lemond buenos aires 2006

[mlocke]

I know I have seen atleast one of these around the club.

Anybody know what they are like - half carbon half steel i think. I need a spare bike and one is for sale for £750 - what d'ya think of the price?

Cheers

Mark

[Andrew G]

Dombo's yer man.

[Dombo]

I always figure a good start point is 50% of list for secondhand. List price for the bike was £1600, so £750 is good on that basis. However, they were on Sale at Evans last year for £999, which is what I paid for mine. I saw one go on ebay last October for over £800 so £750 is again a good price on that basis. Obviously you don't get the lifetime frame warranty but these are road bikes, not mtbs, and that's the case with all pre-owned stuff.
As to the bike itself, very comfortable if the geometry's right for you. I have a 32" inseam and am only 5' 8", ie longish torso, and the 55" fits me perfectly. At least as perfectly as allows me to do 100 miles in the Welsh Hills, or anywhere else and only have tired legs at the end of the day, no aches/pains anywhere else. Weight wise it's about 18.7 lbs stock, so a bit heavier than some of the lighter steeds in our peloton, but then I'm only 10 stone so not an issue. Ultegra gears, STIs, Bonty Race wheels and chainset - mine's a triple - and Bonty saddle/bars/post/stem. Saddles are personal, some like the Bonty, I don't and swapped it. The frame is same as the (slightly) higher spec Zurich and slightly lower Versailles and combines the springiness of steel with the road buzz removal of carbon. Overall spec is very good, and the final clincher for me was the standard headset, S3 Cane Creek. I don't like integrated ones and will swap it for a King once it wears out.
I've had mine since May and am very pleased with it. Gets up hills nicely and on descents it's only my lack of bottle slowing me down. There are good reviews on http://www.roadbikereview.com, but check the Zurich also as essentially its the same bike.
Also http://www.lemondbikes.com

[mlocke]

Thanks - I think this one might be abit on the small side for me as the guy just said that he is 5 ft 7 and im about 6ft 1

[Dombo]

For that money you should check out the end-of season sales at the likes of Evans. Advice may be next to useless, unless you plan on hopping about the Whitgift Centre on a BMX, but they do have some good bargains.