding that is.
It’s worth checking what options are available. Frame bags, panniers etc.
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Maybe you should look into a new carbon Performer. It’s not as expensive or has the same cachet as a Giant, but it’s very well made in Taiwan. I’ve been riding a Performer Energy for over 2 years; it’s a gravel bike, but I have 28c tires, which offer a good balance between speed and stability.
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I checked out their website (Performer) for that exact reason. Definitely worth considering.
Edit - how do they keep the price of the carbon frame so low? How do you think it compares to giant carbon bikes, for instance?