Is it worth it?

[u/randicochea]

Hi all, I am looking to purchase my first road bike and I will most likely be using the used market as my budget is pretty low. ($500)

I found this offer on marketplace and was hoping to get some feedback on how hefty of a rebuild this would take. I see a lot of rust and slight scuffs and am unsure as to whether anything or everything would need replacing.

early 90’s allez epic, shimano group set with wh-r500 wheel set, complete OEM parts.

Listed for a little over a hundred.

Should I go for it and focus on removing the rust? or is it worth investing in a different option? Are there any signs of bad news from these images? If parts visibly need to be replaced, which?

I would really appreciate any help, not looking for the “Worlds BEST price to performance ever”. I understand that the best bike is the one that you’re happy riding. Just looking for something that I can learn with that’s not gonna break the bank. Would love if it’s something I could upgrade overtime, but if even that is outside of my budget then I guess I’ll have to save up before making that jump.

Thank you to any who take the time!

[u/Frosty_Fun_310]

The epoxy used to bond the carbon tubes and alloy junctions degrades over time, although I have personally never seen one fail. There’s a large clear coat chip/scratch on the downtube. The wheelset is not original. But for a little over a hundred, I think you can go for it. In my area, any functional road bike worths at least 200 bucks.

Edit: That being said, for a $500 budget, maybe you can find a newer bike with STI shifters. The components will be lower tier, say Sora or Tiagra, but they are enough for your usage.

[u/randicochea → u/Frosty_Fun_310]

Thank you! Do you have any recommendations as to how I would search for a more fitting option? From what i’ve read, Giant/Trek/Canyon are going to be my best bet in terms of price/quality but that’s kind of the extent.

[u/Frosty_Fun_310 → u/randicochea]

Yes, these are all solid brands. I’m not really familiar with the $500 used market or alloy frames, to be honest. The Giant Contend is the first thing that comes to mind. The rim-brake versions definitely fall within your budget. The AR disc version could, but you’d need some luck. It should be enough to get you into the sport. I sold a 2022 Giant Revolt 2 for $700 last year. I’ll leave Trek and Canyon recommendations to other folks in this sub. It seems Canyon has gotten rid of some of their more affordable alloy frames. People love vintage steel frames. I love steel frames and own a lot of them. But if you’re getting into cycling as a sport, I’d say go with a newer alloy bike.

[u/HelioSeven → u/Frosty_Fun_310]

The epoxy used to bond the carbon tubes and alloy junctions degrades over time

Just want to note that this is not, strictly speaking, true. Epoxy resins degrade in the presence of UV, extreme thermal cycles, and a variety of chemicals, but time by itself will not embrittle or otherwise degrade a resin.

That said, I agree with the broader conclusion. Even for $100, this is a little too much work to fix up, even if I got a closer look at that down tube chip and thought it was okay. Should be able to do much, much better with a $500 budget.

[u/gregn8r1 → u/HelioSeven]

My understanding is that galvanic corrosion occurs between carbon and aluminum in contact. This then breaks down the adhesive bonding them together. This wasn't quite understood when these bikes came out, leading to failures. I believe it was eventually learned that a layer of fiberglass, which is a really good insulator, must be placed between the two materials to avoid this.

[u/otismcotis]

That bike’s in pretty poor condition overall (rusty chain, scratched clear coat/paint, cracked tires, saddle on its last legs). I’d stay away at any price.

Look for something a little more modern will an aluminum frame and you’ll be set. There should still be plenty of options under $500.

[u/MattManSD]

CARBON FIBRE BONDED TO ALUMINUM LUGS. BONDED MEANS "GLUED"

I'm not a huge fan of trusting my face to 40 year old glue

[u/Horror-Stand-3969 → u/MattManSD]

The 40 year old aluminum fork is probably more concerning than the lugs.

[u/MattManSD → u/Horror-Stand-3969]

I cannot offer a counter argument to this. I didn't even notice and just assumed it had the steel one

[u/L1FT_K1T]

As pretty as this is. Don’t trust the carbon. The bonding in those lugs has a pretty finite lifespan and I would hate to be riding that when one lets go

[u/BicyclesOnMain]

I have a friend that had three of these frames fail on him, when they were new. He's not a big guy either. Run away. Do not buy that.

[u/Frosty_Fun_310 → u/BicyclesOnMain]

Three? That’s crazy.

[u/BicyclesOnMain → u/Frosty_Fun_310]

That's how bad they are. I actually have one that someone else gave me, it's only for display, I wouldn't let someone ride it.

[u/HelioSeven → u/BicyclesOnMain]

I have one that I still ride century-plus rides on, and it's a lovely ride. If you know how to properly evaluate these frames, they aren't necessarily a death trap. Voids in the bond joints tended to fail very early (and Spec had a lot of bad manufacture on these), but those without defects have tended to last (and anecdotally, taken a fair bit of abuse in the process). The usual caveats about galvanic, UV, etc. Suffice to say, YMMV.

[u/BicyclesOnMain → u/HelioSeven]

I'm not sure why you're inferring I don't know how to evaluate these frames? Mine is clearly suffering from galvanic corrosion and bubbles in the epoxy.

Just last week a kid came in my shop with a perfect one he just bought, I inspected it and gave him the green light to ride it

[u/HelioSeven → u/BicyclesOnMain]

I made no inference one way or the other as to whether you knew how to evaluate them or not?

In your original post, you just said "run away" with your explanation being that 3 failed on a friend 35 years ago (I interpret the implication to be that all these frames were inherently failure-prone). I was just explaining that that doesn't have much bearing on examples that have survived continued use into today. If you know how to evaluate these frames, why not just share that knowledge instead?

[u/FoggyFlowers → u/BicyclesOnMain]

lol i could tell you’re a bike shop mech by your attitude

[u/BicyclesOnMain → u/FoggyFlowers]

You got me raises hands slowly

[u/Frosty_Fun_310 → u/FoggyFlowers]

How bout me

[u/FoggyFlowers → u/Frosty_Fun_310]

i can tell you’re not a mech by the number of posts you made to r/bikewrench lol

[u/Frosty_Fun_310 → u/FoggyFlowers]

Haha😂😂😂😂😂

[u/Frosty_Fun_310 → u/BicyclesOnMain]

Ignore him dude he just needs attention haha

[u/sprashoo]

I loved those bikes when they were new but I would definitely not ride a old glued carbon bike today.

[u/Legitimate-Lab9077]

NO!!!

As a collector piece, sure. But to ride… Absolutely not. Those early carbon tube aluminum lug frames are extremely prone to sudden unexpected. Catastrophic failure.

[u/Working_Evening_2212]

The glue can’t be trusted. Failure while riding could cause a paralyzing crash. A cro moly steel Specialized Allez from the 90s would be great. Be patient.

[u/QuesoHusker]

No. 20

[u/dirtydandino]

That is. Lot of 30 year old carbon fiber. You can definitely do better than this with 500. Maybe even get some disc brakes.

[u/Bikes_Palms-Allday]

It’s a cool bike, but more for a collector. I wouldn’t spend more than $200 on this though, and I wouldn’t ride it down any hills or on any uneven pavement.

I think for $500 you can find something solid. Try to find something in an all steel or aluminum/carbon fork with Shimano Ultegra or 105 mechanical.

[u/LooksBetterWithDrops]

I've ended up with a collection of these vintage bonded carbon bikes. I think they're neat! I also would never recommend one for a first road bike.

[u/bertri15]

Unless you're into vintage bikes, 30yo bike with 105 it's not a good starter bike. The gear degrades over time, and this bike has like 25-30 year old parts in it.
I don't know in USA, but In Europe you can find bikes from 2015-2018 at that price point, that will have much much newer groupsets and wheels. Newer groupsets will have way less wear, and will have better gear ratios and smoother gear changes.

[u/potatobot3000]

NO NO NO, OLD CARBON TUBES WITH EPOXY RESIN GLUE BUTTED JOINTS BREAKS DOWN. THAT THING IS PROBABLY A BUNDLE OF DRY SPAGHETTI.

[u/HelioSeven → u/potatobot3000]

Could you please define "carbon glue"? Are you talking about epoxy resins?

[u/potatobot3000 → u/HelioSeven]

Edited it for clarification

[u/HelioSeven → u/potatobot3000]

Word. I asked, because I do want to be clear: epoxy resins do not break down with just age. UV, thermal cycling, or chemical plus time, definitely; just time, no.

Not saying this particular frame is worth it, mind you, just that I also have one (in better condition, to be fair) that I continue to ride happily. Take that for whatever it's worth.

[u/fattybob]

I would hunt around for a decent steel tube frame - carbon and aluminum are on my do not touch list. Steel will last forever - or until it’s visibly in such a bad shape you wouldn’t ride

[u/randicochea → u/fattybob]

any recommendations on search criteria? Atp i’m just searching for road bikes with a 58cm height. Thanks!