Newbie Roadie - Bike Advice

[EnduroOtto]

HI All

 

I am getting into road riding specifically for triathlons, 70.3 etc.

 

I have seen an Omega V-Max on the forum.

The bike is in my size and has 105 components on.

The age is unknown.

 

Link:

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/86699-omega-v-max/

 

It is selling for R4000.

 

My questions i need help with are:

 

1) is this bike adequate to train on and complete some 100km races?

2) is the price right?

3) should i be looking at something newer/better?

 

Many thanks

['Dale]

What's your budget?

 

It'll help the forum to assist you with ideas.

[Tubehunter]

It's all about what your actual goals are. If I was going to consider this buy knowing what I do after cycling for all of my 43 years, but approaching this as a newbie there would be many aspects to consider and you need to answer some questions in order to make this easier for the community to advise you:

 

How seriously do you intend pursuing this?

How long do you plan on keeping this bike?

Are you someone who will upgrade parts of a bike in order to improve the whole setup or do you prefer buying a complete rig and just doing maintenance on that?

[EnduroOtto]

Thanks Guys

 

I don't want to spend more than say 9k and thought this was a bargain.

I want to use the bike to complete triathlons and the odd argus/94.7 in the middle to middle/front groups.

 

I prefer buying once off and keeping for 3-5 years.

 

Thanks

[Tubehunter]

It is a great price for someone who wants to ride an event and yes many people would be quite competitive on this rig. Here are the limitations. If you ride a lot for training and the faster and longer you ride in order to get to the front groups, will mean more maintenance. More wear and tear items getting replaced. Factor this in with the components on your bike of choice. My own take on a bike purchase is that I try and get the best frame option I possibly can with my bike purchase and then upgrade parts with my maintenance replacements. First upgrade on a bike will always be the wheelset. Until you have ridden a performance wheelset you cannot believe the effect this has! If you're competitive that will be your next purchase.

 

If you get stretch your budget I would check this out:

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/101214-2011-fuji-sl-1-pro-c7-carbon-58cm-road-bike/

[Tubehunter]

Also might want to check out this....

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/95975-merida-race-lite-904-61cm/page__st__10#commentsStart

[EnduroOtto]

Thanks TubeHunter

 

Appreciate the advice!!

[Rocket-Boy]

Thanks TubeHunter

 

Appreciate the advice!!

How tall are you?

I ask because a good road fit isnt always right when you have tri bars on.

The merida would be good because it already has the wheels.

When I bought my roadie it was mainly for tri, but with aerobars on it is too big. As a roadie though its great.

[EnduroOtto]

I am 1.93

 

Most calculators and my LBS have suggested a size of 60-64cm?