Buying a Bike

There are two main factors that impact the overall price and performance of any bike: the frame material and the groupset.

Frame:

Carbon Fiber is the best due to its light weight and structural stiffness. Carbon Fiber has been around long enough that you can find a good used one for decent prices.

Aluminum is also structurally strong, but is heavier. This can have a large impact on hilly courses or just getting across a bridge. Aluminum is cheaper. For buying there aren’t many aluminum road bikes on the second hand market and don’t know of a single new one available.

To close out the material aspect of your information, at the minimum, get a carbon fork. This was quite common and can still be found fairly easily.

Groupsets:

There are two main producers of groupsets and they are Shimano and SRAM. There is a third option that you will see, but it is very uncommon and that is Campagnolo. We would recommend steering away from the lower tiers in both of the main producers product lines since you can find both of their entry level products fairly regularly and at a decent price. Below you will see a tiered system with the beginner groupsets at the bottom moving towards the higher end ones. Each level gets you quicker and smoother shifting, plus some weight reduction. But as with everything, there is a cost comparison that must be done for everyone’s budget.

SHIMANO SRAM

Dura Ace Red

Ultegra Force

105 Rival

Now, within the different group sets, you can opt for mechanical or electronic. You will see this in the title of the groupsets, for instance Ultegra Di2 or Red eTap, it is that Di2 and eTap label that you are looking for if you are desiring electronic shifting.

With mechanical, the shifters are on the aero bar ends and you click the gears up and down. With each click the shifter pulls on a cable that in turn pulls the derailleur one way or the other. This is cheaper obviously.

Electronic is what it sounds like and at the tap of a button your gears shift. Buttons are on base bars and aero bars. Most electronic shifting bikes have SynchroShift which means you only ever tell your bike if you want a gear that is easier or harder and it will adjust the front gear for you. You never decide if you want to be in the big ring or small ring up front. It decides for you based on chain efficiency.

You do have to occasionally charge your electronic shifting and when I say occasionally I mean it. The battery is quite large and it doesn’t require a lot of energy to switch gears, so one charge will last many many rides. Personally, I could never go back to mechanical on a triathlon bike. The button placement and ease of shifting makes such a difference.

Brakes:

There is one more item that you can use to consider when purchasing a bike and that is the type of brakes that are used. Most new bikes are going to be disc but you will find some that have rim brakes. Disc has better stopping power, better performance in wet conditions and better aerodynamics, so that’s just an FYI. My bike which is not even old, has rim brakes because they were still making them that way when I bought it, so I don’t really think that rim vs disc is a huge factor you need to consider.

I’d prioritize a good frame, good group set, and for me, electronic shifting. Fancy wheels, better arm pads, different saddle, are all things that are easy changes. The priority items are not easy changes. So when looking at used bikes, don’t let someone upsell the items that they added on to their bike since they may not work for you or may not be what you are wanting.

And regardless of what bike you are riding, a clean and lubed chain is always faster than a dirty one.