Would you buy an ex team race bike ?

[phucks1976]

I have been offered a good deal on a 2011 ex team race bike. It hasn't been crashed and looks good condition. Why shouldn't I buy it ?

[CoolC]

I would imagine they are some of the best looked after bikes available.

Repaired/serviced regulally regardless of cost.

[Odie]

Id avoid it, unless it is something special.

[mcelliott]

CoolC said:

I would imagine they are some of the best looked after bikes available.

Repaired/serviced regulally regardless of cost.

I agree with this - one of my training buddies works as a physio for Team Sky and the bikes will often get stripped down and rebuilt on a weekly basis - and a lot of the consumables, like brake pads and tyres, are replaced almost daily. I think what often happens is that the bikes get sent back to the manufacturer at the end of the season and from there are auctioned off. Some very good deals to be had, I've heard.

[itsnotarace]

Fine until you need warranty claim

[okgo]

Road bikes, fine, go for it.

downhill bikes, probably less so.

[Roman]

I've had quite a few ex team road bikes from contacts in the continental 'peloton' - never had a problem, the best maintained bikes you will find. Many of them are used as spare training machines, spend most of their time on top of a team car or are built from spare components at the end of a season.

Quite a nice feeling riding a bike you've actually seen racing in the TdF on TV and the cachet makes them easy to sell on in the UK too.

[deadtom]

okgo said:

Road bikes, fine, go for it.

downhill bikes, probably less so.

depends who rode the DH bike i would have thought

the top level pro DH riders are likely to be a lot smoother than amateurs, and are also likely to have several bikes which get changed regularly.

the not quite so top pro riders probably do give their bikes a hard life though, using the same bike for the whole season

[okgo]

Well just thinking logically.

a proper DH rider will have ridden some pretty gnarly tracks, a road bike, assuming its not done any cobbles is not likely to have been battered I guess.

[The Stiglet]

I'd buy one, almost did. Hate to bring up Sigma again (I promise I don't work for them!) but when I bought my ex-demo tarmac I had the option of buying an ex-Sigma team tarmac pro. TBH, I didn't think there was that much difference and went for the cheaper option. Both had a full warranty included.

[andySC]

A friend of mine has a Team Sky Dogma ready to race this season. Di2 & all the trimmings. Came with 50mm carbon wheels (probs C50's) & it cost him £3k. Not bad I reckon.

By all accounts it's the matt finish version the riders race on & it's absolutely stunning in the flesh.

[okgo]

3k???

That seems like a bargain if it came with wheels.

[andySC]

okgo said:

3k???

That seems like a bargain if it came with wheels.

It's certainly a bargain I reckon. He's very good mates with a Sky rider & this may well have made the transaction easier(?) but apparently these bikes all go online to be sold off when the seasons over.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

I'd agree with the comments above. You know where it has been and that it has been looked after. You can't say that about most used bikes.

[S6PNJ]

There was an eBay seller (last year/year before) selling off ex team racing bikes from somewhere up north (I can't remember how far up north though) but like a fool I didn't keep a record of his seller ID. Anyone know it? I know eBay is a big place but there was a thread on here about it, so someone might know it.

[Jimbo.]

No different from buying another other S/H bike! They get ridden, then get crashed, they get fixed. Only difference is that they're infinity better maintained.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

S6PNJ said:

There was an eBay seller (last year/year before) selling off ex team racing bikes from somewhere up north (I can't remember how far up north though) but like a fool I didn't keep a record of his seller ID. Anyone know it? I know eBay is a big place but there was a thread on here about it, so someone might know it.

Were they the ex-Raleigh team bikes?

[Teebs]

S6PNJ said:

There was an eBay seller (last year/year before) selling off ex team racing bikes from somewhere up north (I can't remember how far up north though) but like a fool I didn't keep a record of his seller ID. Anyone know it? I know eBay is a big place but there was a thread on here about it, so someone might know it.

Wheelbase in the lake district tend to sell quite a few each season?

[S6PNJ]

Rocksteadyeddie said:

Were they the ex-Raleigh team bikes?

I think they might have been...

[S6PNJ]

Teebs said:

Wheelbase in the lake district tend to sell quite a few each season?

I guess it's the wrong time of year (unless selling winter training bikes), but where on their web site might I find such articles?